Horse racing is one of the oldest sports, and has a long history in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. It is a game of skill, endurance and luck in which bettors place wagers on the outcome of a horse race. The sport dates back at least to the 7th century bc in Asia Minor, and Homer’s Iliad records chariot and bareback (mounted) horse races in Greece. Thoroughbred horses are the preferred breed for horse racing because of their speed and agility.
The earliest races were match contests between two or three horses, but pressure from the public and a desire to attract more bettors eventually led to bigger fields. As dash (one heat) racing became the norm, winning a few feet gained in a race became vital, and so a jockey’s ability to coax those extra few yards out of his mount grew in importance.
Racing officials set the weights that each horse must carry based on its age, gender and previous performances. In addition, a few allowances, or reductions in weight carried due to specific conditions, are allowed, such as the lower weight that females must race under and the reduced weight three-year-olds may race under when facing older horses.
All of the above are subject to a variety of rules and regulations, including a ban on smoking near the starting line or in any enclosures where the horses are kept. These regulations are designed to keep the environment free of distractions and to prevent the occurrence of accidents, which are common in horse racing and can be deadly for both jockeys and horses.
Many horses are injured in the course of a race and, as a result, some races are delayed or postponed. The severity of the injuries and delays varies, but they can be catastrophic for some horses. The most serious injury is lameness, in which a horse loses the use of one or more legs. It is a life-threatening condition and can be caused by a variety of reasons, such as a blow to the head, an impact on the knee or an unbalanced foot.
The most common cause of lameness is injury, but it also can be the result of poor diet or training. Many times, a horse’s lameness is temporary, but others have lingering problems that require veterinary care to correct.
There is a lot more to be said about the dark side of horse racing, which includes the abusive training practices of young horses, drug use and transporting American racehorses to foreign slaughterhouses. But growing awareness of these issues is helping to improve racing’s image and has already prompted some changes in the way that horse races are conducted. Click through this collection of research on horse race reporting to learn more.