New Whip Rules

[payuppal]

Complete nonsense to suggest that the sport will die unless a jockey is allowed to thrash a horse to death in an attempt to win.

It's been repeated time and time again as the whip rules have been tightened, yet attendances are at an all time high.

Attitudes to the way in which animals are treated have changed dramatically in the last 50 years, not only in the non-racing world but within racing itself.

If a horse came back now with its flanks bleeding, a common sight 50 years ago, racegoers would deal with the rider; it wouldn't need animal rights activists.

These new whip rules reflect the changes in attitudes
and are eminently sensible.

[superfrank]

Complete nonsense to suggest that the sport will die unless a jockey is allowed to thrash a horse to death in an attempt to win.

Nobody has suggested that horses should be allowed to be thrashed to death.

It's been repeated time and time again as the whip rules have been tightened, yet attendances are at an all time high.

Irrelevant - there's no link there.

Attitudes to the way in which animals are treated have changed dramatically in the last 50 years, not only in the non-racing world but within racing itself.

That's why the rules have been progressively tightened.

If a horse came back now with its flanks bleeding, a common sight 50 years ago, racegoers would deal with the rider; it wouldn't need animal rights activists.

Again, nobody is suggesting such a thing.

These new whip rules reflect the changes in attitudes and are eminently sensible.

That's your opinion, we'll have to agree to differ!

[Dobbin]

Hi there

I suppose the next logical step is to just have the Jockeys running LOL

Dobbin

[Ethanol]

I suppose the next logical step is to just have the Jockeys running LOL

Midget racing. I like it! LOL.

[superfrank]

BREAKING NEWS ON RUK:

Richard Hughes gets his 2nd ban under the new rules and has relinquished his licence.

Good man.

Richard Hughes: "...they've taken the art of race riding away from us and I'd rather retire than race like that. It's like asking Lionel Messi not to use his left foot".

[Iron]

Tweet from the Racing Post:

Richard Hughes has given up both his remaining rides at Kempton after announcing he would hand in his licence in protest at new whip rules.

Jeff

[to75ne]

oh dear another shambles on its way

[hgodden]

I don't see what Hughes is whinging about, isn't it the same for every jockey? Is 5 times in the last furlong really not enough to get the message through to the horse?

The new rules might be a bit inflexible but even if he doesn't agree with them, throwing his toys out the pram like this just creates more negative publicity for racing

[Iron]

Someone on Twitter suggested that Hughes should make his point about how harmless the whips are by allowing himself to be whipped in public!

Jeff

[Iron]

Another angle to this is that it may make it easier for jockeys to get away with throwing races...

Jeff

[superfrank]

The new whip rules (essentially all about PR) have turned into a PR disaster.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horser ... rules.html

Now we lose one of our best jockeys for the new showpiece event at Ascot on Saturday, and maybe for good.



As James Willoughby says, it is scientifically proven that the new whip does not cause horses pain when hit in the proper place (on the rump).

The jockeys made a mistake in accepting the new rules (although to be fair they probably knew it would be imposed whatever they said).

[andyfuller]

The problem with the old rules though were that the jockeys constantly broke them so they were not working.

Had the jockeys stuck to the rules we wouldn't have had the out cry from Rewilding and The Grand National for example, the whip may have been shown not to cause pain but you surely can't allow excessive use. So the old rules were not working and as such something had to change.

Go back to the old rules and disqualify anyone who breaks the rule and you remove all incentive to break them. Go back to what you had and as was indicated in the earlier quote, jockeys feel sometimes winning is more important than getting a ban.

[Iron]

The whip may have been shown not to cause pain but you surely can't allow excessive use.

If the whip doesn't cause pain, how can its use ever be described as excessive?

Jeff

[payuppal]

As James Willoughby says, it is scientifically proven that the new whip does not cause horses pain when hit in the proper place (on the rump).

What a lot of nonsense.

Scientifically proven...by whom? How? They asked the horse if it hurt? Care to reference the research?

Does it hurt you when you are hit on the arse? Of course it does.

What is the point of hitting a horse at all then, if it doesn't have an effect?

Problem is, Hughes can't count to six as he only has 5 fingers.

[andyfuller]

If the whip doesn't cause pain, how can its use ever be described as excessive?

Lets say it doesn't cause pain at all, would you not think it would be excessive still to hit the horse constantly from the start of the race to the end? Excessive doesn't have to be linked to pain.