Horses are forced to race with hairline fractures that would, without drugs, be too painful to run on. As a result, injuries and chronic lameness are common. Legal drugs like Lasix are also used to disguise the presence of illegal substances by weakening their concentrations. When Horses Don't Win Centuries of selective breeding have made thoroughbreds increasingly fragile. It runs too fast, its frame is too large, and its legs are far too small.
People get to thinking of horses as machines.
Unfortunately, the industry continues to put profits first. Horses are often run at 2 years of age, before their bones have fully matured, and are often injured as a result. Former racers' journeys from the winner's circle to the killing floor are hardly a bed of roses. Even horses who are injured on the track face these arduous trips. Very few horses earn high stakes, become famous, and appear to lead glamorous lives.