How Dangerous is Horse Racing?
To answer this question, you'll only have to imagine of fourteen Thoroughbreds running at breakneck speed in close quarters and you'll get the idea of what happens when one accidentally stumbles or trips. At full speed, other horses won't be able to react to get away from danger nor can their jockeys do much in such a situation except hold on to the reins (if they can). In the U.S. alone, more than half of jockeys who rode horses have had head or neck injuries as a result of falling off a horse or other freak accidents on the race track. 2006 statistics show that there were 600 horses who died on the racetracks of New York.
There is no question that horse racing carries with it inherent dangers for both jockey and horse. A filly or colt that is over-trained could potentially breakdown while running the track and not only injure itself but other horses and other riders as well. Horses who are raced at the tender age of two before their limbs and bones have been fully developed are more susceptible to injury that endangers itself and its jockey. Unscrupulous trainers who think only of their interests may use Bute to mask the pain and injury and let the horse run instead of giving the equine time to completely heal and recover. This adds to the danger in the track.
But compared to the number of races run every year and the number of injuries, most of these injuries are few and far between. This does not mean, of course, that they should be taken lightly, since the lives that are taken or disabled are those of the animals and people who matter in the sport. But these should not mark the sport as being inherently hazardous.
Any sport carries its own dangers. When you think about it, boxing, wrestling or other full-contact sports even pose more risk to both life and limb of its human participants. One could even say that any accident involving both the horse and jockey in a horse race are largely often due to freak accidents, overtraining and the use of both legal and illegal drugs. The first one cannot be controlled, the last two are definitely within the hands of the trainers and owners and those who truly love the sport won't stand for it.
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