A horse race is a sporting event in which horses are ridden by jockeys (sometimes called riders or stewards) and guided through a course that may have obstacles such as hurdles. The horses compete to finish the race in the fastest time, with first place earning a certain amount of prize money and second and third placing horses receiving a smaller amount of money. There are many different types of horse races, with each offering a unique prize to the winner.

Before a horse race begins, the competing horses are positioned in stalls or behind starting gates to ensure that none of them has an advantage over any other competitors. Once all the horses are in position, the gate opens and the race begins. The stewards oversee the entire race and ensure that the rules are followed. If any violations are committed, the stewards will punish the offending party.

After the race is completed, the winning horse and its jockey are awarded a specific amount of prize money depending on the type of race. Some races have different requirements for winning, such as the type of track, the number of horses entered, and the gender of the horse. Generally, the most prestigious races are those that have the highest prize money.

While national horse racing organizations have their own rulebooks, the vast majority are based on those of the British Horseracing Authority. These rules cover topics such as the number of horses allowed in a race, how the horse is assigned a weight to carry for fairness, and allowances for younger and female horses running against males.

The most famous races are the Triple Crown events, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. However, there are a large number of other prestigious races around the world, including the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in France, the Caulfield Cup and Sydney Cup in Australia, the Camelback Stakes in Arizona, and the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini in Argentina.

The sport of horse racing is often criticized for its cruelty to horses. While most of these abuses are committed by a small, feral minority, they can stain the reputation of the sport for everyone else. However, there are also a large number of people who work in the industry and realize that it is not as honest as it should be, but still don’t give their all to fix it. These people are the ones who need to change, if the sport is to survive and thrive. Aside from the obvious cruelty, horses are also subjected to a lot of pain and suffering during races. Injuries are common, and a horse that is badly injured can die. This can occur from cardiovascular collapse, pulmonary hemorrhage, or blunt-force trauma to the head. Horses can also suffer from a broken neck, severed spines, and ruptured ligaments. Consequently, horse races can be very dangerous for both spectators and the animals themselves.