1. Public's perception of cruelty

2. Actual pain infliction upon the horse

3. Public's perception of the riders' or drivers' efforts

4. Safety for the horse, riders/drivers, and other horses

As with such issues, these factors need to be balanced against one another, as the interests of the bettor, owner, jockey/driver and horse need to be assessed. Let's take these one at a time.

There is little question that a segment of the public believes that the use of a whip or crop is simply cruel. There is yet another segment that sees the device as one of the key illustrations of the rider's or driver's effort. It is probably naïve to think that neither of theses perceptions should matter, but simply stated, they do. Since serious horseplayers, on this point, make up a small percentage of the population, the balance of influence needs to be placed on the public at large. Hitting what they perceive as a defenseless animal hurts their perception of the sport. And while they may not participate through riding or wagering, don't think for a minute they have no influence on the industry. Stan Bergstein touches on this subject in his latest column.

While other than Wilbur Post, no one has spoken with a horse; we all know animals can feel pain. There is a fine line between "urging" and causing pain. For example, many horses will go faster by just seeing a whip. We know this is a pain-free method of urging. There are many others used by jockeys and drivers, vocal, visual and by contact. When a rider or driver draws blood or imparts welts, there is not much doubt that the horse felt significant pain.

Jockeys and drivers will argue that whips are needed for their safety, the safety of other horses, and even the safety of their own horse. Whips are used, in part, for steering and acceleration, both of which are needed, at times, to be safe.

I am confidant that a crop already exists that minimizes the pain to the animal, and therefore could minimize the public's perception of cruelty. I am equally confident that such a whip is a useful safety and communications tool. The newer cushioned whips seem to fall into this category. Some jocks have mentioned that some horses are non-responsive to such whips. While this may compromise some safety-related situations, it seems like a reasonable solution to the problem.

Let me change gears a little and comment more directly on harness drivers. As one who has driven in nearly 700 races, I do have some first hand experience. In some European races, whips are not used at all. I personally feel a whip is an essential tool for a driver but only for two purposes: first for safety (I will explain further), and second as a communications device.

As a rule, I think drivers overuse whips, and 90% of the time when they "one hand" the horse, it does nothing but hurt the horse, but makes the driver feel good he is trying. The very best drivers use it sparingly. Think about it, after you whip the horse five times, do you really think the sixth strike is going to make him go faster?

I have been in a couple of situations where I believe my safety would have been compromised if it were not for my whip. I have had horses rear up on me. With a sulky attached, you need to make the horse go forward. When he is up on his hind legs, you loosen the lines, yell as loud as you can, and give him a sharp strike in his hindquarters hoping his natural anti-prey instincts will take over and he will run off.

The whip is used extensively as a communications device in harness racing as it is in most equine sports. Tapping the horse with it (since your hands generally cannot reach) tells the horse to go a little faster. This is important when pulling your horse (moving off the rail and into the outer flow) or closing off a hole (which is something most stewards demand to see). I often simply show my whip to some horses to ask them for similar action. Some could argue that using the driving lines themselves as tapping devices would suffice. I feel that this increases the probability of a horse breaking stride, particularly a trotter, as the bit would have to be loosened some to accomplish this and therefore compromises safety as you give up some steering and braking ability.

I do think for all of the reasons above, using a whip as a whipping device in harness racing should be banned (with an exception made for safety measures only). Limiting it to a tapping device addresses the communications issue. Rules that prevent drivers from "one handing" a horse and not allowing a hand to go backward (to generate whipping force) are already in place at many tracks for certain early segments of races, so race-wide enforcement will not be anything new.

I look forward to your feedback and opinions.

David SIEGEL

President - TrackMaster

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