Although horse racing is largely viewed as a source of entertainment for most, a sport to watch on television or in real life, the ethics behind it are scarcely questioned.
Recently I came across some horse racing while watching television and I couldn’t help but think of how unethical the sport truly was. As I watched these animals be constantly beaten and hurt, the enjoyment one could get out of watching such animal cruelty became increasingly foreign to me.
Despite the fact that upon a Google search, there are many websites questioning the future of the sport and its ethics including PETA who claim that “most horses are subject to a cocktail of legal and illegal drugs” and that “horses used for racing are forced to sprint—often under the threat of whips and even illegal electric-shocking devices”, the sport continues. It is often even televised and creates massive social events such as the Royal Ascot with no clear actions taken to improve the moral of the sport.
Realistically, the sport is a competition determining which Jockey can whip their horse the severest in order for the horse to be scared into trying to run faster than they are capable of doing for a lengthy amount of time. Truthfully, the sport would be much more fair and representative of the Jockey’s ability to train and work with the horse if whips were not used. If such violence was used in football, for example, with the team’s manager beating the players to perform better in the match, there would be outcry about the ethics of the game, so why is the same attitude not taken to horseracing?
The unethical treatment of the horses including abuse, drugs, premature training and the replaceable nature they are treated with is also worsened by the monetal aspect of horse racing. The massive financial pay-offs involved in the sport add to the pressure that is put on these animals.
In the society we live in today, its unimaginable how this sport continues to take place in such a way and one can only hope that real change is made soon.
Sources: PETA
