Horse racing generates billions in revenue globally while exposing racehorses to significant welfare risks including catastrophic injury, overtraining, and premature career ends that raise serious ethical questions.
Racing horses experience multiple welfare challenges throughout their lives. Training begins before physical maturity, placing abnormal stress on developing bones and joints. Race-day stress — transport, noise, crowds, the race itself — triggers measurable physiological stress responses including cortisol spikes. Injuries range from minor muscle soreness to catastrophic fractures requiring euthanasia on track. The racing culture's emphasis on performance can lead to racing horses while compromised — with pain masked by medication — until a breakdown occurs. Retirement welfare is often neglected; without organised rehoming programmes, ex-racehorses face significant risks. Reform movements within racing are driving evidence-based changes to track surfaces, medication rules, and retirement support, but progress is uneven across jurisdictions.