Horse races in Kentucky are one of the quintessential Kentucky experiences: hearing thousands of voices shout at their screens and feeling the earth tremble with thunderous hooves racing down the stretch are unforgettable experiences, but beneath its romanticized facade lies an underworld of drugs, injuries, gruesome breakdowns and slaughter involving many horses forced into excruciatingly fast speeds often threatened with whips or illegal electric-shock devices resulting in frequent injuries and deaths for horses racing Thoroughbreds.
One century after Eight Belles and 10 years after Medina Spirit died, horse racing is slowly awakening the public to its realities. While spectators wear fancy outfits and sip mint juleps while cheering for their favorite competitors, behind-the-scenes is often filled with broken bones, bloodshed, drugs and broken hearts – leaving little joy or satisfaction for spectators or competitors alike.
Horseracing is based on gambling, with some races even declared “winner take all.” Horses are forced to race at speeds exceeding 40 miles per hour at unsustainable speeds before they are hit with whips designed to break their necks rather than improve performance. Furthermore, these animals are kept in small, cramped stables designed for humans rather than designed specifically for horses which puts enormous stress on their bodies – those that survive often end up suffering broken limbs, health problems or heart failure as a result of competing at these high speeds.
Horses are exposed to constant psychological strain from racing and training, which has been known to cause neurotic behavior and mental breakdown in some animals. Furthermore, there are the drugs: potency substances used to speed up their races that contain powerful painkillers, stimulants and depressants with which these effects may be concealed by using painkillers to mask any adverse reactions of these substances.
No rules exist in the United States to regulate the use of performance-enhancing substances; however, many horses are regularly given injections with various chemicals and compounds in order to increase speed and stamina. Romans would inject their horses with hydromel as an endurance enhancer while the punishment for cheating on horse races in 18th century Europe was crucifixion; once thoroughbred racing made its way across the Atlantic America became known for innovatively using substances like cocaine, heroin, strychnine and caffeine to increase performance levels.
Apart from the risks inherent to racing, horses must also deal with various medical issues, such as being kicked in the head or chest and suffering internal bleeding and brain damage from being kicked, bone and ligament injuries, respiratory illnesses and lameness (hock or shin soreness being common symptoms), while some horses are predisposed to breaking their sesamoid bones- two small bones located above and behind the fetlock joint – during raceday.
To reduce deaths, more humane practices must be put in place. For instance, before entering a race, horses must first be considered physically fit to race and there should be stricter regulations surrounding breeding, feeding and racing. Furthermore, industry must adopt tracking systems to monitor well-being once horses leave tracks for private markets for breeding or slaughtering purposes.