The Horse Race Is Not a Natural Sport

The horse race is a sport, a competition where humans perched on their backs compel horses with a whip to run at breakneck speed. It’s not a natural pursuit for horses, which instinctively understand self-preservation and are naturally inclined toward slow, steady progress. Nevertheless, human beings have a long history of imposing their will and ambitions on horses, and the horse race is just one example.

The equine event has been a major component in our national life and culture, and it’s a sport that continues to attract huge crowds of spectators. The race’s popularity in colonial America grew quickly, stimulated by an interest in gambling and by the prestige attached to winners. The prestige of winning a race inspired breeders to seek faster horses, and British soldiers’ tales of their Arab foes’ remarkable speed in desert battle zones helped propel the advent of the Thoroughbred. New oval tracks made it easier for spectators to see the action and further increased interest in the sport.

Animal advocacy informants who participated in a study assessing common racing practices that could potentially impact thoroughbred welfare conceptualised naturalness through three main groups: injuries and deaths on the racetrack; use and overuse of drugs and medication; and human-horse interactions (see the box at right for a summary of the findings). But these are just the tip of the iceberg. They ignore what a large number of industry and advocate informants refer to as the “everyday life” of racehorses, which is where the real welfare issues are.

As a means to improve performance and reduce injury risk, horse trainers will often work their runners or breeze them. Breathing is when a runner runs at a slower pace over a set distance, typically as part of their training regimen before the start of a race. This process helps build conditioning, as well as allow for a fitness assessment of the runner’s condition.

A runner is then led into the starting gate, where the starter hits a button once all the horses are in place to open the front gates at the same time and signal the race to begin. The runner then proceeds down the track at an accelerated pace, attempting to win.

But as our research has shown, the most important factors in a horse’s welfare are not so much what happens on the racetrack, but rather what they experience during their everyday lives. That’s why engaging with Layers 7 and 8 of the hierarchy is so vital. It requires a shift in our beliefs, attitudes and paradigms, enabling us to recognise individual horses’ physiological; emotional; cognitive; social and behavioural characteristics, abilities and boundaries. This is the only way we can move to the heart of the matter and truly put animals first in the race for their own well-being.

The Horse Race Is Not a Natural Sport
Scroll to top