As we enter the final stretch of the presidential campaign, pundits and political observers of all stripes are digging out their favorite catchphrases and hackneyed expressions to describe the close contest. One of the more popular ones is “horse race,” which means an uncertain, but perhaps tight, contest. In the early 19th century, the term began to be used to describe equestrian events, particularly those involving horse racing. Whether you like or dislike horse racing, the sport has influenced our culture and history.
Horse races are thrilling, dangerous spectacles that have entertained and engaged millions of people for centuries. Yet behind the glitz, glamour and mint juleps is a dark world of drug abuse, injuries, and slaughter. It’s also a world where it’s common — and even accepted — for horses to develop debilitating medical conditions, such as hemorrhaging lungs and ringbone, or suffer heart attacks and fatal injuries.
A horse’s normal instincts are to move away from danger, not toward it. But in order to win a race, a horse must be taught to run fast and to stay close to other runners. This requires training, conditioning and sometimes force. A horse may be whipped and forced to take risks that are against its nature. It is not unusual for a horse to experience psychological trauma from being whipped or forced to compete in a race, which can lead to repetitive behaviors such as cribbing, biting at its gate or kicking itself.
In the wild, horses love to run and to move fast. They’re prey animals, and in the wild they run to keep each other safe. But the sport of racing is a human construct that forces them to run as individuals, to run for victory over other individual competitors, and to push themselves past their natural limits. As a result, horses frequently die in the course of a race.
In the days before a race, trainers will begin to condition their horses. This usually involves routine jogs and gallops in the early hours of the morning. Once a horse is conditioned, he will be allowed to work or breeze — he’ll be asked to run at a faster pace for a set distance. This will give the trainer a better idea of the horse’s fitness level and readiness for competition. A trainer will then select the horses that will compete in the race and will set their starting weights. Each horse is assigned a specific weight, depending on the horse’s age, gender and distance of the race. The heavier a horse is, the more money it will earn if it wins.