The horse race is a competition in which thoroughbred horses compete against each other at a set distance on a flat track. The races are usually two or three miles (3.2 to 6.4 km) long. They are typically considered tests of speed and stamina. They have a rich history in human culture and are part of mythology. A popular sports event, the horse race is widely watched and analyzed by fans. Many people also gamble on the outcome of a horse race.
The idea of what is natural has particular relevance in the context of horse racing. It guides breeding regulations and has implications for husbandry, training and racing practices. This study explores how key industry and animal advocacy informants conceptualise a horse’s naturalness. It was conducted through semi-structured interviews and photo-elicitation. Four common images of thoroughbreds on race day were presented to the informants and their responses analysed. The analysis identifies differences in how the two groups tended to interpret these images.
An important theme that emerged from the interview data was the tendency of some industry informants to naturalise, normalise and downplay the mental and behavioural expressions of horses in their care. This is done to justify controlling mechanisms that they impose on horses for the purposes of running them. For example, some industry informants attributed the agitation and distress shown by the horses in some of the photographs to the fact that they are naturally “wild”.
This tendency to naturalise and downplay the impact of racing procedures on the horses also extends to other aspects of the sport. For example, a number of industry informants used assumptions about the natural behaviour of the thoroughbred as justification for the use of a bit in racing. This is despite the fact that the majority of horses demonstrate clear behavioural evidence of discomfort in relation to the bit and the vast majority report aversion to having it put in their mouths.
Other themes that have emerged from the research include a tendency of industry informants to focus on the physical aspect of the horse, and a lack of attention to the horse-human relationship. This is a consequence of the reification of the horse as an object of commerce and competition rather than as a companion or part of the natural world.
Moreover, in horse racing journalism, there is a tendency to focus on the number-crunching aspect of the sport. This is partly due to the fact that a large portion of the audience for horse race journalism is betting with real money and the writers therefore feel a responsibility to make their recommendations well. This is especially true of the New York Post’s long-time columnist Andrew Beyer, who developed the Beyer speed figure that is used to compare the speed of thoroughbred horses at different tracks.