Horse race is an expression used throughout the 20th and 21st centuries to refer to any kind of close contest or competition. It’s been a part of the language for so long that it’s become embedded in our culture, and it is now commonly used to describe political contests as well.
When we use the term horse race to refer to a presidential election, it’s easy to lose sight of the real issues at stake. With all the mudslinging, name calling and attack ads, policy discussions can get drowned out. The resulting horse race coverage, as research has shown, is harmful to voters and candidates. This collection of updated research highlights some of the many ways this horse race coverage hurts them.
The phrase horse race is also used to refer to the horse racing industry, which is characterized by injuries, drug abuse, gruesome breakdowns and slaughter. While spectators wear fancy clothes and sip mint juleps, horses are forced to sprint at speeds far beyond their natural abilities. They are also pushed so hard that they often bleed from the lungs, a condition known as exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. To help them recover from this traumatic experience, horses are often given cocktails of legal and illegal drugs.
It’s a vicious circle, as the drugs mask injuries and enhance performance, and the drugs themselves mask other symptoms, such as the pain of injury. Then, when the horse is injured, it is often rushed back to the track for another race before he or she can heal. The cycle repeats itself over and over again, causing many horses to die along the way.
To make a horse run fast, jockeys must teach them to change leads. Horses are not naturally good at this, but they can be trained to do it by a technique called “encouragement.” This involves compel them with a whip to keep running even when they are exhausted.
While it is important to have a thoroughbred racehorse that can win, it is equally important for the horse’s health and welfare that it not be over-raced. This is why the horseracing industry incorporated the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISHA), which works to protect horses from cruel treatment. Without a strong and effective body to regulate the sport, however, it may soon be in danger of losing its core audiences: horse lovers who don’t want to see their animals suffer, and gamblers who have other options for betting on sporting events.
When journalists cover elections primarily by focusing on who is winning or losing, what’s been dubbed horse race coverage, they hurt voters, candidates and themselves. This collection of updated research illustrates some of the ways this is true, and includes a new look at how third-party candidates are treated by news media.