Horseracing as regulated cruelty: A nonhuman animal victimology perspective

Nonhuman animal victimology posits that when nonhuman animals suffer harm as a result of human behavior they should be viewed, and responded to, as victims. This may be from a legal perspective, in relation to policy and procedures, or in terms of research and scholarly activity. This approach has criticized victimology for being speciesist, and neglecting the experiences of, and responses to, nonhuman animal harm. This echoes similar criticisms of criminology more broadly. This paper considers the use of horses in racing from a nonhuman animal victimology perspective, as an example of harmful, regulated behavior occurring within the animal industrial complex. Methods of regulation, training and use of the whip are critically discussed in light of the harm that is caused to horses used for racing. It is argued that in keeping with the animal industrial complex more broadly, the horseracing industry is built on the normalization of enslavement and commodification of horses who are victimized even by those who claim to care for them.