Horse racing has been a sport since ancient times, with an ongoing reputation for wealth and elegance. But, the racing industry also has a long history of trainer abusing their horse to give them the best chance of winning. These creatures are forced to endure harsh training, racetrack conditions, drugs, and other cruelties that leave them in unhealthy conditions.

Along the hard path to winning the Triple Crown, horses are treated inhumanely without a shred of respect or thought for their well-being. This is not to say that every horse is subjected to abuse, but research has found that a large number, unfortunately, are subjected to cruelty. These beautiful and magnificent creatures have been and continue to be abused for the sake of a winning first place.

Race horses are subjected into this cruel lifestyle before they are even born. Through careful and intense planning, breeders will design these horses so that they have the smallest legs and ankles possible, while still being able to function. The skinnier the legs and the smaller the ankles, the less the horse will weigh. The average weight of a race horse is about 1000 pounds, and the lack of leg strength to hold up this weight results in injuries, the most common being broken bones.

Training to become a winning horse starts while their skeletal systems are not yet fully developed. Their bones are not able to handle the physical strain of racing at the high speeds they are forced to run. This intense training begins before the horse turns two so they are prepared for the annual 2-year-olds in training auctions. This continues after they become two when they are forced to perform speed trials. In these trails young, undeveloped horses are pushed to run at speeds that they will never again be able to reach. This often results in career-ending injuries, and sometimes death.

This drug also has properties that cause dehydration, causing the horse to lose up to two percent of their body weight in water. This decrease in weight allows the horse to run faster. In addition, it also masks other performance enhancement drugs that may have been given to the horse.

Journal of Animal Science published a study that revealed that every year over 100,000 undesired horses are born in the United States. This is a result of overbreeding in the horse racing industry to create the perfect racing machine. And that is exactly how many race horses are viewed- as machines to create a profit. Horses that fail to make money or win races are sent to the slaughter house. The study also states that if the unwanted horses are not sent to be killed, thousands are abused, abandoned, and neglected. There are too many horses for organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and SaveTheHorses to manage.

This is a serious problem that has long been over looked. Too many people watch these horses compete year after year without knowledge of the pain and suffering they face before and after the races. The recent deaths of two horses at the Preakness Stakes hopefully will raise awareness and spark a debate about what really happens behind the scenes.