The Conceptualisation of Naturalness in a Horse Race
Horse racing is a sport that involves a race between a number of thoroughbred horses. The winners of each race receive a set amount of prize money. This sport is widely popular around the world and is considered an equestrian event. The earliest recorded accounts of horse races can be traced back to the Greek Olympic Games in 700 to 40 B.C. In order to participate in a horse race, each participant must have a qualified rider on their mount. This rider must follow the course that is set by the race organizers and jump any hurdles that may be present along the way.
The concept of naturalness has particular relevance within the thoroughbred racing and breeding discourse, guiding breeding regulations and having implications for husbandry, training and racing practices. This research seeks to explore how key industry and animal advocacy informants conceptualise naturalness within the context of common racing practices that potentially impact horse welfare. This was achieved through semi-structured interviews and photo-elicitation of informants’ responses to four common images of horses on race day.
In general, both industry and animal advocacy informants tended to naturalise and normalise the thoroughbreds’ behavioural and mental expressions observed in the photographs. They did this in an attempt to defend the controlling mechanisms and practices they viewed as necessary for the integrity of racing. However, they also tended to downplay the impact of these mechanisms and practices on the horses’ welfare, with some industry informants downplaying or ignoring what can be seen.
Animal advocacy informants generally focused more on the handling of the horses and the impact this had on their welfare. They noted that, for example, the force and pressure applied by handlers to the horses’ mouths and noses contributed to the horse’s already heightened stress levels in a racing environment. They also noted that this type of abrasive and stressful handling of the horses contributed to their injury and ill-health.
Both industry and animal advocacy informants also highlighted that the injuries and deaths on the race track, use and overuse of drugs and medication and retirement of the horses were critical issues that are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to horse racing. They also identified routine training and husbandry practices, human-horse interactions and the daily lives of the horses as where the real welfare issues in thoroughbred racing were. In addition, the animal advocacy informants highlighted that the exploitation of the thoroughbreds in racing was not just a localised problem within the horse racing industry but had a trickle-down effect across mainstream equine industries and the public perception of horses. The Palio di Siena is a horse race held twice each year in the Italian city of Siena. The horse and rider represent one of the seventeen Contrade, or city wards, in a magnificent pageant. The races are a popular tourist attraction and attract visitors from all over the world. The Palio is a Grade 1 event, meaning it is considered the highest level of competition.