Horse races are competitions between horses that involve one mile of racing on dirt, grass or synthetic all-weather surfaces such as artificial turf. The winner is defined as the first to cross a finish line and receive the prize money. A jockey (horseman) rides their mount while encouraging its forward movement with a whip or other device.

Horse racing may have a reputation for corruption and cruelty, yet many remain committed to it due to its longstanding tradition and history. Others worry about animal health while many believe that fundamental reform must occur for horse racing to thrive and survive in today’s society.

Most horse races are sprint races, in which contestants run at top speed throughout. Sprint races typically cover an average distance of 6.91 furlongs. Racers carry weight designed to equalize winning odds based on age, sex and distance; these weights are assigned by a racing secretary and considered handicap races when contestants do not possess equal abilities.

Races of various lengths take place on American dirt, American grass and synthetic all-weather surfaces – from American dirt tracks and American grass to synthetic all-weather surfaces like synthetic all-weather ones – including 870 yards American turf races on their longest course to 300 foot races on synthetic surfaces. Track condition plays an essential role in determining the outcome of any contest; heavy tracks tend to become muddy while soft ones offer yielding surface conditions.

While spectators at a racetrack wear their fancy clothing and sip mint juleps, horses forced to run at speeds which can cause injury or even pulmonary hemorrhage (blood in the lungs) are forced to run at dangerously fast speeds that cause injuries that lead to injuries such as bleeding of the lungs. Breakdowns occur often; trainers frequently medicate them in order to mask symptoms or enhance performance; thousands of horses test positive for illegal substances daily, leading many veterinarians who refuse participation to leave the industry altogether.

Researchers refer to such coverage as “horse race reporting.” When journalists focus on who’s winning or losing instead of on policy issues – an effect known as horse race reporting – voters, candidates and the news industry itself all lose out, according to research. Studies below, from peer-reviewed articles to academic journals, explore the impact of such reporting as well as ways to enhance it. Researchers found that when newspaper ownership is concentrated among a few large-chain businesses, the more likely it is to portray elections as horse races. Studies of election campaigns also revealed that horse-race reporting became more likely the closer an election is to Election Day and more closely contested it became. Papers conducted tens of thousands of stories written about state and federal elections from 259 newspapers between 2004 and 2006 that contained horse race reporting by using computational analysis methods for comparison to identify those stories which fit this mold.