Horse racing raises persistent welfare concerns from catastrophic injuries and fatalities to doping, overtraining, and the treatment of horses that fail to perform.
Horse racing involves deliberate exposure of horses to significant injury and death risk for entertainment and gambling. The welfare cost is measurable — hundreds of deaths annually in major racing nations. Reform efforts including track surface improvements, veterinary pre-race assessments, and fence modifications have reduced but not eliminated deaths. Advocates should support continued reform and push for mandatory aftercare programmes for retired racehorses.