A horse race is a competitive running event for horses that takes place on a track and is scored by the number of laps around the course. There are a variety of different types of races, with some having shorter distances, such as sprints, and others longer distances, such as routes or stays. A horse must be able to accelerate quickly and channel their energy effectively to get around the course in the least amount of time possible.

During the race, the horse is led by the jockey, who is in control of the reins. The horses are also usually clipped so that they cannot pull back on the reins or cause them to slow down. The horses will typically change leads, with one side of the body leading more than the other throughout the course, and it is important that they know how to do this on cue. This is because if they don’t change leads, they can become tired much faster than their competitors and they can lose the race.

Horses have evolved to run at high speeds but this is often against their natural physiology and can be damaging to their skeletal systems. Racing is a dangerous sport in which a high percentage of horses suffer fatal injuries. One study found that one in every 22 races results in a horse being injured to the point that it can’t complete the race. Other common injuries include hemorrhaging of the lungs, broken backs, fractured ring bones, and heart attacks. Injuries are common because of the stress and strain of racing, a race’s long duration, and fast speeds.

The multimillion-dollar sport of horse racing is a world of drugs, gruesome injuries, and euthanasia. Horses bred for speed are often pushed far beyond their limits, and they die at an astonishing rate—more than 300 per day in North America alone. Despite the romanticized facade of horse racing, a true picture of this brutal industry reveals that it is nothing more than a race to death for these sensitive prey animals.

In the wild, horses like to move together as a group and to run fast away from danger, not towards it. In races, they are forced to sprint—often under the threat of whips and illegal electric shock devices—around hard tracks at high speeds. This makes them susceptible to devastating breakdowns and injuries, including bleeding lungs, and it is not uncommon for many to fail to complete their careers and be sent to slaughter.

As the election approaches, many people are concerned about how this presidential race will be conducted. The mudslinging, name calling, and attack ads can easily obscure the real issues at stake for Americans. As such, it is easy to see why some critics argue that we need less horse race journalism and more coverage of the actual candidates and their platforms. However, it should be noted that the criticism of pre-election polls and horse race journalism is longstanding and is protected by the First Amendment.