Horseracing is a very popular sport in America, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
In USA, Horseracing is second only to baseball in spectator sports. Where it is practiced, Horseracing is accompanied by gambling through both legal and illegal channels. Various types of racing events are held in Horseracing, the popular ones being thoroughbred
Horseracing, harness racing, steeplechase racing, and quarter Horseracing.
The origins of Horseracing can be traced back to prehistoric times to the tribes of Central Asia. These tribesmen were the first to domesticate the horses back in 4500 BC. In the years that followed, Horseracing became the identity of the royal community.
Present day Horseracing has become a cut-throat industry which is dominated by professional bettors betting on horses purposefully bred and trained to win races.
However, the extremely competitive demands of the sport on the horses have put a severe strain on their well-being and have lead to unpleasant consequences in some aspects. There is a dire but largely ignored need to look into problem areas and address them.
Where the Horseracing industry earns millions in revenue, it can channel some of it for the benefit of the racehorses.
This article will highlight and discuss three major problems the Horseracing industry faces.
Problem 1
Horses are produced in large numbers the world over every year for the purposes of generating a select few that can participate in professional racing. Those that are selected are a small percentage of the original set. The horses that qualify to become
a part of the Horseracing industry go on to see a few glory years in their lifetime. However, horses that do not make it to this elite class suffer an unenviable fate.
Problem 2
Another glaring problem facing the Horseracing industry is the one concerned with horses that are injured during their training or while participating in races. Even a minor injury can result in the end of the career of racehorses. This is because Horseracing
is an extremely performance driven industry, mainly because it has become so closely associated with gambling. Therefore, horses who suffer an injury are usually not appreciated in the industry because their reputation as performers drops even if they are
able to improve afterwards. There is no proper procedure instituted to deal with such horses.
Problem 3
For the Horseracing industry, horses remain productive only for a short period. They are considered good for competing only when they are very young and in most cases, are made to retire even before they reach maturity. Each year keeps on adding to the already
large amount of retired horses that have lost their value to the Horseracing industry, which generally leaves them to be abandoned or worse.
The major cause of concern regarding all these issues is the way they are dealt with. The horses who do not qualify to become a part of the Horseracing industry are usually killed.
In some countries, it is common practice to eat the meat of such horses. Injured horses are often euthanised as they serve no other purpose. What is unfortunate is the most common cause of injuries among racehorse, which is the fact that they are made to
race at a very young age. The race careers of many horses start even before their bones have developed properly and gained strength.
All the stakeholders involved in the Horseracing industry should start a serious debate over the fate of the fine racehorses in order to devise rules and procedures that would minimise if not eliminate their disposal and injuries.
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