One of Australasia’s top reinsmen, Anthony Butt, believes the whip rule has to change but not to the excess being proposed by Harness Racing Australia.
Last Saturday Australian harness racing officials announced drivers will not be able to use whips in races or trials from September next year.
The ban was also touted as a way to brand the industry as a leader in animal welfare in Australia.
“The safety of our horses has always been paramount. We spend more time with them each week than we do a lot of people.
“We care for our animals immensely but I personally feel that Australian officialdom have gone too far this time,” Victoria-based Butt said.
He agreed that there needed to be a tightening of the whip rule, especially in the home straight, but to ban it all together was not the right decision.
“Spectators, and myself, hate to see horses punished. Some of them can be unpredictable and inexperienced, especially when they walk up to the mobile or shy and hesitate away from a stand.
“That’s exactly when they need a little tap to keep their minds on the job. They can also star gaze a bit when they are in front. Again a little tap reminds them of what they should be doing,” Butt said.
He believed there was no-one more safety conscious then himself.
“The horse’s safety is paramount but I don’t think the officials are seeing the big picture here. Horses do need a bit of encouragement in the straight but I agree the excessive whipping has to go. I can see why the public can get a bit irate with some of the punishment that is handed out but not all horsemen and women are like that.
“The laws need modified, not completely revamped,” Butt said.
Harness Racing Australia chairman Geoff Want said the ban was being implemented to aid the future sustainability of the industry because times have changed.
He said the public tolerance for whip use on horses was coming to an end and that the welfare of the horses was paramount.
The ban was also touted as a way to brand the industry as a leader in animal welfare in Australia.
“New Zealand may follow suit but we have a very strong and smaller band of horsemen and women who stick together over there. I also feel we have better dialogue with officialdom in New Zealand compared to what they have here,” Butt said.
“We all realise something has to be done but there needs to be more dialogue and compromise on both sides,” Butt said.
Butt, John Langdon and Doody Townley are the only horsemen in New Zealand and Australia to have driven the winners of the seven big open races in Australasia, namely – the New Zealand Cup, the Auckland Cup, The Interdominion Pacing Grand Final, the Interdominion Trotting Grand Final, the Dominion Trot, the Rowe Cup, and the New Zealand Free-For-All.
“I’ve been around a while and think I know what I’m talking about. I just wish there was more consultation between officialdom and those that actually do the hard yards at the stable and on the track,” Butt said.
HRA will remove all whips from racing and public training tracks from the start of next season and they will be replaced by a “guiding tool” which can be used to ensure driver safety with wayward horses but not to make a horse run faster.
“We are looking toward the future and want to stay ahead of the animal welfare issue,” Want said.
Butt said he just wanted the industry on both sides of the Tasman to understand the realities of harness racing.
“More than anything the safety of the horse must come first. The punters and owners also want us to produce the best from our horses.
“Yes look at the whip use in the home straight but also look at the issue in its entirety. Horses need a little tap every now and then to keep their minds on the job.
“We are not lashing into them when we do that. It’s merely a little tap,” Butt insisted.
“It’s not going to be easy driving in both countries with these different rules,” he added.
Duane Ranger