The Whip

And then there's Nicola Currie who gets a 39-day totting up ban and admits she was trying to win at all costs to revive her career.

The exact reason the rules were needed, but flagrantly flouted in this case.

The deterrent is no deterrent.

As long as horses are dying in the name of sport, I don't think arguing about a piece of pipe lagging used for steering is going to make much difference.

You might be surprised. And for all the people on TV (no names mentioned) who claim it doesn't hurt at all, not one has come forward to drop their pants on live TV and receive 8 whacks from a 12-stone man. Make of that what you will.

Don't encourage him.

Don't think those who want to see it banned are too bothered about it being used for steering. You cannot totally eradicate horses dying whatever you try, but you can eradicate the whip immediately, but we haven't even progressed enough to get a proper trial period.

We can argue it to death on here, but we have never had proper televised debates. Those discussions involving McCririck were a total joke. A figure of fun who supported hare coursing. The pro whip brigade must have loved seeing him on the other side. Now we are just force fed the idea that everyone in the media bubble supports it.

not one has come forward to drop their pants on live TV and receive 8 whacks from a 12-stone man.

And rightly so what they do in  private is their Business

What Jockeys are 12 Stone

What about 8 stone flat jockeys ?

A figure of fun who supported hare coursing

I dont think he supported animals being Strung upside down having their Necks Slashed to drain them of blood ?

At least the Poor Hare has a chance to escape as bad as it is

How many hares are/were  killed each year in regulated coursing , as to the amount of  Animals being slowly drained of blood terrified after being herded in after watching what had happened to other Animals before them.

We are talking about a few cracks of a Whip

I am sure the Jockeys know best and the Connections of the Horses or are we suggesting they are Sadists ?

Perhaps a bit of focus on the Non Stun slaughter of Animals Should be above whips in Horse Racing .Or am I wrong ?

When the pro cush was introduced Clare Balding did volunteer to take a couple of strokes on her ample backside (BBC). Lydia Hislop said something a bit later "when we were looking at the paddock before went off to see Clare being whipped..." I don't think she worked for the Beeb again!

Never understood the argument of saying you ignore what is bad - hitting an animal even once for entertainment - just because something else might be worse.

Good to see that Shark's word invention hasn't completely died a death.

Pro Cush for the flat and NH, 42 and 48 quid respectively, available from E J Wicks online.

differentdrum 25 Mar 25 09:49 
Never understood the argument of saying you ignore what is bad - hitting an animal even once for entertainment

Who told you it was for 'entertainment'?

They don't come pre-programmed to race, often they need encouragement, even the most genuine of horses.
And as I said another thread, even under the current restrictions there is already evidence of the effect on jump races with more front runners winning.

Aye, but even without the whip there will still be a winner of every race

And there will also be more horses killed over jumps, imo.

Because once it becomes clear to all that it is harder to win from off the pace with no whip, there will be more contested and quicker paces, resulting in more falls and more deaths.

'I was trying to win at all costs' - Nicola Currie vows to learn from her mistakes after receiving 39-day totting-up ban

I read that headline and wondered: what the hell did she do?

Did she frantically and relentlessly whip her mounts across the track, causing severe interference and horses to fall, endangering the lives of both jockeys and horses?

I don't know about the previous bans...but the article tells us that for her latest ban in February...she went one over the limit. Is that what's classed as 'winning at all costs' these days?

So for people who just the read headline, like swiftynifty, it sounds shocking, but actually read the article and you're left wondering, one over the limit, is that it?

Just read that two of the other three breaches were for going two over the limit.

So not seeing any evidence here of a 'win at all costs' mentality. And I presume she has already served bans for these offences, so Currie is in effect being punished twice for the same offences.

But what it has done is get some more negative headlines for the whip, which will please some.

Nothing much entertaining about hitting a horse, but I think horse racing is supposedly an entertainment and the whip is unfortunately part of that sport. I think the vast majority of people would have understood what I was saying had they wanted to.

The fact that some horses might be perceived to require more 'encouragement' than others is no arguement whatsover when you would still have a winner and losers. Some horses will be better than others, so no change.

The idea that there might be more deaths is little more than scare mongering, backed by no evidence whatsoever.

Plenty of horses will bowl along and jump for fun and that is great viewing. Others have little interest which can be for several reasons, they are not in love with the game, they may have mental or physical issues. Whipping them to do otherwise has no place in the 21st century.

As for rules, I know you don't like them GEORGE, but society is better for it.

It would be fascinating if the whip was suddenly gone, how important it would be to have a horse on your side that we term as "genuine" how many horses would markedly under-perform as we see it without the encouragement of the whip, how would the finishes of many iconic races down the years have looked different without the whip being involved.

There's also a potential irony waiting here because if the whip was eradicated, the anti brigade would be claiming victory but if there then happened to be an accident during a race caused by a wayward horse that perhaps would have been helped by the presence of a whip the same anti brigade would be pointing at that saying racing is cruel.

Personally I feel that the eradication of the whip would be one more step toward, much like the abomination of what the national has become, the end of the sport.

The idea that there might be more deaths is little more than scare mongering, backed by no evidence whatsoever.

If the whip is banned and the perception prevails over jumps that you need to be ridden forward to improve your chance (and there is already evidence to support this even under the current restrictions), the I would say it is inevitable that more contested and quicker paces will ensue, with horses quickly being taken out of their comfort zones, resulting in more falls and fatalities; and at the business end of races too as exertions of having been asked to do too much too soon take their toll.

Seven jockeys alone were hit with suspensions after a spate of false starts disrupted the second day of the meeting. Racing professionals such as Carl Llewellyn and Kim Bailey argued asking jockeys to start from too far back from the tape was to blame for the problems.

Or is the problem, jockeys getting it into their heads that with the restrictions on the whip, they can't be getting too far back because it's hard to make up the ground under hands and heels and save whip strokes for the finish?

Now imagine the scenario if and when there is no whip.

differentdrum 25 Mar 25 13:28 
Nothing much entertaining about hitting a horse, but I think horse racing is supposedly an entertainment and the whip is unfortunately part of that sport.

Not much entertaining either about watching a horse break a leg or its neck when jumping a fence, but you're not advocating for the banning of jump racing, are you?

You can't have it both ways, saying encouraging a horse to race using the whip (which next to never results in a fatality) is wrong or immoral, but it's acceptable to ask horses to do something that presents a real threat to their lives.

I prefer the eating the worlds hottest chip thread

any fred with different dumb and boy george is likely to be tedious

the whip is banned in scandinavia and the jokeys use the reins to whack em instead. leather strap probably more painful than the cushy

and they hit them down the neck, illegal here (i think)

the whip is banned in scandinavia and the jockeys use the reins to whack em instead.

There would be no reason to worry as we would no doubt have the "pro rein" to cover that eventuality

and I'm sure there is some interesting analysis to be had by studying racing in 'whipless' nations, but unfortunately all you could do is add to the thread's 'tedium' by telling us something most will already be aware of.

Old Chinese proverb....

A wise man has something to say, madtolo has to say something

bore george