Horse racing is one of the oldest human-animal sports partnerships, but it involves welfare risks including musculoskeletal injuries, medication use, and deaths on the track.
Racing exposes horses to significant injury risk at speeds that stress immature bones and tendons. Fatal breakdowns occur at a rate that would be unacceptable for human athletes. Off-track welfare is equally concerning: horses trained intensively in small stalls with limited turnout show high rates of stereotypic behaviors including crib-biting and weaving. Post-career rehoming is inadequate for the number of horses exiting the industry annually.