Horse racing is one of the world’s oldest sports, and it’s steeped in time-honored customs. From ancient chariot races to the grandeur of today’s events, it is more than just a sport — it’s a celebration of human and equine spirit.
But like many other equestrian sports, horse racing is fraught with controversy. For example, some animal rights activists point to the sport’s use of unnatural training methods and confinement of racehorses as reasons to demand reform or outright banning. Others point to the not-infrequent injuries suffered by horses, which can be exacerbated by the pressure of the race environment.
While it’s impossible to pinpoint when the first horse races occurred, the United States’ first organized tracks were established in the early 1600s — well before the Founding Fathers began writing the constitution. But these elongated ovals didn’t change the informal nature of early American equestrianism. The earliest races were match races between two or at most three horses, with the owner providing the purse and a simple wager. When an owner withdrew, he or she forfeited half the purse or even the whole purse depending on the agreement. These agreements were recorded by disinterested third parties who came to be known as keepers of the match books.
As the sport developed, more standardized races were instituted, and a “King’s Plate” was created for six-year-old Thoroughbreds to carry 168 pounds in four-mile heats. This emphasized stamina over speed, which became the hallmark of excellence until the Civil War.
In the modern era, the affluent and well-connected are drawn to the sport for its lavish spectacles and exclusive clubs. Some also find betting on a winner to be entertaining and lucrative, though some critics of horse racing point out that the industry relies heavily on illegal gambling and underage wagering.
The popularity of horse racing has spawned numerous spin-offs, including the reality TV show America’s Got Talent, the Broadway musical Hamilton and the major film series Black Beauty and Secretariat. It has also inspired a number of books, with the best-selling being the 2005 memoirs of author Laura Hillenbrand, who won the 1981 Kentucky Derby aboard Seabiscuit.
The sport’s male-dominated culture has not escaped the notice of many immigrant women who aspire to become jockeys. In an effort to address the problem, more and more female jockeys are entering the field, but the entrenched masculinist culture of the sport is proving difficult to overcome. Moreover, it’s not just the jockeys who face challenges; the stud farms that house these equine athletes have an equally hard time recruiting women. As a result, more and more women are choosing to leave the field to pursue careers outside of horse racing. But this could ultimately spell trouble for the sport’s future if the trend is not reversed soon.
