Horse races provide entertainment to many around the world, drawing enormous crowds for both sport and ceremonial pageantry of an event. Unfortunately, public interest in this form of entertainment has since diminished as more people understand the cruelty to horses involved in this industry. Industry has since responded with new regulations designed to protect these animals while improving race conditions – however animal welfare remains an integral component of racing that may determine its fate in terms of public perception.

Most races involve flat horse races; however, there are also steeple chases and hurdle races featuring obstacles to be jumped over. All races must start from starting stalls or gates (sometimes flagged off in exceptional cases).

To be successful, horses must complete their races by finishing in front of all other horses and receiving the fixed prize pool amount, while second and third place finishers receive a percentage. Bettors have three ways of betting on horse races: win bets pay out three times the initial wager if their horse wins; place bets two times it if it finishes first; show bets return one time the initial bet for other top two positions.

Before each race begins, horses and jockeys or drivers perform a warmup exercise on the track in order to familiarize themselves with its surface and practice their riding style. Some race tracks even feature video cameras for viewers to witness these preparations and the race itself.

After the warmup, stewards and patrol judges, with help from camera patrol, inspect for rule violations as horses are led towards the starting gate. Each race start is timed down to within one-fifth of a second although results often take more time to emerge. Stewards and patrol judges keep an eye out for signs of horse abuse.

Once a race has started, stewards and patrol judges monitor each horse as it advances towards the finish line. Once winners have been determined, stewards must then decide if any disqualified horses have violated rules; final results will then be posted on a race board.

Horses are often given legal and illegal drugs prior to races to mask injuries, cover up poor training practices, and give them an edge against competitors. As a result, many horses will bleed from their lungs due to exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) – any that don’t perform sufficiently in competition are often retired and sent directly to slaughterhouses.