BHA Whip Rules

[reynold]

Harry Cobden the latest high-profile rider to receive ban under new whip rules

Harry Cobden became one of the latest jockeys to fall foul of the new whip rules in Britain when he received a four-day ban for using the whip with... Read More

www.racingpost.com

Latest whip bans. Posted as the last sentence shows the authorities are also looking/counting the strikes down the shoulder. David Noonan has been banned in regard to this.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

Harry Cobden the latest high-profile rider to receive ban under new whip rules

Harry Cobden became one of the latest jockeys to fall foul of the new whip rules in Britain when he received a four-day ban for using the whip with... Read More

www.racingpost.com

Latest whip bans. Posted as the last sentence shows the authorities are also looking/counting the strikes down the shoulder. David Noonan has been banned in regard to this.

Good, there was a jockey in the race Langer Dan won and he was using it quite heavily down the shoulder

I've seen comments on some racing posts that Sam TD may be in trouble over how high he used the whip on TRW but may just be speculation. Presumably if he is they'd use it as an example as it was such a close finish

 

[reynold]

Also noticed that another of the bans listed was for a ride that finished 5th. So jockeys 'not in contention' will also have to be careful as being further down the field won't mean they can fly under the radar.

I personally hate to see horses who plainly have no chance still being hammered when they are obviously knackered and there would be no question of the jockey being done for not riding to obtain the best placing.

 

[Old school]

Good, there was a jockey in the race Langer Dan won and he was using it quite heavily down the shoulder

I've seen comments on some racing posts that Sam TD may be in trouble over how high he used the whip on TRW but may just be speculation. Presumably if he is they'd use it as an example as it was such a close finish

Would that not fall into next Tuesdays assess

 

[Caol Ila]

I watched the video of Constitution Hill winning his race a few days ago, and then another video of Honeysuckle winning a race at last year's Cheltenham, and the difference in whip usage was striking (pun intended). This year's race was so much nicer to watch. It's a much better picture watching horses run willingly, rather than being flogged home.

I just rewatched this year's Kentucky Derby. Kentucky brought in similar whip rules in 2020. On the final run, Rich Strike's jockey shows him the whip but it doesn't look like he hits the colt, while the jockeys on Epicenter and Zandon are barely using their whips at all. Just looks far more pleasant all around and undoubtedly is for the horses.

A barn friend of mine worked at racing yards when she was young, and she still loves racing. For the past two days, she's whinged about the whip rules (hence me going to this thread, to see what other horse people, especially Elf and Gamebird, are saying). Her complaint is, "They are just making up new rules to appease people who don't like or don't understand racing anyway."

 

[reynold]

Richard Hoiles just stated on ITV that so far none of the winners at Cheltenham have been referred for the whip. Let's hope this continues for the remaining 2 days.

 

[Gamebird]

Well here's the washup from Cheltenham. None of the predicted massive drama! 6 bans in total, no disqualifications. All in all I think it was a pretty good optic.

Harry Cobden gets four-day ban for breaching whip rules in Stay Away Fay's Albert Bartlett victory | Racing Post

 

[Parrotperson]

but. and I know this is contentious if the winning rider is done for whip offences the horse should lose the race! Until they do that there won't be a proper resolution to this. and racing will be in danger of killing itself slowly but surely.

How is it right to win a race by ignoring the rules?!!!! By allowing the horse to keep the race they are effectively saying "yeh you broke the rules but that's ok! Here's your prize!!!" Nonsense. Plus if I had the second I'd be mightily pissed off.

 

[splashgirl45]

I agree PP but the argument is the owners , trainers and punters lose out. I feel that a few disqualifications need to be done when the jockey wins and uses the whip too much or incorrectly , that would focus their minds as the owners and trainers would be pretty pissed off..

 

[humblepie]

There are disqualifications now if the jockey goes I think more than 4 times over the limit - there have been two second placed horses disqualified under the new rules.

 

[Parrotperson]

It’s nine times I think. But there should be zero tolerance. Racing will kill itself. No help needed.

 

[splashgirl45]

There are disqualifications now if the jockey goes I think more than 4 times over the limit - there have been two second placed horses disqualified under the new rules.

well that is good , maybe that’s why the jockeys have been abiding by the rules on the whole..why should they Have the extra 4 strikes? If they are allowed to use the whip a certain no of times then that is the number that should be the legal no and anything over that should be heavily penalised by disqualification.

 

[Orangehorse]

One race has been lost I believe, a woman amateur jockey.

I have to agree that it is a much better picture that horses are not being whipped to the line, but I think that often it looks from the side as if they are being hit, when the jockey is waving the whip and not touching.

Also, I can understand why a jockey might want to give the horse a bit of a wake up "now this is serious"

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

Surely this is going against all the trying to improve perception! Oh let's let them flout the rules more times...

Relief for Harry Cobden as risk of long totting-up ban recedes under whip rule changes

Racing's ruling body was praised for being in listening mode after the latest round of changes to the whip rules, announced on Thursday, which will... Read More

www.racingpost.com

 

[reynold]

'It's soul destroying' - 42, 35, 25 and 21-day whip bans handed out as jockeys suffer for breaching new rules

One of the jockeys banned by the BHA’s disciplinary panel on Thursday for being a repeat offender under the new whip rules has labelled their... Read More

www.racingpost.com

Apart from the headline bans there is a summary towards the end of the article. Only 279 rides have resulted in bans out of just over 26k rides since the rules were changed.

I think that sounds like a good result for the horses and willingness by the jockeys to improve.

It also says that a review of how things are going will take place once 6 months has passed since implementation of the new rules.

 

[splashgirl45]

'It's soul destroying' - 42, 35, 25 and 21-day whip bans handed out as jockeys suffer for breaching new rules

One of the jockeys banned by the BHA’s disciplinary panel on Thursday for being a repeat offender under the new whip rules has labelled their... Read More

www.racingpost.com

Apart from the headline bans there is a summary towards the end of the article. Only 279 rides have resulted in bans out of just over 26k rides since the rules were changed.

I think that sounds like a good result for the horses and willingness by the jockeys to improve.

It also says that a review of how things are going will take place once 6 months has passed since implementation of the new rules.

These are repeat offenders so although it may be soul destroying they have broken the rules more than once.. I’ve got no sympathy for them , no point saying they didn’t think the penalty would be so harsh, it needs to be so they don’t ignore the rules …

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

These are repeat offenders so although it may be soul destroying they have broken the rules more than once.. I’ve got no sympathy for them , no point saying they didn’t think the penalty would be so harsh, it needs to be so they don’t ignore the rules …

I completely agree. The totting up procedure is there to put jockeys off of think "a day or 2 here or there is fine if I win the race" but a 30 day ban is a hefty one to take and rightly so.

Our amateur can claim 11 of those days listed. He marked his horse in his Hunter Chase - which, whilst I am not trying to defend him, is easy to do on a hot horse on a hot day. But he has rightly been punished for it. 11 days for amateur is akin to 4 or 5 months worth of Hunter Chases and Amateur Rider races as they are so few and far between.

 

[toppedoff]

how do you read the BHA reports? their site confuses me, im interested to see what was said about rachael blackmore, i recall her dropping the whip and had used the reins instead? i know it was ages ago but i saw it once and never again!

 

[Parrotperson]

Rachel was reminded by the stewards on the day that you mustn’t use the reins in that way. Case closed.

 

[humblepie]

how do you read the BHA reports? their site confuses me, im interested to see what was said about rachael blackmore, i recall her dropping the whip and had used the reins instead? i know it was ages ago but i saw it once and never again!

If you go to the Stewards Report and put in her surname it should bring up all reports that mention her. Just did that and it was Aintree 14th April. You can search by date as well.

 

[Bob notacob]

There is a mind set that needs to change regarding whips. I grew up on a flat racing yard. All that new apprentices could think about was the use of the whip . And they would practice endlessly like gun slingers ,for dexterity .(though not on a horse because the guvnor would have gone ballistic bless him) I don't think much has changed . I fell under this spell for a while. Desperate fo a racing ride I dragged my reluctant (slightly evil) pony club horse into the pt to pt circuit . It was the west kent hunt pt to pt ,we had a flash flood , 6 inches of water on the course ,race was delayed the maximum allotted 15 minutes and we went out to our slaughter . Baaing like lambs. I kid you not!. It was carnage. I came into a fence and the horse in front fell. Evil pony jumped fence, jumped horse, jumped jockey, and I lost my whip. Hands and heals or die. Revelation ! Hands and heals on a good (if somewhat evil horse) are worth so much more than a bloody whip. Finished and survived the worst race in history.

 

[reynold]

Penalties for controversial new whip rules eased following review with senior riders

Whip penalties have been eased in the latest amendment to the rules following an assessment of the first six months of British racing’s controversial... Read More

www.racingpost.com

Update to new whip rules after 6 month period since change.

Also further down article graph of whip offences under the new rules and breakdown of category of riders being penalised.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

Can't say I liked Jim Crowley's explanation about exceeding the number of strikes on Hukum

He was saying how hard it was to keep track of the number of strikes

The simple thing would just be to get rid of the damn thing, have it for safety ONLY e.g. to correct a drift/swerve - this would then be reviewed in the stewards room to ensure the use was justified

 

[splashgirl45]

Well what a surprise , the poor jockeys can’t count so let’s not punish them.. and the rule to say they can only use the whip without upturning it to give them a good wallop has been overturned. It makes me cross that these rules have been changed especially still allowing them to use the whip in the most forceful way… we all know how strong jockeys have to be an a whack from one of us isn’t going to have half the force that a male jockey can give and some of them really do put a lot of force behind their whips, it’s no good saying the whips are a better design and don’t hurt, I bet I one of the jockeys was whacked by another jockey it would hurt… I am disgusted and angry with this latest ruling

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

Well what a surprise , the poor jockeys can’t count so let’s not punish them.. and the rule to say they can only use the whip without upturning it to give them a good wallop has been overturned. It makes me cross that these rules have been changed especially still allowing them to use the whip in the most forceful way… we all know how strong jockeys have to be an a whack from one of us isn’t going to have half the force that a male jockey can give and some of them really do put a lot of force behind their whips, it’s no good saying the whips are a better design and don’t hurt, I bet I one of the jockeys was whacked by another jockey it would hurt… I am disgusted and angry with this latest ruling

Didn't realise they'd overturned the rule about only being able to use it in a certain position, the finishes have looked so much more palatable without them waving the whip around. But no let's just let the jockeys get what they want and be able to use it forcefully who cares about the horses or the aesthetics - I bet it hurts more used in the upturned way because they can put more force into it.

 

[splashgirl45]

Didn't realise they'd overturned the rule about only being able to use it in a certain position, the finishes have looked so much more palatable without them waving the whip around. But no let's just let the jockeys get what they want and be able to use it forcefully who cares about the horses or the aesthetics - I bet it hurts more used in the upturned way because they can put more force into it.

Exactly what has made me cross, they keep spouting about horse welfare and that the whip is used to encourage them so why do they need to put so much force into it , I was really impressed when they bought that rule out as it is harder to use it with force and it was a step in the right direction and races were so much more pleasant to watch without the exaggerated whip flourishing… horse racing has taken a step back IMO

 

[SilverLinings]

In general (not everyone/every governing body) horse sports really don't seem to be great at projecting a positive and horse-centric image to the non-horsey public (and the horsey public), and this is another example of that. As has been said on other threads there is likely to be increased talk of social license and animal welfare/rights in the coming years, and if the sports want to survive they need to start looking at the optics and making real changes now, not after they've been vilified in the press/had mass protests/been threatened with a ban.

All the general public (and most horse owners) see is hitting someone/an animal = pain. Some will say this is acceptable to avoid a dangerous situation (e.g. a horse shying into traffic or a horse colliding with another on a racecourse), but that won't be a concept that occurs to most of the GP.

Personally, I think it very likely that as a bare minimum whip use on animals will be banned full stop within the next 50yrs, and I think it likely that there will be increasing numbers of conversations about whether humans should ride horses at all. If we/the sports want riding to continue we need to be proactive when it comes to welfare (which I realise most people - if not all - on the forum already are).

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

The whole back hand situ - by having the stick turned in the hand it means you can "show it" more easily but you also have that few extra inches of reach to get to the quarters rather than strike them down the kidneys. Jockeys aren't sitting up neat and straight in the saddle they are down over the shoulders.

I've not seen Crowley's ride but he is more than old enough and wise enough to know better. And from the sounds of it this may have been on the verge of the disqualification rules. But they dare not do it to a Group 1 winner.

I'm not defending jockeys or the use of the whip. I never have. I have always been an advocate for only having them for safety and riding hands and heels.

 

[clinkerbuilt]

I found this to be a profoundly unhelpful and rather ignorant comment - too harsh of me?
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...-could-face-expensive-penalty-after-hukum-joy

 

[reynold]

Jim Crowley handed 20-day ban and fined £10,000 for overuse of the whip on King George winner Hukum

Jim Crowley has been suspended for 20 days and fined £10,000 for his winning ride on Hukum in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes having... Read More

www.racingpost.com

20 day ban and £10k fine for Crowley. As on ITV yesterday his comments make clear he resents the new rules.

BHA comment in the article was that his offence was only the 2nd time any jockey has gone 3 strikes over the limit since the new rules were brought in.

I feel sad to see/hear a top jockey like this being so lacking in understanding of the welfare and image need to reduce whip use although I do not wish to see whip use removed entirely.