Thoroughbred horse racing involves selective breeding and training regimes that increase catastrophic injury risk and raise fundamental welfare concerns about the sport.
The combination of extreme selective breeding, early racing at two years of age, hard track surfaces, and drug use creates conditions where catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries are endemic rather than exceptional. Horses that break down face immediate euthanasia on the track. Survivors of racing careers may have chronic joint problems. Reform requires addressing breeding incentives, racing age minimums, and surface standards.