What is a Horse Race?
Horse races are a form of sports where two or more horses compete against each other in a contest for victory. They are typically held at racetracks and feature a number of obstacles that must be cleared to allow the winner to claim the prize. These obstacles may include hopping over hurdles or negotiating water jumps. If a horse is not able to clear the obstacle in time it must be withdrawn from the race. During a horse race, each horse has a jockey who controls it and directs its movements. If a horse is not controlled by the jockey, it is considered to have broken its gait and will be disqualified.
Despite its romanticized facade of gleaming thoroughbreds and well-dressed spectators, horse racing is a dark world of injuries, drug abuse, and gruesome breakdowns. The horses used for racing are forced to sprint—often under the threat of whips and illegal electric shocking devices—at speeds so high that they frequently sustain injuries, such as pulmonary hemorrhage. The industry’s profit model, which focuses on winning the most bets, does not place much value on the health and welfare of the horses.
The equine sport of horse racing has evolved from a primitive contest of speed or stamina between two horses into a spectacle with massive fields of runners, sophisticated electronic monitoring equipment, and immense sums of money, but the basic concept has undergone virtually no change over the centuries: the horse that finishes first is the winner. This is a race against the clock, and one that is often won by the slimmest of margins.
Many executives and governance observers are uncomfortable with the classic succession “horse race,” whereby a company pits several high-profile candidates against each other in an open competition for the CEO role, but this approach has proven successful at many admired companies. Companies that are most effective with this approach cultivate a culture where leaders embrace competition for the top job and the belief that the best leader will emerge from the process.
In the backstretch at Santa Anita, War of Will moved with hypnotic smoothness to hold his inside position. Then, on the far turn, McKinzie and Mongolian Groom surged up from behind, and at the line it was a photo finish. The three horses were tied and the winner declared by stewards who examined a snapshot of the finish and determined that the winning horse crossed the line ahead of the others. During the race, each of the horses had been injected with Lasix, a diuretic that is prescribed to help prevent pulmonary bleeding from hard running. The drug is also known as a blood thinner and is listed on the racing form with a boldface L. This is a common practice throughout the horse racing industry to keep the pace as fast as possible and to reduce the risk of fatal injuries. The horses are forced to race on short timelines, and are subjected to an endless stream of physical traumas during the course of a year.
Horse races are a form of sports where two or more horses compete against each other in a contest for victory. They are typically held at racetracks and feature a number of obstacles that must be cleared to allow the winner to claim the prize. These obstacles may include hopping over hurdles or negotiating water jumps. If a horse is not able to clear the obstacle in time it must be withdrawn from the race. During a horse race, each horse has a jockey who controls it and directs its movements. If a horse is not controlled by the jockey, it is considered to have broken its gait and will be disqualified. Despite its romanticized facade of gleaming thoroughbreds and well-dressed spectators, horse racing is a dark world of injuries, drug abuse, and gruesome breakdowns. The horses used for racing are forced to sprint—often under the threat of whips and illegal electric shocking devices—at speeds so high that they frequently sustain injuries, such as pulmonary hemorrhage. The industry’s profit model, which focuses on winning the most bets, does not place much value on the health and welfare of the horses. The equine sport of horse racing has evolved from a primitive contest of speed or stamina between two horses into a spectacle with massive fields of runners, sophisticated electronic monitoring equipment, and immense sums of money, but the basic concept has undergone virtually no change over the centuries: the horse that finishes first is the winner. This is a race against the clock, and one that is often won by the slimmest of margins. Many executives and governance observers are uncomfortable with the classic succession “horse race,” whereby a company pits several high-profile candidates against each other in an open competition for the CEO role, but this approach has proven successful at many admired companies. Companies that are most effective with this approach cultivate a culture where leaders embrace competition for the top job and the belief that the best leader will emerge from the process. In the backstretch at Santa Anita, War of Will moved with hypnotic smoothness to hold his inside position. Then, on the far turn, McKinzie and Mongolian Groom surged up from behind, and at the line it was a photo finish. The three horses were tied and the winner declared by stewards who examined a snapshot of the finish and determined that the winning horse crossed the line ahead of the others. During the race, each of the horses had been injected with Lasix, a diuretic that is prescribed to help prevent pulmonary bleeding from hard running. The drug is also known as a blood thinner and is listed on the racing form with a boldface L. This is a common practice throughout the horse racing industry to keep the pace as fast as possible and to reduce the risk of fatal injuries. The horses are forced to race on short timelines, and are subjected to an endless stream of physical traumas during the course of a year.