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A horse race is a competition that pits two or more horses against one another in a track event. It is the oldest sport known to man and today it is a global sport with races held all over the world.
Many different breeds of horses are used for racing, with Thoroughbreds being the most popular worldwide. Other races are held for Standardbreds, Quarter Horses, Arabians and others. In order to compete in a horse race, a horse must have a pedigree that indicates it is a purebred. This means that its father and mother must both be purebreds of the same breed in order to qualify to race.
In addition to the physical exertion, horses are forced to sprint — often against other competitors — at speeds that are unnaturally high. This forces them to use up their energy reserves in short bursts, which can cause a number of serious injuries and even death from hemorrhage in the lungs. The industry regularly uses cocktails of legal and illegal drugs to mask these problems and boost performance. Despite these dangers, horses that finish in the top three or more of a race are paid a prize money called a purse.
Betting on a horse race is a common practice amongst horse racing fans around the world. This can include betting to win, bet to place and accumulator bets in which multiple bets are placed at once.
The most common way to bet on a race is to place your money on the horse you think will come in first. However, it is also possible to bet’show’ and ‘place’. ‘Show’ betting is more difficult since you have to predict whether the horse will come in first or second, while ‘place’ is much easier as it only requires that the horse come in either first or second place.
Horses can be injured in a number of ways during a race, such as by a fall or by hitting the railing. They can also lose control of their feet or become overheated. This can lead to them requiring veterinary care at the facility and in some cases, hospitalization.
Despite the fact that horse racing remains a centuries-old sport, it has benefited from a series of technological advances. Thermal imaging cameras can identify when a horse is overheating after a race, while MRI scanners and X-rays allow the doctors to spot many minor or major health issues in a quick and effective manner. Other innovations in the sport include 3D printing, which allows a horse to have prosthetics made for broken limbs.
Despite the romanticized image of the sport, horse racing is a cruel and unsustainable activity for animals. Behind the scenes, horses are pushed past their limits, abused with cocktails of legal and illegal drugs, beaten with whips and often put down after breaking down. The veterinary community is taking steps to regulate the sport and protect the welfare of horses, such as by adopting a resolution in the AVMA House of Delegates condemning unsanctioned horse racing.
