Racehorses may not know they are racing and have no desire to win, according to an article published on The Conversation. While TV personalities and pundits talk about a horse’s “will to win” and their “heart” and “determination” in races, the article suggests that horses do not understand the concept of a race or have any intrinsic motivation to win.
From a horse’s perspective, there are few rewards for winning a race. While reaching the end may provide relief from the pressure and hits from the jockey’s whip, all horses experience this once they pass the finishing post. In fact, the winning horse may even be whipped more often in the final stages than horses further back in the field. Therefore, there is little direct benefit for a horse to voluntarily gallop faster to achieve victory.
Horses are social animals, and in the wild, they synchronize their movement with other horses in their group to minimize exposure to predators. This includes maintaining similar speeds, being alert to their own body positions and their neighbors’ positions, and adapting their speed to environmental cues. “Winning” in the wild could expose the horse to increased predation risk. This collective behavior contradicts what owners, trainers, and punters want from horses during a race.
Horse races rely on trainers and jockeys overriding the horses’ natural tendencies to synchronize with others. Some horses prefer to be at the front of the field, while others seek the security of the group. Jockeys use interventions such as directing horses closer to other horses, traveling at speeds not of the horse’s choosing, and preventing horses from changing course. These interventions aim to ensure horses maintain the effort required to stay in touch with the front runners and then act independently to potentially win the race.
In conclusion, horses most likely have no concept of being in a race or understanding the goal of their galloping. Instead, they learn through experience and training what is likely to happen during a race. Winning is more likely determined by a combination of natural ability, physical fitness, and jockey skill, rather than any innate desire for a horse to be the first to reach the winning post.
