Horse races are an event in which multiple horses compete to claim a stake. Horse racing is an extremely popular pastime among many people and considered legal gambling by some states; betting on these races even provides tax benefits in some instances! However, horse racing remains highly contentious, leading to various legal and ethical discussions. Early horse races involved two or at most three horses competing against each other for the purse provided by owners. As public interest in horse racing increased, match races gave way to open events where all runners could participate and wagers were made by neutral third parties known as keepers of the match book. Rules were then developed for managing this broad field by determining eligibility based on age, sex, birthplace and past performance ratings of each participant in order to effectively oversee such an endeavor.
A jockey rides a horse during a race, using his whip to propel it forward and control its speed. For success in any given event, skill must be demonstrated through this art form in order to win it all.
Preparing a horse for racing involves getting it used to running on an ideal racing surface and weather. Prep includes getting familiar with conditions such as temperature and track surface; in addition, take into consideration your horse’s health and condition before competing in any horse races. A thoroughbred must be in good physical shape in order to compete successfully in such events.
As horses are entered in races, racing secretaries assign weights that equalize their chances. This process of handicapping also allows bettors to study past races of each horse in order to predict its odds of winning and place bets accordingly.
Heavy tracks are racing surfaces which have been prepared with an excessive amount of water, resulting in it becoming muddy and slow. Jockeys will sometimes ride their horses on heavy tracks using only their hand rather than using the whip as an aid – this practice is known as hand riding.
Patrick Battuello, founder of Horseracing Wrongs, contends that horse racing as an industry is a “Big Lie.” According to Battuello, animals used in racing are drugged and whipped before training and racing too young at too early an age, often pushing them beyond their limits until death occurs (PETA estimates that over 10,000 American thoroughbreds die annually), or they’ll eventually be slaughtered after race day.