Strike for the right to strike...

[Gangster Octopus]

Has anyone been following this? What, exactly, is happening?

[Kettle]

Strike for the right to strike...

All I know is that it's now OK to hit a horse with a whip 12 times in a minute, but not 6 times in the same amount of time if it's condensed in the last sector of a race. Which is what the jockeys also have a problem with - hardly anyone uses the whip in anywhere else than the final furlong, so it's a pretty daft adjustment to a rule that didn't need such tinkering.

Privately, a lot of jockeys are simply saying either ban the whip or not. Why they don't just take the initiative is unknown - something tells me trainers/owners will go mental if they come out without a whip.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Strike for the right to strike...

Some thoughts on the various debates and interviews I've seen about this week.

1. I've seen several jockeys and commentators showing the whip on telly, and chortling that it's basically just a bit of foam rubber, couldn't possibly hurt the horse anyway. I haven't actually seen any of them volunteering to be hit by one, though.

2. Furthermore, if the whip doesn't do any more than tickle the horse, why use one at all?

3. One of the jockeys' main complaints seems to be that they don't notice the furlong pole to begin "counting" when they can use the whip - the race is often winding up to full gallop maybe a furlong and a chain out, and they can't be waiting for some imaginary line on horses that are doing 20 yards a second. I've got some sympathy for that, but by the same token the jockey's job is to judge exactly where the finishing line is, surely judging where the furlong pole is must be a similar part of their skill?

4. Much of the change in the rules seems to about whipping horses "putting off" animal-loving members of the public. Frankly, I doubt some people will ever enjoy horse racing as a spectacle, whipping the animals or not. And even for those that don't mind racing but don't like whipping, surely it's not a matter of how often, or when, but the sheer fact it's happening at all. I've not heard any of these purported "upset" spectators saying "I don't like to see them whipping the horses, but I don't mind it if it's just six in the last furlong".

5. One aspect to this not given any coverage in the argument is what alternative tactics might be resorted to to "spur" horses on without whipping them. The clue's in the word, right there. Jockeys (I hope) no longer use spurs on their heels to dig into the animal to make them charge; I'd actually think that practice would be far worse than a tap from what looks like a windscreen wiper blade.

In summary, I haven't a clue what to think or who to believe. I do enjoy horse racing, though, and if these animals weren't being bred for racing purposes they'd all be catfood.