Do horses enjoy competing in races or do they merely respond to the jockey's whip?
by 
Alonzo Garbonzo
ANSWERS: 9
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Many of them seem to enjoy competing. They are bred and trained to run competitively, and a horse's spirit and will to win is an important element in the making of a champion. Some horses can't stand to to be behind, and will always try to be in front. Others race best when coming from behind. These aren't traits you would see if the horses were only running because of the whip. There are even recorded cases of race horses continuing to run in a race even with injuries. There's at least one case where the jockey fell off his horse and the horse finished the race anyhow. And, finally, the jokey's "whip" is more a tool than anything else, and is generally used very judiciously. bka0001, if you ever watch horses running together in the open, you'll see that there is often clearly a sense of competition between them, and that such impromptu races seem to be as much "play" as "instinct." Any animal "enjoys" being true to its nature, so in that sense, horses run... and race between themselves... for "enjoyment," not just from "instinct."
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I don't think they run out of enjoyment or because of the jockeys whip. They run because they need to. They were bred for it. Every single fibre in a thoroughbreds body screams "RUN!"
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Many horses enjoy a good gallop, the whip is only there to encourage them.. most of the time they only shake the whip.. not hit them with it. I have a welsh cob and shes no race horse but she will still try and out gallop other horses
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Ask anyone who has a retired racehorse....it takes years to get that competitive urge to run out of them.
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Mine enjoyed it. They would even race the goat. It's something that has been breed into them over thousands of years and to do anything else would be contrary to them. The jockey barely uses the whip. And he doesn't use it very hard at all. If he does he could be penalized by the Jockey Club and lose his liscense.
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TBs are BORN to run. They have the muscular structure and have one less rib so their lungs can expand more. TBs are hot blooded animals, which make them want to get up and go. So I mean, you do the math. :D Many people think that TBs are bad horses because of this, but they really aren't. A lot of Grand Prix horses are TBS (or were, it's mainly a warmblood sport now) They are just hyper a lot. Some are calm, but it's just that certain horse's temperment, not the breed.
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I believe horses are doing something that they enjoy. It is an inbred, instinctive thing for them to run. I own three horses and they will often run in my pasture for the mere joy of running.
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Wouldn't you?
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I was lucky enough to watch my first Kentucky Dervy live this year. You only had to watch the excited demeanour of the winner compared to the lethargic reaction of the losers to know they love to run and win.
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