With the mudslinging, name calling, attack ads and horse-race theatrics of this election season, it’s easy to lose sight of the real issues at stake. The term horse race, used throughout the 20th and 21st centuries to describe any kind of close contest, seems to be shifting its meaning again, with many writers using it in reference to a political race.

Despite its romanticized facade, horse racing is a cruel industry where horses are pushed far beyond their natural abilities and often suffer debilitating injuries. They are whipped, which can cause shattered bones and spinal cord injuries, and they are forced to run so fast that they sometimes bleed from their lungs (a condition known as exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage).

The pounding of the lower legs on an oval track gives the horses’ bodies a brutal workout, straining their ligaments, tendons and joints. The jockeys’ whips also hurt their hands, arms, back and shoulders, and they have to be kept on the horse with constant pressure.

As a result of their unnatural training and confinement, horses are plagued with mental and emotional distress. In addition to being subjected to physical pain, they are deprived of their natural instincts and experience a variety of repetitive behaviors, including cribbing—biting on their gate and contracting their neck muscles while pulling their head backward and grunting—and self-mutilation, such as kicking and pacing. In some cases, these behavioral disorders lead to euthanasia or slaughter.

In addition to the physical suffering, horses are routinely doused in cocktails of legal and illegal drugs meant to mask their injuries, sooth the pain caused by the whipping and artificially enhance their performance. This has led to a staggering number of deaths, including those on the tracks, in training and during transport. In addition, horses that don’t make the grade are often euthanized or slaughtered for meat.

While it’s tempting to focus on the two presidential candidates vying for the White House, the fact is, horse races are won by long shots—dark horses, as it were. More journalists could benefit from learning to follow the example of horse race journalism by keeping an eye out for the underdogs who can win in any contest. After all, the lessons of horse racing could be applied to politics—and to all elections, past and future. Annie Aguillar is an audience engagement producer for Poynter’s newsroom and a former state issues reporter for the Lansing State Journal. She graduated from the University of Maryland with degrees in journalism and public policy. She lives in Baltimore, Md.