Horse race is a sport in which humans on foot or seated on horses compete against each other over a distance of one to four miles (2 to 8 kilometers). The first recorded examples of horse racing date from ancient times. Chariot races, and later bareback (mounted) horse races, are documented in the writings of Homer and other classical authors. Originally, these competitions were military exercises but the popularity of the sport led to public events with fixed rules for entering, betting, and awarding prizes.
Traditionally, racehorses have been trained to focus on speed rather than stamina. However, the advent of the modern American Thoroughbred, with its emphasis on commercial success and high levels of physical fitness, has made stamina a more important attribute.
As a result, the breeders’ goal is to produce a horse that is capable of covering a mile and a half or more over a course with two turns, while demonstrating a capacity for sustained effort over the longest distances. The sport’s rules of eligibility are based on age, sex, veterinary certification, and previous performance. In addition, the race organizers assign a scale of weights to each horse that must be carried by the rider in order to win.
A horse’s natural behaviour is highly influenced by its environment. The stress of confined and often isolated conditions, especially if the horse is unfit, can cause stereotypical behaviours such as crib biting or weaving, which are the result of frustration, anxiety and a general inhibition of natural movement. Moreover, a horse in the confines of a racetrack can be subjected to various stimuli which may cause it to respond inappropriately. These stimuli include music, the noise of clapping, the flashing lights of the betting windows and a cameraman.
The horse is a social, plains-dwelling animal that has evolved to work in groups in order to hunt and protect its herd from predators. Despite the fact that horses are housed in isolation and close confinement, their natural herd behaviour is seldom encouraged. Therefore, many racehorses exhibit herd-like behaviours in the stables, such as crib biting and weaving, which are behavioural responses to stress.
There are essentially three kinds of people in the world of horse racing. The crooks who dangerously drug and otherwise abuse their horses, the dupes who labor under the fantasy that the sport is broadly fair and honest, and the honorable masses of horsemen and women who know the industry is more crooked than it ought to be but don’t give their full attention to improving it. Increasing awareness of the dark side of the industry has fueled improvements, but there are still serious reforms to be made.