Horse race is a term often used to describe a competition between candidates for a leadership role in an organization. Proponents of a horse race argue that allowing several top executives to compete for the position will motivate them to perform well and help ensure that the right candidate is chosen for the job. However, board members should weigh the pros and cons of this approach before proceeding with a horse race.
While people in fancy clothes sip mint juleps and watch a spectacle of what appears to be an innocent sport, the truth is that horse racing is an abusive practice steeped in injuries, drug abuse, gruesome breakdowns, and slaughter. In fact, horses that run for a living are pushed to their limits while being whipped into submission. This results in a high number of breakdowns and debilitating injuries such as hemorrhaging from the lungs (fittingly called exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage) and is an extremely dangerous activity for these animals.
The sport of horse racing is unique in that horses are trained to race against one another despite their different sizes, abilities, and experience levels. The sport is also known as the fastest and most dangerous sport on earth, but for most spectators, it’s all about the money. Bettors cheer on their favorite horses, and the best bettors win big when they pick the winner of a race.
A typical race consists of twenty-one to thirty horses that will be forced to sprint at breakneck speeds around a track in an unnatural environment where a single fall could be fatal. This unnatural environment and the compulsion of human beings perched on their backs to force them into a deadly race are the reasons why so many horses suffer. In the wild, horses know their boundaries and understand the importance of self-preservation. On the racetrack, they must be pushed past their physical limits to win a prize that is less than the price of a new car.
Before the start of a horse race, trainers and jockeys will warmup their horses by running them at a slower pace on the track. This will help the runner acclimate to the speed and tempo of the race. In addition, this will give the runner and jockey an opportunity to work on things such as changing leads. Since racing takes place on a circular course, the runner will typically be on the lead on the straightaways and will switch to the left lead around the turns.
Depending on the training and conditioning of a particular runner, his workout or “breeze” will be fast, moderate, or even sluggish. The sluggish work is meant to test the runner’s ability to keep up with a quick pace for an extended period of time, while the faster work indicates how much of a challenge the runner can expect in the race.