Can Technology Be Implemented to Improve Horse Racing?

August 23, 2021

Technology is having a greater impact on all sports in this modern era, as athletes can get the best in class when it comes to training and recovery. It isn’t just athletes that can use tech to their advantage either, as sports, in general, have progressed. 

Video aids are now common across the majority of sports, with the technology being used to ensure that correct decision are made. However, one sport that is implementing technology better than most has been horse racing, but what pieces of tech have been used?

Equine Welfare

There is no denying that the stars of horse racing are the animals themselves, and therefore, technology advancements have been focused heavily on equine welfare. All aspects of the sport have successfully implemented the technology on this front, whether it be support for horses after racing or ensuring that courses are as safe as they can be. 


Like football and other athletes, horses can now be accessed after races using leading technology such as thermal image cameras. These can instantly find whether something is wrong with the horse after a race and whether they are at the required temperature.

X-rays were also a big issue for horses, which is hardly surprising given their size. However, now, it is easier than ever to check over horses when they return to the stables after a race. The BHA also constantly reassesses tracks to ensure that the risk of injury while racing is limited, which is much easier in part due to technology. This has seen a decrease of 30% in fatalities on the track.

Education

Educating potential jockeys is something that technology has also helped with. Previously, the only way to teach newcomers how to jump fences and control horses during the race was by practice. While this is still readily the case, virtual technology is now used commonly across the country. This will give novices all the information that they need to implement when they get racing.

Furthermore, it limits the casualties during races, as jockeys will have greater knowledge of how to tackle certain situations, which could have previously been difficult for both horse and jockey. Of course, it isn’t the same as riding the horse around the gallops, but it offers key knowledge that can be used in a race situation, which only benefits all involved.

Betting

Long gone are the days of punters only being able to place bets at trackside for meetings around the United Kingdom. Nowadays, technology has ensured that bets can be placed anywhere around the world. 

It means that as well as betting on big races such as the Grand National in the UK and the Breeders Cup in Del Mar (bet Del Mar live racing here), punters can also place bets on smaller meetings in the middle of the week at courses such as Ludlow, Chester, and Stratford. 

That greater range of betting opportunities is only made possible because of the advancements made in technology over the past couple of years. As well as that, bettors can also now watch live action on their mobile devices, with the leading sportsbooks covering every meeting from around the country.

Such freedom of betting enhances the experience of bettors and ensures that they feel more engaged in the race that they are betting on. Advancements in tech have also ensured that more stats can be found for racing, which is often displayed on the sites of the leading sportsbooks. 

That means, as well as watching and betting on smaller race meetings, punters also have all the information that they need to make a knowledgeable bet.

Also read: Most Entertaining Sports to Watch


Related Post's

Copyright 2023 | All Rights Reserved

  • error: Content is protected !!