Thoroughbred horse racing carries substantial injury and fatality rates that reflect both training intensity and the biomechanical limits of a breed developed primarily for speed rather than soundness.
Horses that suffer catastrophic racing fractures experience acute, severe pain — the speed and force involved create injuries that are rarely survivable and require euthanasia on track. Sublethal injuries may leave horses in chronic pain if returned to training too quickly. The developmental immaturity of two-year-old racehorses means they are trained at high intensity before their musculoskeletal systems are fully capable of withstanding those loads.