A horse race is a contest of speed among horses that are either ridden by jockeys or pulled by sulkies and their drivers. Bettors place wagers on which horse will win a race and often also make accumulator bets that cover several horses. The prize money varies according to the race.

For human spectators, the frenzied, sweaty horses running in a tight pack can be a riveting sight to witness. But a horse’s main concern is survival, not trophies or money or adulation – which are all human abstractions. What a horse really wants, experts say, is to avoid injury and survive its long, strenuous run.

The New York Times recently published a troubling article that revealed a dark side to horse racing: drug abuse, broken bones, gruesome breakdowns and slaughter. The story focused on trainer Steve Asmussen and his assistant Scott Blasi. The two are responsible for the care of some of the top thoroughbreds in America, training at Churchill Downs and Saratoga. They have been accused by PETA and other animal rights groups of mistreating their horses.

This is not the first time PETA has alleged cruelty in horse racing, but the allegations against these trainers are particularly disturbing, because they involve world-class horses and their training at revered tracks. The story also highlights how horse racing tries to sell a narrative that draws in human audiences: the gritty pursuit of Triple Crown glory. But trophies and winning are irrelevant to horses, neuroscientists point out. For a horse, winning is simply an abstract concept that is not related to survival at all.

As PETA points out, most trainers, assistant trainers, jockeys and riders care deeply about their horses and would never intentionally harm them. Yet the fact remains that, as a whole, the horse racing industry fails to provide decent care for its animals.

The reason is that a horse race is a brutal sport, one that forces these animals to sprint (often at speeds that can cause injuries or even hemorrhage in the lungs) under threat of whips and electric shock devices. When a horse feels cornered and cannot escape it will fight – what Black calls a chemical reaction fueled by adrenaline and cortisol. When a jockey sees the animal fighting, she is likely to strike him with her whip, as was the case with Rich Strike.

Almost every thoroughbred that runs a race receives a dose of Lasix, an anti-bleeding medication. Known as the “race-day diuretic,” it helps prevent pulmonary bleeding caused by hard running and causes the horses to unload epic amounts of urine, sometimes twenty or thirty pounds worth. As a result, these horses become dehydrated and weaker. And they are also less willing to work as they struggle for air. This can lead to the breaking down of their muscles and tendons. The resulting lameness is called a splint.