Does Geographic Location Play a Role in Horse Track Deaths?
Presentation Time: Mon, 08/09/2021 - 16:00
Keywords: Racehorse, Horse Deaths, United States, Weather, Geography
Horse racing in the United States has been around since 1665, but seriously took off after the Civil War in 1868. The sport has always been dangerous, with most of those dangers being manmade. One of the most widely discussed aspects is administering drugs to the racehorses. While drugs may play a part in the number of injuries sustained by the horses, the questions being asked in this project focus on the natural environment surrounding the racing rather than the artificial environment created by man. Does geographic location and climate play a role in horse track fatalities? Data, including number of races per month and fatalities per year, was collected along with specific climate data for each racetrack location from Jan 2009 through December 2020. Associations between environmental conditions and horse track fatalities were tested using linear regression modeling. Racetrack locations on the west coast were compared to their east coast counterparts. Northern tracks were compared to southern tracks. Through all comparisons, there does not appear to be a strong connection between the geographic locations of the racetracks and the fatalities reported each year. More analysis to determine geographical and environmental factors of horse track fatalities is needed.
