Horse racing has perhaps the most glamorous image of all so-called animal ‘sports’. Such is the allure of horse racing that major race-meets such as the Melbourne Cup are even ‘celebrated’ with public holidays – but for the horses forced to participate, there’s much more than money at stake…

There’s a dark and mostly hidden reality to horse racing Australia that likely sees thousands of Thoroughbred horses (used for flat and jumps races) and Standardbred horses (used for harness races) who become injured or fail to run fast enough discarded and killed by the racing industry each year.

Worth determined by 'winning' potential

At the sales of Thoroughbred colts and fillies, ‘yearlings’ can sell for tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the gamble starts right there; with the owners and trainers hoping to ‘back a winner’.

Training and competing pushes these sensitive animals to their physical limits, risking damage to their muscles, bones, heart and airways. Being forced to race at just two years old puts horses at particular risk of injury; at this age, these animals are still immature, and their bodies are far from prepared for the physical stress of the racing world. Despite this, the lure of the very high stakes for the two-year-old races means many owners push trainers to have their ‘expensive’ animals compete.

Dangerous – and fatal – falls during flats and jumps races

Two years ago alone, there have been multiple fatalities associated with falls during horse races – taking the lives of people and horses during flats and jumps races…

Jumps racing is, sadly, one of the many fates for ‘failed’ and ‘retired’ Thoroughbred racing horses. Statistics over many years have shown that jumps races are even more dangerous and harmful for horses, with up to 20 times more fatalities than flat races. This is unsurprising, given groups of horses are being pushed to jump a series of one-metre-high fences together at high speed.

Why are injured horses almost always killed?

This is a question often asked as race-day audiences watch a traumatic fall, and are very quickly shielded from the brutal reality of the game with a screen rushed on the field.

When a horse breaks their leg or shoulder, the bones may ‘explode’ into many pieces, making it near impossible to be repaired or helped by a veterinarian – and even when recovery is possible, it is unlikely the horse will be able to be used for racing again. Even where a mare or stallion has potential at stud (breeding), the cost of rehabilitation to full fitness is expensive and not a guarantee. Injured racehorses are prone to infections, particularly pneumonia, and are usually deemed ‘uneconomic’ to the industry.

Further physical suffering

During training and competition, horses of all ages can suffer painful muscular-skeletal injuries, such as torn ligaments and tendons, dislocated joints and even fractured bones. Some horses even drop dead from Exercise Associated Sudden Cardiac Death, with approximately half of these attributed to an irregular heartbeat.

Although perhaps less overt forms of suffering when compared to injuries from collisions and falls, horses are also forced to wear uncomfortable bits, barbaric ‘tongue-ties’, and are hit with painful whips – mostly when they are at their most exhausted state during a race. Recent studies on whipping have shown horses’ skin is not only thinner than that of a human, but may be more sensitive to pain, and that whipping horses is “likely to be painful”.^[6] If other animals – like our companion animals – were hit the same way, it would be considered a cruelty offence.

Invisible suffering: internal race injuries 

The exertion forced upon horses during races leads to a high prevalence of bleeding into the airways, called Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage (EIPH). As this generally occurs with no outward visible sign, this suffering of horses goes unnoticed by spectators. EIPH has only been fully realised in more recent years when cameras have been used to examine the windpipes of horses.

Bleeding can be seen in up to 75% of racehorses, and when lung fluid is examined under a microscope, blood can be detected in more than 90%.

Mental suffering

Horses may be stabled alone for most of every day, apart from when they’re taken out to train or compete. Without social and environmental stimulation and without the opportunity to engage in highly motivated behaviours such as grazing, horses can develop behavioural/mental health issues. These issues can show up in different ways, including stereotypic behaviours (repetitive and compulsive behaviours), self-mutilation, crib-biting (biting on fences and other fixed objects and then pulling back), and wind sucking (arching the neck, gulping air and expelling air with a characteristic grunting noise).

‘Wastage’ – the terrible term used for unwanted racing horses who are discarded

The horse racing industry would love for everyone to believe that all retired or ‘failed’ racehorses spend the rest of their years grazing on beautiful paddocks, but most ex-racing horses are not so lucky. The vast majority of horses either fail to run fast enough to be profitable or become injured and as a result, they are discarded by the racing industry.

Where do they go?

Some horses considered ‘wastage’ by the racing industry will be sold on for riding, eventing, or other uses. The majority, however, will not be wanted and are likely to be killed at just a fraction of their natural lifespan. Sold directly through auctions or at a later date when they no longer have a ‘use’, these horses may be sent to knackeries to be killed for ‘pet food’ or sent for slaughter for human consumption. Due to the lack of transparency, it is unknown how many horses in Australia face this fate each year.

Of all horses slaughtered in Australia, lack of information transparency makes it difficult to determine the portion that comes from the racing industry. However, given the large number of foals born into the racing industry each year, the high attrition rate in the industry, and the high consistency of the number of horses in the racing and breeding sectors of the industry, that portion is likely to be significant. Some horses are exported alive, and with no control over what happens to them abroad, they may be killed for meat at their destination – as was the case for the half-brother of  ‘champion racehorse’ Winx, who was found to have been killed for meat in South Korea.^[11] The long-distance transport of horses to slaughter for human consumption is not well monitored or regulated.