Towcester Racecourse ban Whip use

Kind of a strange one tbh, I guess they can still use it for steering by slapping down the shoulder, but I think being banged in your ribs might appear more palatable by the general public rather than a smack with a whip rather than there being any actual proof that it is appreciated by the horses (or any that I have come across!), tbh if it was me I would prefer a smack with a race legal whip than a kick in my ribs with boots on!
 
ThePony said:
Kind of a strange one tbh, I guess they can still use it for steering by slapping down the shoulder, but I think being banged in your ribs might appear more palatable by the general public rather than a smack with a whip rather than there being any actual proof that it is appreciated by the horses (or any that I have come across!), tbh if it was me I would prefer a smack with a race legal whip than a kick in my ribs with boots on!
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really? a whip covers a far narrower surface area, and can be travelling really fast through the air... if horses had skin like ours i think we'd all be shocked by how they'd bruise...

i think this is a GREAT decision. carry a whip by all means, use it for steering, flash down the side of the horse, but don't hit a horse which is probably already giving its all anyway.
 
Have you been hit by one of the racing whips? My sister has one for jumping, and the other day tried it out to see if it actually did hurt. Gave herself an almighty wallop onto her bare leg (mad child!). It made a big noise, but she said it hardly stung at all and after about 10 seconds the slight sting went altogether... If they were using the longer, thinner whips that are used by most 'normal' riders then it would really hurt, but racing whips are a different kettle of fish altogether...

ETA- there's a difference between using a whip for encouragement/ steering/ all that malarkey and beating it to make it go faster...
 
But they can still thump along with their heels? I think its a change, but if you can still kick away then surely they would still bruise? A race whip at least doesn't sting and isn't solid. I do think that they need to make changes, but I must admit that I'm not convinced that heels are alot better than whips?
 
Lolo said:
Have you been hit by one of the racing whips? My sister has one for jumping, and the other day tried it out to see if it actually did hurt. Gave herself an almighty wallop onto her bare leg (mad child!). It made a big noise, but she said it hardly stung at all and after about 10 seconds the slight sting went altogether... If they were using the longer, thinner whips that are used by most 'normal' riders then it would really hurt, but racing whips are a different kettle of fish altogether...

ETA- there's a difference between using a whip for encouragement/ steering/ all that malarkey and beating it to make it go faster...
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v true, even on a bare leg there is barely any sting, compare that to a dressage whip - bloody painful!!
 
Dont get too excited it has to go before the BHA for approval and they only received news of it yesterday.

The BHA have already met with the RSPCA before the Grand National to discuss whip use and they intend to meet other concerned bodies on this subject.

Towcester are saying its to be a pilot but without the approval of the BHA it wont happen.
 
Raceing whips are fully padded and hardly hurt at all, all bark and no bite so to speak. They can also only be used on the hind quarters and down the shoulder and to show to the horse. As for kicking them along with boots banging off of ribs - not really, the boots are pathetically dainty as they are very lightweight, no solid heel on them, all leather. You would never see a jockey "pony club kicking" a horse in a race as it is just not possible. It is more of a swing backwards and forwards to put more drive behind the hands pushing the horse along. You can't drive properly without using your legs - tried, tested and failed.

I have to say Towcester is my least favourite track. They don't have very good grass coverage on their track, especially up the home straight, they don't have a great watering system, the parade ring is a bit close and cramped and is just asking for horses to get hyped up. Plus the local pubs are full of girl on girl action, and whilst I don't normally have a problem with that I do when it is all over the pool table and sofa's whilst being very loud and obnoxious. They also seem to have a group of drag racers that like heading at at 3am to scream up and down the main street.

Maybe if Towcester re-instated the idea of paying to get in then they could afford to make the racing surface much better rather than tossing around ideas that will never have any heed paid to them.
 
Towcester have been widely applauded for several years now, for their racing surface. However it does get very deep in winter, and is a stiff track - even I cringe watching 3m chases round there in the heavy. Interesting that the most testing course in the country is trying to bring this in.
As for the 'kicking in the ribs' - it is an illusion caused by the jockey balancing. A dressage rider would do more damage with the squeezing and spurs.
 
I walked Towcester track when I had my horse there a couple of months ago and vowed never again! Hardly any grass cover up the home straight, they hadn't trod the divets down from the last meeting, the take off's and landings were quite frankly pretty bloomin awful. On the plus side the Clerk of the Course was absolutely lovely and went out of his way to be as helpful as possible - now if only he would spread some grass seed ...
 
You spread the grass seed in summer - yes? You then can allow the grass to grow by shifting railing and the like - following? Once you have sufficient grass cover you then re-open it up for racing on that part and voila - a decent track of grass. Toaster is the only course I have seen with a home straight that is pretty much mud! Ayr, Carlisle, Hexham, Sedgefield, Haydock, Bangor, Aintree, Catterick etc... all managed to race all winter with a good coverage of grass, their divets were trod down properly, the take off and landings were well tended. Toaster was a bit of a wreck to be totally honest.
 
Towcester should sort their ground out before they start meddling with the whip. Agreeing with what AP just said, I hardly think Towcester is a good track to bring this in, horses refuse and pull themselves up here more than at any other track - it's a publicity stunt by a small track that has now riled the BHA, so they shot themselves in the foot IMO. They should have shut up rather than announcing it and there might have been a chance of BHA agreeing.

Racing whips make a loud noise but are nothing like a normal whip, as people on this thread have demonstrated. Those who are backing this (except that freak John Mcwhatshisface from Ch4) say there is no welfare issue, it's all to do with public perception. Why are we being swayed by animals rights people and the public who have now, a few weeks on from the National, forgotten all about racing? Those who are put off racing because of the whip will, I'm quite sure, be equally put off when they come to a hands and heels meeting and see a horse break its leg on the home straight. Racing has a bigger following than ever and I don't believe this will help attract millions more.

If they ban it over jumps, surely they should ban it on the flat? And then they should also ban it in eventing, and in showjumping, and in showing - much bigger whip welfare issues here than in racing.

An ill thought out and rushed announcement that, hopefully, will never happen.
 
re the use of the whip, there are courses to correct the abuse of the whip, jocks are sent on these courses if they are marking or not following guidelines. Horses still get marked with the new whip. Some horses need a whip but many do not, so trainers will be more selective if sending horses to towcester.
I applaud this initiative, even though I am not anti whip per se, but no one likes to see horses being hit repeatedly, and it can sour them from racing as well
 
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