The Horse Race – Naturalisation, Normalisation and Downplaying
A horse race is a sport in which competitors are required to race horses over set distances. In modern times it has developed from a primitive contest of speed or stamina between two animals into a global spectacle that involves large fields of runners, sophisticated electronic monitoring equipment and immense sums of money. Throughout its long history, the basic concept of the race has remained unchanged: it is a competition between a human jockey and an animal with a fixed amount of ground to cover in a given period of time. This article explores how this ancient sport has evolved from a diversion for the leisure class into a massive public-entertainment business and the effects it has on the welfare of its participants.
The industry informants’ responses to the verbal-only questions and the photographs revealed an underlying pattern of naturalisation, normalisation and downplaying of racing practices and their impacts. This is largely achieved by invoking assumptions about the thoroughbred’s nature and their role as athletes, and by using these to justify control mechanisms and practices that are not in the horse’s best interests.
In particular, there was a tendency amongst the industry informants to downplay behavioural and psychological responses to certain racing practices such as the bit and tongue-tie and the perception of equipment, such as spit boxes and simulcasting. In their view, these are only a minor inconvenience for the horse and do not constitute a major problem in terms of its welfare.
Furthermore, there was a tendency to naturalise and downplay the impact of other racing practices, such as the stalls, the starting gate, the track and the horse’s tack. This was done by invoking the assumption that thoroughbreds enjoy racing and are eager to participate, and by using this to justify the use of controlling methods and devices such as stalls and the starting gate.
This article also explored the horse-human relationship and the idea of the thoroughbred’s “horseness”. There was a consistent emphasis by both industry and advocacy informants on how important it is for the welfare of the thoroughbred that it shares an emotional and behavioural bond with its owner or rider. They also argued that it is important for the thoroughbred’s well-being that it has a positive experience when competing in races.
In this way, the horse-human relationship is central to the image of the sport and how it is presented in the media. The exploitation of the thoroughbred is a major issue in the horse racing industry, which churns out 20,000 unwanted and unprofitable foals each year. These animals are often broken down on the track and euthanised as a result of injuries sustained in races. The tragic example of Eight Belles, who broke both her front legs during the 2008 Kentucky Derby and was euthanised on the spot, highlights this point. The industry also faces criticism from animal rights organisations such as PETA.