A horse race is a contest of speed between two horses or teams of horses, ridden by jockeys or pulled by sulkies. The horse that crosses the finish line first is declared the winner. Despite its long history and global popularity, horse racing has become controversial. It has been described as a form of animal cruelty and has been associated with various issues, including doping, injuries, and deaths of horses. Some animal rights activists have compared the electoral process to a horse race, using the analogy as a metaphor for the need for accuracy and precision in the democratic system.
During the Preakness Stakes of 2018, the eleven horses filed out of the starting gate and sprinted across the dirt track. War of Will, the reigning champion, took an early lead. Mongolian Groom was a few lengths behind, and McKinzie, a small-framed bay, was somewhere in between. The pack was tight, and a few horses dropped out of the race as they tired. The remaining jockeys fought for position, jostling for the smallest advantage, trying to coax the best out of their mounts.
It was a thrilling race, and the crowds were jubilant at the end. But the euphoria quickly turned to disappointment as news began to filter out about the dark side of the industry. The most prominent of those dark sides are the exploitation and suffering of racehorses, who are often bred to be fast and put into dangerous races to win money for their owners. These creatures are often whipped and kept in cramped quarters, unable to express their natural instincts. The stress of the sport can cause behavioral problems, such as biting and contracting neck muscles. They may also develop chronic pain, which manifests in repetitive, compulsive behaviors such as cribbing or pacing. Injuries are common, and many horses die in the course of racing. The suffering of racehorses has prompted some people to organize protests against the industry, such as the Maryland group Horseracing Wrongs, which has organized demonstrations at Laurel and Pimlico since 2018.
A brisk pace can cause a horse to become dehydrated and lose stamina. This is why a good portion of every race day starts with each of the horses being injected with Lasix, a diuretic that is noted on the racing form. It is used to prevent pulmonary bleeding, which is caused by hard running and is a common symptom of this sport. The drug, however, has a side effect of making the horses unnecessarily excrete epic amounts of urine.
Some critics have argued that the horse race model is not appropriate for corporate governance, because the contest can discourage other potential candidates from applying to be CEO, and it can discourage employees from taking risks in their careers in case they are unsuccessful. Proponents of the horse race approach say that companies that are most successful with it create a culture that embraces competition for the top job and have processes in place to promote the ongoing development of promising leaders. These include providing challenging and developmental assignments for high achievers, aligning the skills-sets of the next CEO with the vision for the company’s future, and benchmarking frontrunners against external talent to ensure that they meet best-in-class standards.