Exactly Dexter. The problem is the public perception. Why should the rules be changed to fit this erroneous perception? What we should be doing is educating the public so that they understand the whip and its use.
To throw my tu'pence worth into this debate, i must say that i totally agree with Hughes. This new rule seems to have been a hastily implemented rule just to appease a fewof left wing morons as these rules certainly are not what they claim to be and do not help or change the welfair of a horse. Each horse is different and responds to the whip in different ways, also why is it ok to hit a horse 7 times? Who said 7 was the magic number here and that anymore damages the horse? Its utter nonsense and is quickly turning into the farcical event that it promised to be, surely there should have been some consultation with the jockeys or even ex jockeys before these suited muppets in charge implemented the rules. Also what Hughes says re Frankel with regards the top horses is completely right.
something had to be done, for the sake of the jockeys and trainers.. otherwise you risk a rebellion [video=youtube;NkzJXW8jE4s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkzJXW8jE4s&feature=related[/video]
I've heard that as well. What a waste of time. What is the thought process that these lads have had? 'We need to take a stand chaps, we need to show the BHA that we can't work under these conditions.' 'Yeah, let's have a protest!' 'GREAT IDEA LADS, what day do you think we should plan it for so we make the BHA take notice of us? I was thinking this Saturday at Ascot when the racing is televised on three channels guaranteeing maximum exposure, where the BHA have invested a huge amount of money and time promoting the Champions Day. What do you think?' 'Hold your horses big lad, there's decent prize money to be won on Saturday, let's make it for Monday where no one will care what we've got to say because no one will be watching' 'yep, that sounds more like it.'
Toon.....His argument is that the last horse to need to be hit with the whip is usually the one that wins the race, so if his horse is still cruising, approaching the furlong pole, then he feels the new rules are forcing him to whip the horse before the furlong pole, as he will only be allowed 5 after that. He doesn't have a problem with the limit overall of 7, he just has a problem with how many times he can hit the horse in the final furlong. I agree with him totally, as jockeys are being forced to hit there horse's earlier in the race, as they know they will only get 5 in the last furlong. I also don't understand why the rule only matters in the last furlong, if a jockey hits a horse 7 times between the 3 and 2 pole, and doesn't hit the horse for the rest of the race, does that mean they escape a ban, despite hitting the horse 7 times in the space of 1 furlong. Personally I feel the new rule has been a total disaster, and it needs reviewing by the BHA, I don't have a problem with the limit of smacks during the entire race, but I'm in full agreeance with Hughes that the limit in the last furlong needs to be scrapped
This is the biggest PR own goal ever scored. Not only is no one talking about the biggest days racing of the year but like a celebrity who takes a newspaper to court over a story and ensures 10 x more people get to hear the story than had he not, everyone is going to be talking about horses being whipped and when they back down as they will i fear they will have all credibility shot to pieces. I don't disagree with the rules although they need a tweak but how about this A months amnesty where all those falling foul of the new change are notified. After that if one strike over 3 warnings in a season are permitted and then the punishments start on a scale 2 day ban 4 day ban 6 day ban etc etc up to 10 days.
The punishments aswell are an absolute joke, a 10 day ban for 2 minor whip offences. It's like a judge giving someone a prison sentence for J walking
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/horse_racing/15067764.stm If you check the video there the BHA even says the whip doesn't hurt! I think Dexter has hit the nail on the end. The BHA want to attract new people to racing, and they see the public perception of the whip as the main deterrent to this. As a result, instead of educating the public they have brought in this stupid rule instead. I agree 100% with Nass that the only reason why Hughes has gone on strike now is because he's been banned for the Breeders Cup. Jockeys will obviously come out and do the same and its going to be very interesting to see what happens
I really wonder if the people on the board of the BHA actually know anything about racing or the horses, stupid rules in the first place and the punishments are even more ridiculous as bluesky says it should be something along the lines of 2-3 warning then short bans going to bigger bans if these **** rules are to stay, they've implemented them too suddenly as well. To be honest the way they've gone about the whole thing is just stupid and unless they change it back which i doubt they will then they need to sort out the punishments otherwise more and more jockeys will quit and same with trainers and owners then its r.i.p uk racing. They've got a few options though that could make it better if they won't go back to the old rules, one of them changes being you can whip the horse a max of 7 times in the race not 5 in the final furlong and 2 before, and warnings then bans as punishments
A 5-Day ban for whipping a horse with a bit of rubber one extra time than allowed in the final furlong, jeez could you imagine if you stole a apple from tesco and one of these people were on the judges panel, you'd get 30 years in jail!!
Only just heard the news so have read through the thread with interest. In my opinion, the whip rules did need changing/clarifying. Racing DOES have a perception problem and it often seems the the likes of Animal Aid have a louder and more cohesive voice than those running our sport! However, that does not mean to say that the current changes are correct. As was said upthread, it is perverse that Jockey A can hit a horse 7 times in quick succession before the final furlong and not receive a ban, but jockey B uses his whip 6 times in the final furlong and gets a 5 day ban. The biggest mistake the BHA made was not having a trial period. The rules literally changed overnight, albeit with 2 weeks notice. They would have been far better off to say "the rules change in January, but between now and the end of the year we will be monitoring whip usage and any jockey who would have fallen foul of the rules will be required to attend a whip seminar at the Racing School" It has been a long time since we had a strike in racing, some of you may remember the Newmarket stable lads strike which saw a sit in at Newmarket racecourse and one over zealous lad attempt to pull Willie Carson from his horse. A strike on Saturday would be the worst thing for the sport. It would give the Antis perfect ammunition to say "look - they want to beat the horses". They would be far better off having, say, a 10 minute sit in in the paddock before the first race to make their point and then get on with the real focus of the day - the horses and the racing. I'm sure Kevin Darley will be giving plenty of interviews, as the outgoing head of PJA today!
One thing I have a problem with - if Richard Hughes is only doing this because he wants to get his ban rescinded so he can ride at the Breeders Cup (i.e. he is a "greedy, self-motivated person") as some would have it, why is he choosing not to ride at Champions Day tomorrow? Surely the riding fees and potential cut of prize money will outweigh anything he might pick up with one ride at the BC?
To solve the problem, is it educate the non racing population? Don't think so! If anyone thinks that the average person in the street is going to come down on the side of whipping an animal, then I believe them to be sadly mistaken. The racing fraternity who stand behind the use of the whip, are in the minority, and to expect the greater public to accept their belief that the whipping of a horse is acceptable, is to defy logic, as far as I'm concerned. As of now, on this issue, racing is on a hiding to nothing. Now that the powers that be have gone down this road, they have little option but to get on with the job at hand. If they try bowing down to the pro whip lobby, by increasing the whip usage, they risk further disenchantment of the populace. Racing will become an even bigger pariah in the eyes of the world. This is a huge business which turns over umpteen billions of pounds on an annual basis, so it's not going anywhere, but it can't afford to stand outside what is perceived as the norm. That means no whipping. Can the sport survive without the cane? Of course it can, not only will it survive, but it'll continue to be as healthy as it is now. We complain about how this and that has to be done to improve things, but this is just tinkering. The larger picture says that the industry is alive and kicking. I don't know whether the whip has been banned anywhere else on the world, but seeing as this topic seems to be coming to a head in the UK, maybe this is the time and place for someone to take the lead. How ground breaking would that be? As for Richard Hughes throwing his toys from the pram, I have little sympathy. If dozens of riders had been sidelined for the same infractions, then maybe we'd have a serious problem. But if he's one of just a handfull, then the problem lies with him, not the laws.
cyc - the average man in teh street cares about only one race a year, the Grand National, and he may possible be aware if the Derby is taking place, educating the public is fruitless IMO. Does anyone follow Bruce Millington (Editor, Racing Post) on Twitter ? I know Brucie quite well and he is a huge fan of racing (both codes), he is quite strong in his views that the furore surrounding the whip rules is unjustified and as others suggested above the fact that this dominates the racing headlines on the eve of Champions Day and at the time Cheltenham hosts the first big NH meeting of the season is quite sad. His column yesterday said as much but I haven't seen any twitter updates from him (and can't access from work) since the Hughes incident last evening. Does anyone know if he's aired his views ? In some ways I hope not because as Editor of the Nations racing paper he has a responsibility to be impartial, yet his style of journalism over the years has been anything but !
I totally agree, i think richard hughes is being an selfish, inconsiderate p****! Seriously pull your neck in! Because you fell foul of the rules hes chucking his toys out! Get real! Horses were being pushed beyond their limits and it had to be done, be a man and get on with hughes!!!!!! His comments are rediculous, without the horses there wouldbe no racing and no lively hood for him!! If the horses enjoy racing then they will run without "persuasion" for me the racing is all about the horses, f**K jockeys like him! I know not everyone will agree with me but each to their own! It just riled me beyond belief!!!!
'Horses were being pushed beyond their limits and it had to be done' I think this is the contentious issue and there's been no evidence (certainly I've seen none) to suggest this statement is accurate....
