Horses race over distances from 440 yards (400 m) to four miles or more, depending on the country. Generally, short races are seen as tests of speed and long-distance races as tests of stamina.
On the track, humans perched on their backs compel them — with a whip — to a breakneck pace. In the wild, horses understand self-preservation; if they are injured, they stop and rest. But on a racetrack, this is against the rules, which means many injured animals are whipped to keep running and then suffer devastating injuries from that effort.
As they prepare for the race, a trainer will gradually increase the intensity of training. Often, horses are “worked,” or run at a faster pace for a set distance, which is timed and can indicate the level of conditioning a runner has achieved. The runner’s condition is further assessed by having the veterinarian examine the horse and make any necessary adjustments.
During the race, horses are led into a gate in front of a starting box. The starter then hits a button that opens the front gates of all the stalls at the same time. The runner who is in the lead will begin racing. The other runners will follow him.
Once a race is over, the winning horse’s owners celebrate. The losing horses, however, are often euthanized or sold to slaughterhouses in Canada, Mexico and Japan, where they are killed and turned into dog food, glue and other products. Most of the euthanized horses are not even retired to pastures, because their owners can’t afford them.
Besides the injuries, animal rights activists also point to the use of sedatives during training, which may have contributed to Havnameltdown’s death. Several of the drugs he took were corticosteroids, which are used to reduce inflammation in joints. The use of this drug in the weeks leading up to a race is common, and it’s not unusual for the joint issues they cause to result in bone cysts, or holes in the bones.
Journalists have offered ideas to improve horse race reporting, such as including information that voters need to make choices in a race and not discounting different figures based on popular narratives. The same principles can apply to other types of news, such as a political election. For example, media scholars say cutting coverage of opinion polls won’t necessarily help voters decide who to vote for, but incorporating campaign finance information and other measures that help voters compare candidates’ qualifications might.