Umamusume, the ethics of horse racing, and how we should do better
I won’t deny that I fell hard into the Umamusume hole. I also won’t deny that horse racing is scummy from top to bottom. So yes, I’m conflicted on the matter.
Now, disclaimer: I am NOT an expert in equine related matter. I never owned nor interacted with a horse before, I simply grew up with neighbors who had them and friends with great passions for them. I am also not a super involved activist, and I simply know too little on the matter to really make a strong stance. Furthermore, I love animals, but I am by no means an expert. I am simply stating my opinion on a matter that came up regarding video game horse girls and IRL horses. Also, I’m some rando on the internet.
Equine ethics is the study and practices to ensure the proper care and treatment of horses, but how much is still debated similar to other animal ethics such as pets (dog, cat, etc) and livestock (cow, chicken, etc). I think it’s a bit hard to draw a line, especially for horses because of human's long colored history with the creatures. From using them to aid in hunting, to riding them in times of war, to current times when we have multiple jobs and sports for them, it’s very much up to individual interests on where they want to draw the line.
Horse racing itself has a long history too, although it is easier to see the corruption with selective breeding for a powerhouse and betting on it to win it big. Plus, compare to some other horse sports like dressage and vaulting, horse racing is seen as more dangerous with how frequently horses get severely injured and put down as a result. And yet, due to it being considered such a historical sport, it’s still around today and still rack in a lot of money. Compare this to American football where the players suffer great injuries that can permanently change their lives, such as concussions and other head injuries. The difference tho is that football players can choose to go into the sport, the horse do not. They have been bred and born into it.
These documents go more into the matter of equine ethics in sports and do a better job at explaining and discussing the matter:
An Ethical Framework for the Use of Horses in Competitive Sport: Theory and Function - PMC
In recent years, there has been increasing societal concern about the use of horses in competitive sport. Ethical frameworks can help stakeh
Animal Ethics or Sport Ethics? A Historical Approach to Professional Ethicsin Equestrian Sports
Besides the ethics of horses, I also do not like sport betting, especially with the re-legalization of it in the states with other sports like baseball and basketball. Betting on horse racing and gambling away your life savings always felt like it targeted people down on their luck just trying to get a little bit more but losing it all instead. Gambling is a real addiction and sport betting just reinforces it terrible. This goes with gacha games with it predatory system and game play. I myself am not free of such games either as I played multiple gachas in my life, luckily as a f2p, but still I want to point out gacha games are still a type of gambling just like horse race betting and casinos.
I personally think it’s fine to find joy in anime horse girls and in real life horses as well. We as humans love seeing these big OL guys being cute and goofy. We as humans also love anime girls doing cool shit. But I also think we should be critical and willing to not support a sport that’s far from ethical. I still love horses, and I don’t want to underestimate the bond humans have with them. But when there’s money involved that affects the wellbeing of the horses, I think all of us can see that’s no good. The only real solution I can think of is not giving any of these huge institutions money or going to events or giving them attention. Again, it’s hard not to, but trying is better than nothing. I’ll also be putting a horse charity in case you would like to support causes to help horses welfare: https://equusfoundation.org/
