This is a research paper I had to write for my English class, and I need to submit it for peer review. Three areas that I think I need more work are my entire conclusion, more detailed info on growth of the skeletal system, and more real life examples of what the paper is discussing.
The Truth About Horse Racing
Horse racing, also known as the "Sport of Kings," has been around for many years. Like the name suggests, it is a sport in which at least two or more horses and riders take part in a race, trying to beat one another in a contest of speed and stamina. Presumably, the sport first came to be in countries like China, Persia, Arabia, and other European countries that had learned to master horsemanship early. In fact, these countries are responsible for the creation of the Arabian, Barb, and Turk breeds, which are some of the oldest breeds still existing today. Although it is one of the oldest sports in history, it has had virtually no change in its concepts since its inception. It has always been a form of entertainment to the public, more so in modern days. Though, the sport's popularity has dramatically shrunk since the start of the 21st century ("Horse Racing." par. 2). The reason behind this downfall is the continuously mistreatment of the animals. The issue has been growing and people are beginning to be more outspoken about it, which is leading to more public exposure. What exactly is so inhumane about making a horse gallop in a race that lasts less than two minutes? The inhumanity does not actually exist in the sport itself, but the leading up to and preparation for it, and in many cases, the aftermath.
Being one of the oldest sports in existence, horse racing has come a long way, and has even branched out to form many different forms. There is thoroughbred racing, quarter-horse racing, steeplechase race, harness racing, etc. The most well known form of horse racing is thoroughbred racing. It is seen as a glamorous and exciting event where you watch a small number of beautiful, strong thoroughbreds compete and run for first place. However it was not always just a form of entertainment. England used to race horses in competition to display a horses' speed and show their worth to potential buyers ("Horse Racing." par. 3). Over time, its main existence became for entertainment purposes. There are many categories for these thoroughbred races, which have their own standards as far as contenders go. A handicap race is determined by how much the weight the horse has to carry depending on its age. For example, a horse that is two years old will not have to carry as much as a three or four year old. There are also sex allowances for fillies, or females under the age of four, so that they don't have to carry as much as the males do. The main goal of these handicaps is to make it as fair and equal as possible (par. 19). As the sport grew in popularity through the ages and the more money that became involved, the worse conditions seemed to get for the animals.
The fact that there are even two year olds competing is disturbing, as a horse does not fully reach maturity until 5-6 years of age. A racehorse is often started in training, or even competing, at age two or three, which can be argued as inhumane. It has been proven in radiographic studies that a horse does not achieve maximum bone mineral until they are six years old (Lawrence par. 3). The bone development of a horse is a very complex and delicate process. Although they are very precocious animals, the development and growth of their bones is formed by growth plates, which is the conversion of cartilage to bone, which d0oes not reach its maximum level until the age of six (Bennett par. 9). Six is when the development processes is complete, however the ages four and up are acceptable for training, riding, etc. It is not necessary to wait for all these growth plates to form completely before you get started, but the longer you wait for them to form, the safer it will be for you and for the horse (Bennett par. 8). Understanding that, horses that are forced to undergo the extensive racing training at the age of two should not be acceptable. The growth plate research proves that their bodies are not fit for such a brutal sport. Regardless, owners will continue to train and race these horses at the classic and most common age of three, and sometimes even less, because of the large purses, or race winnings, breeding fees, and sale prices of the horses under the age of four ("Horse Racing." par. 24).
Animal rights organizations have been going after the racing industry for a long time. They bring up the argument of drugging and mistreating racehorses and fight against horse doping, the use of horse whips during races, placing a limit on the amount of races a horse can enter in a season, and replacing the harmful dirt tracks with a safer synthetic surface. These activists have been successful in the sense that the popularity of the sport has decreased. They have had many examples to help argue their cause, like the tragic story of Barbaro, who was the Kentucky Derby winner in 2006. By winning with the biggest lead in 60 years, Barbaro quickly became a favorite, and many believed him to be the world's next Tripple Crown Winner. However, Barbaro's career was brought to a sudden, tragic end when he shattered his leg in the Preakness, which is the second of the three races in the Tripple Crown. He was euthanized eight months after his accident. Many believed that he was pushed too hard because of the promise he showed. Others believed that he was too young, being only three when he died, so that would mean he was put into training when he was about two years. This would explain the sudden shattering of his leg, as his bones were not fully developed and were weakened by the strain of racing. There was also the accident involving three horses during the production of the horse racing TV drama "Luck," which resulted in the deaths of those horses ("Horse Racing." par. 37). Both of these events were a huge impact on the popularity of the sport.
Exploitation, cruelty, and premature deaths are all part of the racing industry. About 1,000 horses are born into the racing life only have their lives lived short, being slaughtered or worse, put into a state of neglect, leading to starvation and suffering. A large number of foals are bred each year in hopes of making racehorses out of them, but the sad truth is that only a fraction of them ever get to live long enough to attempt to make it in that field. Many are born and only a few fast ones with promise are selected to compete. If that foal is lucky enough to make it past the cut, he will undergo extensive training, which often leads to injury if not done right, like waiting for them to mature completely, for example. If and when they do make a successful racehorse, their career is often short lived, as they will be "retired" as soon as they lose a few races. When a racehorse is "retired," it often means that they are disposed of, whether it be euthanization or sending them off to slaughter, which happens more that people think (Chai Online. par. 2). The industry paints a pretty picture of race horses retiring to lush, green fields where they live the rest of their lives grazing happily and living a luxurious life as a pet. In reality, they are slaughtered (par. 7).
The main issue with horse injuries again comes from the lack of skeletal development. However, because the largest purses are for races for two and three year olds, people are willing to take that risk and put their horses' health in jeopardy. Many argue that cowboys and regular horse people often start a horse when they are two to three years old. This is true, and it is also true that it works for that particular discipline. Starting a riding horse is a slow process, with little stress to their growing body and joints. Racehorses are thrown into severe training and forced to run beyond their limits. To give an example of the training progress, a racehorse is just ending his career, and possibly its life, as a riding horse is just entering its prime (Chai Online. par. 3).
Statistics have shown that for every 22 races, one horse suffers an injury, either caused by the race itself or by the training. In fact, over 800 thoroughbreds die each year from racing or training in North America (Chai Online. par. 3). Often times, horses are raced even when they are injured. Injuries are common in training. If the horse is lucky enough to even be seen by a vet, the owners are often too impatient to wait for the recovery of the animal. So instead, they drug the horse for temporary relief, or even for an athletic boost. Some examples of mistreatment for performance boosts include cobra venom being injected into the horse to numb its joints and make it run better, feed it a "shake" or baking soda, sugar, and electrolytes to lessen the lactic-acid buildup and increase carbon dioxide in the bloodstream, hormones to increase oxygen carrying blood cells, and even implanting batteries underneath the horse's skin to deliver a shock when the horse begins to flag. These are only a few of the many examples, of which labs cannot detect every time (par. 4). Not only is racing younger horses taxing on their bones, but it also causes stress induced injuries, such as stomach ulcers, heart murmurs, bleeding in the lungs, all of which lead to more drug use. Take into consideration that a horses heartbeat can increase tenfold while racing. Exhaustion, collapse, or even heart attacks are not uncommon in this occurrence. In a study of racehorses, researchers found gastric ulcers in ninety-three percent of horses in training to become racers. A whopping one hundred percent was found in the actual racers (par. 5).
The ending of a racehorses career almost always ends up in the disposal of the animal, more specifically in many cases, slaughter. Slaughter conditions are as inhumane as it can get, overloading horses into cattle trucks or sheep trailers, which are far too small to fit horses, let alone thoroughbreds who are often tall in size. This results in many more injuries, like hitting their heads on the roof of the trailer, which can result in death (Chai Online. par. 7). Those horses that are not euthanized or sent to slaughter are not always better off. Re-homing horses to improper homes can be one of the most inhumane things a person can do. Many go to riding schools, where they receive improper care and are forced to live in miserable conditions with insufficient feed. Homes with no knowledge of horse care or have the proper funds to care for a horse is not suitable for a thoroughbred (par. 8).
The once glamorous and exciting sport referred as the "Sport of Kings" is declining its popularity. The conditions in which the sport is put on is the main reasoning behind it. If owners and trainers were to be a little more patient and a little less money grubbing, the sport could once again flourish and become the glamorous, exciting, and family fun event in used to be. By allowing the athletes to take their time maturing their body, the public would be happy because of the fewer accidents they are forced to witness on the track. The whole economy of the horseracing industry is another issue that should be tampered with. Money is the biggest issue that all the other issues revolve around, because if the stakes weren't so high, people might be a little more forgiving for a few race losses. If the racing industry does not attempt to fix some of the issues discussed, then the sport may lose all popularity altogether and could possibly even cease to exist.
