In a world where health is almost always a primary concern, being concerned about the health of animals is normal, to be expected. Some people neglect their pets’ health and in a relatively modern society, they would be reported, and their pets would be taken away from them. They might even get fined.

For professional animals, things are even tougher. Horse racing, for example, is a very dangerous profession, for both the animal and the rider, but also an amazing sport where the horse and the rider have to work together to reach the goal. Horse race betting is one of the favorite hobbies of people who love horses – being able to predict which horse will win based on their record and training is truly a skill. These horses are carefully chosen, trained, and groomed to be the best. Horse racing is one of the world’s toughest sports when it comes to animal health and it is of great importance to avoid the risk of injury.

A Sport With History

Given how we have more access to information today, we are able to find out more information about any sport at any time. Turn back the clock 40 or a hundred years and you are more than likely to be able to get information only from television, radio or actual news or live events. It is unlikely to know everything there is to know about a certain sport. Horse racing has always been closely tied to sports betting, and with such a relationship, you could have expected to be a lot of angry and happy punters. Even with the fans and punters, the sport itself is dangerous, no matter the potential involvement from the outside. The brutality of horse racing only increased as time went by and new ways of breeding and training horses were discovered.

Brutal Workouts

Some of the injuries in horse racing don’t come from the races themselves, but from workouts. Everyone who ever worked out knows how easy it is to injure oneself if they don’t do an exercise properly or without proper warm up. But what if the very ground you were standing on was out to get you. The ground itself cannot be malicious, but a loose tile here and your squat loses its form and you end up being injured.

Now turn your attention to the horse racing venues and the stadiums on which they train. If the material for the tracks is bad, the horses can injure their joints just by working out. That is similar to a racer racing on wobbly terrain or a powerlifter lifting while the ground is moving. Even the slightest movements can promote injuries, if not instant, then certainly over time.

A Retired Racing Horse’s Drama

Once a racing horse is retired, they often end up under a butcher’s cleaver. This might be a cruel way of saying it, but most retired horses are either sold to the meat industry or if they are lucky, purchased by a horse lover who will care for them until nature takes its course.

Racing horses often end their careers relatively young, at the age of 6. Horses are fully mature at the age of 8, for comparison. The luckiest horses are taken care of until their natural death while those whose luck had run out get sent to the butcher.

Races Can Also be Tough

While workouts can be tough and deadly, for some horses, races can also be a true sight not to behold. Multiple times throughout history, there were many accidents during races, where a horse and jockey would end up falling, leading to a chain collision, with other racers and horses falling. Races, like workouts, can be detrimental to a horse’s health, just like that of the jockeys.

Horses can get injured at all stages of their racing careers. Sports, albeit a spectacle to watch, can be dangerous for people and animals.