The Terrible Side of Horse Racing

Is horse racing a harmless test of speed, or is there a grim reality behind it?

Abuse to Yearlings
Racehorses are trained at the age of eighteen months, when their skeletal system is still growing. Also the connective tissues in the joints of the horse aren't fully developed. This can lead to premature arthritis. If a horse who has been trained and made to work hard at a young age and a horse who has been trained at the proper time are made to work for the same period of time and same amount of work then mostly the horse who has been trained and made to work hard at a young age will get more problem. Many people say that you shouldn't ride a horse below the age of three or four. Also at the age of three or four you shouldn't make the horse do a lot of hard work like jumping.

Horses racing out of the starting gates

These young colts and fillies are unprepared to handle the pressure of racing on a hard track at high speeds. The hard training schedule to prepare young horses for the 2-year-olds training auctions and the Triple Crown season, along with drugs is just too much for these juvenile horses, and often results in deadly injuries.
 Under Tack Shows
When the horses become 2-year-olds, in the spring, thoroughbred racehorses are taken to 'under tack shows', where they are forced to perform at breakneck speeds to impress the buyers at auctions. Although these horses are called 2-year-olds many of these are actually yearlings, and are forced to go faster than they will ever again in their lives.
Pushing these immature horses at such speeds often results in catastrophic breakdowns, career- ending and life-ending injuries while training and during auctions. Because of this reason also many horses have extremely short careers, and retire at a very young age.

Surfaces of Racetracks
Racehorses in the U.S. are trained and raced on hard packed dirt surfaces.  Studies have shown that hard packed dirt surfaces increase the risk of catastrophic injury to racehorses.
There are many alternatives to dirt tracks, such as artificial and natural turf. Both of these have shown a reduction in injuries to racehorses.

Use of Whips

Jockey whipping horse

Often jockeys whip the horses mercilessly (on instruction of trainers). Organizations like PETA have been trying to ban the whip. In 2009, thanks to a lot of persistent pressure from PETA, several prominent tracks have replaced hard leather whips with softer air-cushioned whips. Softer air-cushioned whips do not leave welts and cuts like the hard leather whips, but still whips should be completely banned.

After Retirement
We expect that a racehorse retires to a nice life frolicking in pastures. The fact is that only famous and big racehorses, who the public like a lot, or racehorses who can earn money in stud are left to enjoy life in pastures. Those who can't earn money in stud or aren't very famous are sent to the slaughter house. Since the last horse slaughterhouse in U.S. has been closed several years ago, the racehorses are shipped to slaughterhouses in Canada, Mexico or Japan where they are turned into dog food or glue. Also, their meat is exported to countries like France and Japan, where it is considered a delicacy. The horses have to endure days of terrifying transport crammed together without water or food. The horses are slaughtered in the same method cows are slaughtered in. Horses are not used to being herded around like cows, as a result, once together, the thrash about in order to avoid being shot by the captive bolt-gun. The captive bolt-gun is supposed to make them unconscious before their throats are cut.

The Stud 
Mares usually give birth in the summer months when the weather is mild. In breeding racehorses though, they try that racehorses are born as close as possible to August 1. This allows maximum time to train for races.

To achieve this unnatural cycle breeders adjust the temperature, artificially lengthen days by using lighting and inject drugs like 'prostaglandins' into the female. Weeks after giving birth, when the mares have reached fertility, they are forced to stand for a stallion so that they can produce a foal the next season. Under natural conditions mares produce a foal once in two years.
Drugs are often used on racehorses for better performance. But the drugs also mask vulnerabilities in horses, which increases the chance that genetically weak horses will end up in the breeding pool and their weaknesses will be passed on. Once a horse is in the breeding pool, they are used repeatedly.

Yearling Sales
As their is a big number of racehorses born every year, all cannot become champions. Foals who are faultless are taken care of extremely well. However, minor deformities can render a horse worthless. Some minor deformities can be operated on or treated, but this risks further injury to the young horse. To make these young horses look more attractive to buyers at the yearling sales, horses are subjected to a regime of exercise, a high protein diet and sometimes drugs to increase their appeal and make them more profitable.

Stabling of Racehorses
As racehorses remain in their stable for a good part of the day, their bone density deteriorates; the bones become weaker. This happens to people also. This is probably a big reason for so many horses breaking down while training and racing.

A fallen horse and jockey getting trampled by other racehorses

Race track stabling houses hundreds of horses. As a result there just isn't enough space to have the horses turned out in pastures or pens. Also, if space existed, a high energy horse would want to play. Sometimes while playing the horse can hurt himself/herself. Horse owners often don't want to risk their horse being injured, as a result they keep them in a stable. A stable is safer but less natural.

Use of Drugs
Trainers and Veterinarians keep injured horses racing by giving them a variety of legal drugs. These drugs do not heal the wound, they just mask the pain and control the inflammation. This leads to break downs, as the horse is still injured, but is training and racing.
Drugs are also given to horses to enhance their performance.
Some drugs also have the ability to mask the presence of other - often illegal drugs. These drugs are used to mask the presence of other drugs, which are given for enhancing performance and to control
pain and inflammation in injured horses.

New Owners and Constant Travel
During a racehorse's career, it may change owners and trainers several times. 

In 'Claiming races' or 'Selling races' the horses in the race are all for sale and may be purchased and taken away by their new owner immediately after the race.
Most breeders sell 1-year-olds at yearling actions. Many of these yearlings are bought by 'pinhookers', who keep and train the horses for a year and then sell them again as 2-year-olds in training auctions. After that the horse will be bought and sold many times during their racing careers.
Each day brings new uncertainty to the horse, as no owner is committed to a horse throughout his or her life time. Horses have to often undergo long journeys. They have to adjust to new people, different schedules and different type of care.

You should also see this article by PETA on horse racing http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/horse-racing-.aspx