Horse racing has been practiced for millennia. Archaeological evidence shows it was an integral part of ancient Greek, Babylon, Syria, Egypt and Rome culture as well as myths and legends involving Odin and Thor on Hrungnir and Sleipner horses racing each other for supremacy; legend also features this event between Odin and Thor, on their respective horses Hrungnir and Sleipner respectively. Unfortunately however, horse racing also has an unsavory side; horses bred for speed are put through long races which cause severe injuries while those not finishing in money races typically sold off for slaughter or other uses causing much controversy among horse owners as well as horse owners themselves.
Homer’s Iliad dates back to 8th or 9th century BCE and contains one of the earliest written descriptions of horse races ever. After this point, chariot and bareback horse races became popular forms of entertainment worldwide and even made an appearance at Olympic Games.
Modern racing is dominated by Thoroughbred horses bred for speed and performance. To qualify for premier events, horses must amass sufficient winnings from previous races; this monetary value is known as their “poker.”
Purses are rewards given to jockeys, owners and trainers of horses that place among the top five or six positions at each race. Their prize money varies based on both race type and jurisdiction – typically, higher purse amounts increase chances of finishing among the top two or three, although many horses fail to do so and thus miss out.
The sport can start to mend itself by providing ex-racehorses with comprehensive care after retirement from racing. Too often when they leave racing they are left with only Facebook posts and a limited window of time to be “bailed”, often ending up at slaughter farms in Mexico or Canada, where they will die an agonizing death.
Racehorses often experience mental health problems caused by confinement and stress, including depression or apathy, which manifest in compulsive behaviors like biting, cribbing, pacing and self-harming. Although often mistaken as behavioral problems caused by their training and environment; instead they’re likely a direct result of horse racing’s for-profit business model which exploits horses for profit. We must all do everything we can to put an end to horse racing’s abuse and exploitation of horses!