Do horses feel pain when whipped? Images of horse A and human B skin, showing comparable epidermal thickness. The use of whips in horse racing: background facts.
According to the rules of Australian racing, before the final metres, horses must be struck no more than five times. Ove the final metres, they can be struck every stride. It has been shown that unpadded sections of the whip, that most likely cause greater pain than the unpadded sections, are more likely than not to make contact with the horse. Aside from this, there is evidence that the padded sections can also cause damage. Rules around whip use are hard to police.
Norway outlawed the whipping of racehorses in Meanwhile, in the UK, since , The Jockey Club, and more recently, the British Horseracing Authority, have run whip-free races for apprentice jockeys since In Australia, three quarters of the public support a ban on whipping. Read the whips study Published in Animals. Published in and conducted by veterinarian and Professor Paul McGreevy at the University of Sydney, the study reignites calls for the racing industry to review the use of whips in racing.
The study assessed the area struck and the visual impact of whip use on horses and included a total of rider-horse interactions, of which were clear, behind the saddle impacts. Two observers, working independently, found the following:. The results of this study do not offer any support for the retention of whipping in horse racing and are contrary to the International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering to which the Racing Australia Board is a signatory.
This International Agreement lists specific prohibitions for whip use, including using the whip on the flank. The results of the latest study indicate that Australian racing authorities are not meeting their obligations regarding this International Agreement. What do the results of this study mean for the ongoing use of the whip in racing? The outcome of this study shows that the improper use of whips is commonplace and that it is impossible for stewards, using the technology currently available to them, to effectively police the rules surrounding whip use in Thoroughbred racing.
What is the issue with backhand whip use? This study reveals that backhand whip use is far more common than anticipated by Australian whip rules. It is possible that jockeys have been encouraged to use backhand rather than a forehand action to avoid penalisation. There is no evidence that backhand whippings are less painful.
It is important to note that there are no restrictions in whip use with either forehand or backhand actions in the final m of races. What is the issue with striking the abdomen with a whip? Striking the horse in the abdomen, also referred to as the flank, is likely to be more painful to the horse than a strike on the hindquarters because there is little muscle in this area to absorb the impact of the whip.
The flank also extends to the stifle joint and is extremely sensitive and vulnerable to injury. For this reason, strikes to the flank are prohibited under international racing rules.
Is the stick the best way to accomplish it? I think they manage the situation well in Europe. I do have sympathy for the position the jockeys are in. As a horseman it makes me cringe when I hear that. If there is a question of the safety of a jockey riding a race without the aid of a whip, I would be in favor of regulations on whip length and amount of use during the course of a race. The family moved to the United States in He worked for six years with trainer Jonathan Sheppard, traveling with the three-time Eclipse Award-winning steeplechaser Flatterer.
He later worked for trainer Jonathan Pease in Chantilly, and took out his training license in My views on the crop have changed dramatically over the years.
But as my beliefs have evolved I never have-and likely never will-conclude that the crop should be banned from American racing. I still believe that the crop is necessary to get the best out of most horses. One example is when you have a colt who is really playful like Alysheba was when he was a 2-year-old. He would get to the lead and pull himself up. A lot of horses will not give their best unless they are firmly encouraged and it if you took away the crop some horses would never reach their full potential, and that would be unfair to the owner.
For that reason I believe the use of the crop is necessary. That said, I also believe that the crop is overused and that the sport needs to find sensible ways to make sure jockeys use it on a limited basis and only when its use is productive. I was known as a strong stick rider, particularly when I was younger. When I look back on my career I regret a lot of the times I would hit a horse unnecessarily. I thought at the time it was necessary and best method to use to get the most run out of a horse.
I was trying so hard to impress the people I was riding for, whether it was owners, trainers or the betting public. I always felt in order for me to put forth the best effort I would have to resort to the stick and that was whether or not the horse was finishing first, fourth or eighth. I was already starting to think about things a little differently at the time when I had a particularly troubling incident in the mid-nineties.
I was riding a horse named Letthebighossroll for Bob Baffert and the thing about him was he was like a bicycle. I was literally sick to my stomach when I saw his flank. He had several welts and he had two places where he was bleeding. It was actually Trevor Denman who first helped me realize I could be my own worst enemy when it came to the use of the crop. Trevor would often notice that a lot of horses were running freely and running well for riders who were not as quick to go to the stick and during his call of the race he would emphasize the fact a horse was being ridden under a beautiful hand ride, a polished hand ride.
Laffit Pincay is the first one who comes to mind. I was always impressed with how those guys could get run out of a horse with just their hands but I was even more impressed when it was noticed by more than just me. That these race riders could get so much run out of a horse without using their stick benefitted their reputations, their business and careers. So I tried to emulate that. I found it difficult doing that. So I gradually was able to improve my skills at doing that but it took some time.
I came to realize there is another way. It turned out for me to be the better way and I still firmly believe today that the better way is to allow a horse an opportunity to respond from the stick, respond from the urging that the crop creates. Maybe that particular day the horse might not be at his best.
Racing has struggled with how to deal with riders that misuse the crop but there are practical ways to assess when riders have crossed a line and how to punish them. My proposal would be to have racing commissions instruct the stewards that if in their judgment a rider is misusing the stick they must be reprimanded.
We have fantastic resources with the cameras, slow motion and, in many cases high definition televisions. The stewards have the authority to seriously punish offenders and I think that will go a long way toward improving horse racing. Here is an isolated view of his run in the Kentucky Derby.
The argument is an ancient one in racing: do the whips hurt the animals, and are they effective in producing better results on the track? As an outsider to the sport, I cannot comment on the science or history of the disagreement. What I can discuss is how the action makes me feel, as well as others in my position. I am a recent graduate from the University of Maryland, a classic year-old who enjoys his now-dwindling free time, and will occasionally fill that free time by going to the track.
To me, racing is an excuse to be outside on a nice afternoon with some friends and some drinks. I have written in the past how I believe the racing community needs to swallow a little bit of pride and accept that marketing ploy to attract people my age. In writing this piece, I still feel the same way, and aim to try and reflect the opinions of my peers in this argument. So, I understand that the whip may hurt the animal.
While I also understand that whipping is generally accepted in the racing community, I do have my qualms with it. On an incredibly basic level, I know that if I was running and someone was bashing me with a whip, it would hurt a lot and I would not be a happy camper.
But at the same time, I understand that whipping is just another part of the sport, like fighting in hockey or diving in soccer. Rather, it is the administering of drugs and poor handling of horses that hurts them, or causes breakdowns. Whipping seems to be simply a part of the sport.
I asked some friends about their opinions on the topic, with rather simplified results. She had known it hurts the animals, but the opinion sort of stopped there. This became the pattern for my questioning of several others, where whipping was seen as bad right away, but after this was established, very little else was. A friend who is deeply involved in the racing community his father is an owner and he works at Monmouth Park , offered a different opinion.
While most jockeys probably overuse the whip, he said, the tool should definitely be allowed in the sport. He also offered that there could be harsher punishments for whipping infractions. Maybe this is more of a cultural look at my peers than at first glance. The relatively similar opinions of friends back up this belief.
Racing needs to attract younger fans in order to sustain a strong fan base in this country and increase revenue and profit, that much is certain. The case is closed. When it comes to basing decisions off of the opinions of that same demographic, though, that one is still is very much up for debate.
I believe there is a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to the use of the whip in racing and whether or not it hurts the animal. I think a lot of what has been done with changes to whip rules has been done for the media and for public perception.
You cannot have a guy get fined for hitting one time too many down the stretch when he wins by a nose. I hear very little, if anything, from fans about whipping the horse.
It never happens. Sometimes, there is a much tougher race and you have to encourage them to run as fast as they can. Though I think there has been a lot of overreaction to the whipping situation, I do think there are some things that should be changed and situations we need to look at.
When you are one, two, three, four in the stretch and in contention and you are trying your best to get the best out of the horse you should be able to use the whip as you see fit.
I see way too many jockeys doing that and that really, really bothers me. You have asked the horse for everything he has and he has nothing left and you are still hitting him. That looks bad.
0コメント