| Do they have jump racing in the US or Canada? Over here they have what is called National Hunt racing, which entails jumping the horses over fences or hurdles, the most famous/notorious being the Grand National. The stress on the horses is far greater than on the flat, and for that reason traditionally Hunters were bread for sturdiness and endurance, but that's been changing, and now there is more emphasis on breeding for speed,
The results have been inevitable, with more fatalaties occurring. In a four day span two years ago nine (that's right 9) horses were killed at the Cheltenham festival, which is an annual National Hunt meeting that marks the end of the Hunt season. It provoked a major debate, but in the end nothing meaningful was done of course.
Same thing happens over race fixing, a lot of tut-tutting, and paltry slaps on wrists, but nothing ever meaningful is done to stop it. The Jockey Club is more interested in covering up than actually addressing the problems unfortunately.
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