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- From 2009 to 2021, more than 7,200 horses died or were euthanized nationwide because of racing-related illness and injuries, according to The Jockey Club, which maintains the Thoroughbred registry. Historically, many racehorse deaths have resulted from limb injuries, followed by respiratory, digestive, and multiorgan system disorders.
www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/horse-racing-risks-deaths-sport
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Jun 9, 2023 · The size of a race horse and its natural instincts make it nearly impossible to survive serious injuries at the track, but many are trying to improve the odds.
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- Special Contributor
Nov 29, 2023 · The confusing and sometimes contradictory regulations for the 38 states that allow horse racing have enabled cheaters to benefit from a chaotic system and endangered the lives of horses pushed beyond their limits, resulting in countless racehorse deaths.
- Overview
- Racing reforms
- Deadly injuries
- The drug controversy
Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, is suspending operations after 12 animals died. Why are racehorse deaths so common?
In February 2022, Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit was stripped of his title after failing a drug test.
Despite its popularity, horse racing is a dangerous sport for both horse and jockey. Last week, Churchill Downs—site of the Kentucky Derby—announced it would suspend racing operations for the rest of the spring after 12 horses died in a month. Operations will resume June 10 at Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky.
In its statement, Churchill Downs said “no single factor has been identified as a potential cause” of the deaths, but nearly all horses were euthanized after suffering serious injuries on the racetrack. During the suspension, investigators plan to conduct a “top-to-bottom review” of all safety protocols, including making sure the surface of the track is safe for racing.
“What has happened at our track is deeply upsetting and absolutely unacceptable,” Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill, said in the statement.
From 2009 to 2021, more than 7,200 horses died or were euthanized nationwide because of racing-related illness and injuries, according to The Jockey Club, which maintains the Thoroughbred registry.
The unprecedented spate of fatalities at Santa Anita in 2019 placed renewed focus on the safety of the sport.
For instance, bipartisan U.S. lawmakers introduced the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act to create a uniform national standard for drug testing racehorses. The bill passed in 2020, and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which is managed by the Federal Trade Commission, was formed. The horse racing industry was formerly regulated by states.
The Jockey Club supported the bill, saying in 2019 that “it’s time we joined the rest of the world in putting in place the best measures to protect the health and safety of our equine athletes.”
Authorities have cracked down on illegal drugging in recent years. In March 2020, federal prosecutors charged 27 trainers, veterinarians, performance-enhancing drug peddlers, and others for taking part in racehorse doping rings, and in February 2022, Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit was stripped of his title after failing a drug test.
While a broken leg is easily treatable for humans, it’s often a death sentence for horses.
That’s because horses have so little soft tissue in their legs that the bone often tears through skin or cuts off circulation to the rest of the limb, leaving them prone to infection.
In some severe cases, the bone shatters, making it nearly impossible to reassemble. (Read how horses are smarter than we think.)
Even if the horse’s bone could be set, it wouldn’t be able to support weight for several weeks. If horses can’t distribute their weight relatively evenly, they risk laminitis, a potentially fatal inflammation of tissue inside the hoof.
In general, if a horse can’t stand on all four legs on its own, it won’t survive and will be euthanized, Arthur says.
And when a horse falls, its jockey is often hurt, too. A 2013 analysis of about five years of California horse racing data showed 184 jockey injuries from 360 reported falls.
Trainers have been accused of making an already risky situation worse by drugging horses with performance-enhancing substances or painkillers, animal welfare advocates say.
Such drugs allow horses to run faster and power through the pain. For example, the drug furosemide, popularly known under the brand name Lasix, is a “performance-enhancing drug cloaked as a therapeutic medication,” according to a March 2019 report by the Jockey Club.
While it’s prescribed to treat bleeding in the lungs, the medication also causes urination and, consequently, weight loss. Lighter horses run faster, and Lasix has been shown to help horses run three to five lengths faster. Lasix is banned at some races, and Churchill Downs bans its use on all two-year-old horses racing days. (Read about the most detailed history of horse evolution ever assembled.)
While some animal activists feel such drugs should be banned entirely, others in the horse racing industry believe better self-regulation is the answer.
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority is performing a three-year study into whether Lasix is a performance enhancer, and if it’s healthy for horses. The board will then vote, and it’s expected they will choose to entirely ban use on race day, according to Animal Wellness Action.
Editor's note: This story was originally published May 17, 2019. It has been updated.
- Rachel Fobar
Oct 18, 2023 · The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) published a series of safety recommendations on Oct. 11 with the goal of complementing the current risk assessment processes already in place for Thoroughbred racing in the United States.
May 20, 2023 · Racehorse desert tracks are alarmingly common. Over 10 days leading up to the Kentucky Derby, seven horses died at Churchill Downs, according to a group that opposes racing as inhumane. So far...
California and New York have public databases that catalogue equine injuries and fatalities; Kentucky does not. According to a database kept by the Jockey Club, which oversees the breed registry for thoroughbreds in the United States and Canada, more than 7,200 horses died in races from 2009-21.
Dec 1, 2022 · Fifteen risk factors were significantly associated with sudden death, including horse age and sex, season and purse of race, race distance, and horses’ recent history of injury and lay-up. Horses racing while on furosemide medication were at 62% increased odds of sudden death.
