A horse race is a contest of speed or endurance between two or more horses, traditionally held on a circular track. The winner is the horse that crosses the finish line first. The sport of horse racing has changed over the centuries, from primitive contests to a modern spectacle involving vast sums of money and sophisticated electronic monitoring equipment, but its essential features remain unchanged.
The term horse race is often used in political contexts, referring to the intense competition between candidates for a public office or other important positions. The term is also used in business, referring to an overt competition for a leadership position between several executives within a company. In both cases, the resulting “horse race” can be a good thing for an organization, if the competition is conducted fairly and results in a strong leader emerging at the end of the process.
In the case of political elections, a focus on the “horse race” has been criticized as ignoring more substantive issues and marginalizing third-party and independent candidates. In business, the horse race approach to succession has been successful for many admired companies, including General Electric, Procter & Gamble, and GlaxoSmithKline. However, some observers believe that a prolonged succession horse race can be detrimental to a company’s overall performance and culture.
Some research suggests that journalists’ coverage of election campaigns tends to frame elections as a horse race, with too much attention given to who is ahead and behind in the polls. This type of coverage is particularly prevalent in newspapers owned by corporate chains, according to a study published in the journal Journalism & Mass Communication. The study analyzed more than 10,000 newspaper articles about the 2004 and 2006 gubernatorial and senatorial elections in the United States.
When the media frames elections in terms of a horse race, voters, candidates and the news industry itself suffer, according to a growing body of research. In the case of the presidential campaign, mudslinging and name-calling in the media have obscured the real issues facing the country. And the fact that both candidates are using negative attacks on each other isn’t helping.
Animal rights advocates point to the inherent cruelty of a horse race, which is typically a brutal affair under current rules. Many Thoroughbreds are pushed to their limits, which may lead to the not infrequent injuries and deaths that occur. Thousands of animals die each year in the sport, according to advocacy group Horseracing Wrongs. As a result of their unnatural training and confinement, many horses experience stress, which can manifest as compulsive behavior such as biting, kicking, and self-mutilation. Ownership turnover is high, and many horses are sold or “claimed” multiple times during their careers. Those who are sold for the highest prices frequently experience the worst abuse, including forced training, confinement in small spaces, and cocktails of legal and illegal drugs designed to mask injuries and enhance performance. It is not uncommon for such suffering to cause a horse to break down during a race in front of an audience of cheering fans.