That sounds more like an argument to improve the training and format/expectation of the race than an argument for whips. if people are using whips to cut corners, than that sounds like an good argument TO ban them.
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I disagree.
You disagree that you are an astute study of the sport or that jockeys that âbeatâ (what exactly constitutes beating?) a horse down the stretch are fined or set down or both?
If you disagree with the âbeatingâ not being fined or set down, can you offer any recent examples where a jockey âbeatâ a horse with no subsequent repercussions? (And what do you mean by âbeatingâ? 3 overhand strikes? 10 overhand strikes? 5 overhand on the shoulder and 5 overhand on the haunches? ??)
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I am sorry I was not clear. I agree with you that poor training practices are not a reason alone to support whips. But that is not my main argument.
My main point is that driving a standardbed at a trot or a pace is not equivalent to riding a thoroughbred at a gallop. While driving is very dangerous, riding is even more dangerous because of the increased distance from the ground. While standardbred racing is very fast, a gallop is even faster. While you are in close quarters while driving standardbreds, there are additional considerations in thoroughbred racing like the process of loading into the gate. While fit standardbreds are very high energy, thoroughbreds are bred to be even higher energy, making them more reactive. And what I think is the biggest argument for allowing whips to be used in a regulated fashion: jockeys have to deal with all of this with no more aids than the driver. You donât have your typical seat or leg aids in a racing saddle.
Iâm pleasantly surprised to hear that whipless harness racing has been such a success in Australia. But I still think appropriately regulated whips are a safety measure for thoroughbred jockeys. Driving and riding are different enough that I donât think Australiaâs experience is a compelling argument at all.
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I read that Monmouth is also controlling the use of whips in the mornings, too. Exercise riders are held to the same standard.
I rode my 3yo homebred TB today for a 1+ mile jog and half mile canter up some hills. He can be lazy, and twice I had to use my whip to reinforce âleg means go.â This is in a jump saddle, where i actually had legs to use. What are you supposed to do when a horse drops behind your leg? When it doesnât go forward when asked? Ignore it? Let it get worse?
Training maiden 2yos at Monmouth sounds like a nightmare.
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It sounds like a good way to create a serious accident.
I cannot think of a single young horse I have ever started under saddle, racehorse or otherwise, that I havenât ridden in the early days with a whip or crop. I guess that makes me a bad horsewoman. HA!
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I thought they were allowed to hold a crop and use it if needed. No one is saying they cant hold one and have it as a back up plan?
@EventerAJ I think you are looking at this scenario with blinders on. You may think whip use is appropriate; and in some cases it is. But we are living in a world where people take offense to literally everything and are judgmental of everything; when it comes to animal rights; things are getting ugly across many facets of sports, shows, agriculture. This sport relies on the public to exist. And in order to do so it must meet current standards of what people deem acceptable for animal welfare and ârightsâ. This type of law will become law at many racetracks within the next 10-15 years; it will only take time. It will not come from within the industry; it will be set forth by the government. Monmouth is about to set an example whether people agree with it or not; they are doing so. The general public does not care what the excuse is for hitting a horse. We donât have to agree with that statement but that is the truth and the general public will dictate what occurs regarding the welfare of the animals involved .
I think any hitting of an animal to make it run faster is considered abusive. I believe in holding a whip and using it as needed to correct steering or dangerous behavior as needed.
I think many of the overhand/overhead swings at horses at full force down the stretch are wrong. If those types of hits were inflicted on horses in any other horse sport or farm one would be arrested and jailed.
I personally think limiting hits to 7 is still excessive. 2 or 3 or less or even none is what I consider acceptable.
This is my personal opinion, of course.
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I dug up an old PR article from September 2020 when the rule was introduced. IMO, the problem is the wording is subjective âexcept for reasons of safetyâ. Who decides when the use of the whip was a safety need? The stewards sitting in their little room watching replays of the race after the race is done or the jockey willing on the back of 1000 pounds going well in excess of 30mph right next to a number of other jockeys on other horses, all having to make split second decisions on what to do?
More subjective wording âto achieve a better placingâ. Who decides if the reason the jockey hit the horse was to move him ahead and out of a problem or just to move him ahead? Sometimes the safety issue means the jock has to hit the horse to move them ahead of a problem when checking up would mean a much larger disaster.
Or âIf the riding crop is used, under the supervision of the stewards, there shall be a visual inspection of each horse following each race for evidence of excessive or brutal use of the riding cropâ. Wha does âexcessiveâ or âbrutalâ look like?
I have no issues with the specifications of the whip as they are clear and objective⊠weights, lengths, coverings, etc.
The public maybe doesnât care because PETA and the AR crowd has taught them not to care.
I suspect the betting public may care a bit more when their perception is that the horse they bet on did not place better because the jockey was not allowed to suggest via the whip that the horse get more motivated and energized.
I detest âfeel goodâ legislation as it rarely is really useful or effective other than making a subset of people âfeel goodâ.
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Perhaps you are the one with blinders.
Iâm fully aware of the rule being created due to public perception. If we take jockey whips away, whatâs to stop them (PETA et al) from taking eventersâ whips away? And dressage riders? And CDE drivers? Where will it stop? Maybe we should dig in and support race riders and their right to use a whip judiciously, because who knows whoâs next on the chopping block.
As I posted earlier, a whip may be a necessary tool in training a horse. Not an implement of torture. But the general public is being taught âWhips Badâ and they canât differentiate between beating a horse down the stretch and smacking a nappy youngster, or pushing a horse through a tight spot that he must go NOW before it closes. Most tracks have already adopted firm rules for whip use, and they are enforcing it! Some of the biggest jockeys in the world have been suspended for violating whip rules-- by just one hit in several cases-- and have subsequently changed their tactics. This is a good thing for horse welfare, I think all would agree, and makes the Monmouth mess seem all the more like pandering to the masses instead of an effective change.
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Yes, they are allowed to hold a crop. And they may use it after a dangerous situation occurs. Kind of like having a âback up planâ for after the car crash happens (assuming you survive).
If a jockey uses the whip to prevent a dangerous thing from happening the stewards will not be able to see the problemâand if they donât witness the danger the jockey will be fined $500 and suspended 5 days for the first offense. (Both the fine and the suspension double for each subsequent offense.)
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Ive been waiting to hear from the riders that are actually doing the riding at Monmouth. An exerpt: Ferrer has found a way to win without the riding crop, and said thereâs no discernable bias in terms of racing style, but he added that some lazier horses have been âbarely blowingâ when coming back to be unsaddled.
âYou wonât see the best performance out of these animals â thatâs whatâs really going to hurt our sport here in New Jersey in the long run,â Ferrer explained. âWe coach these horses, that final quarter mile, tap them on the shoulders and let them know, âWe have to go.â Itâs time for 110 percent. Horses donât understand language. You canât just tell them, hey letâs go. Thatâs what weâre really going to miss.â
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Yes, but if the issue was safety, the question is did anything happen that could be blamed on not being able to use a whip?
More Monmouth drama.https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/guild-to-end-insurance-coverage-for-monmouth-riders/
I had read about that. Quite problematic! Itâs a great way to end racing at Monmouth.
Another lawsuit.
Kind of curious if they are using the no whip rule as their way out from associating with MonmouthâŠ
âMonmouth is on a list of tracks that do not make any financial contributions to the Guildâs insurance policies.â
