A horse race is a close contest, usually involving two or more competitors in an event that requires both speed and stamina. It is one of the oldest sports in history and has evolved from a primitive test of speed or endurance to a global sport that involves large fields of runners, sophisticated electronic monitoring equipment, and immense sums of money. The basic concept, however, remains unchanged: whoever crosses the finish line first is declared the winner. As a form of entertainment, horse racing developed from the leisure activities of the upper classes to a huge business that has now lost some of its popularity, but it still attracts millions of spectators and draws enormous wagers.
The racetrack is a dangerous place for both horses and humans. Injuries and breakdowns are common. In addition, a number of horses are subjected to abusive training methods and drug use. Despite these problems, racing continues to be a popular pastime for many people and the sport has made a number of improvements in recent years. Safety has been a major focus with the introduction of new thermal imaging cameras, MRI scanners, and X-rays. Other technological advances include the use of 3D printing to produce casts, splints, and prosthetics for injured horses.
Horse races are usually run over distances ranging from 1 mile to 10 miles and are considered a test of both speed and stamina. In the early days of the sport, the horses were ridden on four-hitched chariots or mounted bareback. Later, the horses were steered by jockeys riding on saddles.
In the early 20th century, horse racing became more popular in the United States than ever before and by the end of that century it had become a global phenomenon. As the popularity of the sport grew, so did the use of the term horse race to describe political contests. It is now common for pundits and journalists to refer to a political contest as a horse race.
When journalists focus primarily on who’s ahead or behind in an election instead of discussing policy issues -what is known as horse race coverage – voters, candidates and the news industry itself suffer, according to a growing body of research. The latest research also explores a newer approach to election journalism called probabilistic forecasting. This method uses a range of opinion polls to more accurately predict the outcome of an election.