New whip rules in UK racing - assessing the first six months
- Andrew of Fiosrach
- 28 July 2023
Horse racing analyst Andrew of Fiosrach takes a closer look at the impact of the new horse racing whip rules which were brought into effect earlier this year .
On February 13 and March 27 2023 new whip rules were brought in for jockeys across all codes of horse racing in the UK.
These revised regulations were introduced both to protect the well-being of the racehorses, as well as to improve the image of racing within the public domain.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) also introduced the following guidance about what action to take before resorting to whip usage, and how the whip should be used to minimise any possibility of being found in breach of the Rules:
The air-cushioned whip introduced some years ago does not mark the horse and is intended to be used primarily as a steering control to get the horse to move to the right or the left.
The whip used along with pressure from the jockey's legs makes the horse move in the desired direction to go through a gap or to avoid contact with other racehorses.
As the air-cushioned whip does not mark or harm the horse, it could be argued that the new rules are an attempt to ease fears within the public domain, although some sections of the animal rights lobby have stated that their main aim is to have all forms of horse racing banned.
In that regard the publicity exercise could be seen to have won limited support, but it may also have resulted in some people who were ambivalent or anti-racing being more comfortable about the efforts being made to safeguard the horses' best interests.
There have been several whip bans enforced since the new rules were introduced, but the vast majority of these have been handed out to inexperienced jockeys in both codes of racing.
The top jockeys appear to have adapted well to the rules and although it is perhaps understandable if a jockey goes over the permitted limit by one in the heat of the moment, it is not acceptable for a jockey to exceed by two or three or more.
Jockeys who continue to transgress deserve longer bans as they could well harm the image of racing at a time when good publicity is essential for the long-term health of the sport so many people treasure.
