Over 10,000 race horses die every year, and yet lots of people still think this sport is kind to the horses. Most people don’t really see what happens to the poor horses in this cruel sport though. These horses are whipped past their limits and drugged so they feel no pain. Their backs, necks, and legs are breaking and killing them. When they are not racing or training they spend all of their time in a small stall where they barely get fed. Horse racing has to be stopped.

 One of the worst things about horse racing is that people do it for the money. The US horse racing industry is worth over three billion US dollars. Hundreds of people bet on which horse they think is going to win and if that horse wins they get lots of money. Not only is betting not good for competitiveness, which makes the jockeys bush the horses harder, but it’s also not good for people. When the betting becomes too heated, fights may break out and that ends well for no one. That is one of the main reasons why horse racing is not banned yet. 

 Another reason horse racing isn’t banned is because the owners of the horses and the jockeys who ride them lie about how the horses are treated. Race horses are kept in small stalls and not given enough to eat, according to the jockeys, race horses are kept in large open fields with lots of food and water. That’s how most horses are treated. If you look at a picture of a race horse you can see its ribs, which proves that race horses don’t get enough to eat. They will also say that people who don’t race don’t really know what’s best for the horses when it’s clear that these animals are treated horribly. 

 Horse racing is not the real problem, it’s how the horses are treated. If the horses were treated better and got to run on their own will, then horse racing would be okay. Horses love to run, which is one of the excuses that people will make so horse racing is not shut down. They are right, horses do love to run, but they don’t love being pushed past their limits, whipped to their death, they just want to run like they would in the wild. They want to be able to just run, and be loved. 

 In conclusion, horse racing is a cruel sport that kills 10,000 to many horses. There is no defending this “sport”. The horses are starved and “retired” to the slaughter house. They are whipped and treated like slaves. Horse racing has to be stopped!

Want to help out? Check out the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation!