At 07:40:46 on 08.03.11, Flicka wrote:
I'm often trying to defend racing but sometimes I feel a bit depressed by the attitude of some of the people involved. Recently a jockey got a ban, which was reduced, for over-whipping his horse. Top jock Robert Thornton says the punishment far outweighs the crime but the journalist suggests that if racegoers saw the photo of the welts left on the horse's side, most wouldn't agree. I'd like to know what everyone else thinks-read the piece first, it's not that long.
http://tinyurl.com/6gdpell

At 20:52:43 on 08.03.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
Yes but they have no regulations on race yards so it really makes no difference i have seen a racehorse beaten with a lunge whip to the point of bleeding because it wouldn't go on the gallops - even though it was supposed to be having time off for an injury - the cuts went over her back and rump and even on her face and she is now scared of people. I know that this trainer has drove into horses in a tractor to make them go (the same horse). Also he left horses with ringworm for months because he couldn't treat it and race the horses at the same time. So im my opinion it makes no difference what happens on the race track where the beating is nothing compared to what they suffer behind the curtains. In the past few months my view on racing has completely changed and what i used to think was a sport where horses were looked after is apparently cruelty disguised. Gren still has scars from the whip that will always be with him. If i could tell you which trainer it was i would but i can't cos he will probably sack my friends for telling me and showing me the pics. Also in ireland there is no limit to the amount of times they can whip the horse.

At 11:23:43 on 09.03.11, HorseWorld wrote:
At HorseWorld we don't believe there is EVER a need to use a whip to cause pain. There is a big difference between using a whip to gently communicate with your horse and using it for pain. A good dressage rider uses it to gently touch and give accurate signals, a good carriage driver will gently tap the saddle pad to encourage forward motion but it should never ever be used to inflict pain. When I am sat astride half a ton of horse, I want there to be trust and bonding between the two of us. If I were to strike that horse, the trust is gone! If none of the jockeys had whips, it would still be a fair race and would be a lot more humane.
http://www.horseworld.org.uk

At 19:42:47 on 09.03.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
I think that a whip does affect the outcome of the race and although i don't like how they hit the horse without it the race would have a completely diff outcome, a dressage rider rides in a close contact saddle with long stirrups for subtle strong aids a jockey however has very short stirrups and doesn't use the seat to control speed at all therefore has little affect on the horse with either hense the reason they use the whip but whether it is right i guess is down to morals, personally like i said i don't think the problem lies with the races but the trainers and racing yards

At 08:44:38 on 15.06.11, Flicka wrote:
The British Horse Racing Authority is holding it's most comprehensive review into the use of the whip at the moment. Post, grand national it seems that the concern is not so much that modern day whips cause pain but that horses are being urged to go past their limit at the end of the race-apparently the winning horse, Ballabriggs, needed to be given oxygen. Bosses at racecourse, Towcester, reckons that a lot of people aren't coming to watch racing because of the excessive use of the whip. When they did a quick survey they found that whilst men weren't worried by the use of the whip, it was definitely an issue with women. Would you be more likely to go to the races if the whip was only carried for safety reasons? And do you think there's a difference between the way men and women regard this issue?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/horse_racing/13751127.stm

At 23:48:03 on 15.06.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
I heard they were reviewing the use of the whip and then today frankie detorri over uses the whip! Talk about wrong timing! I was watching attheraces and they were rather annoyed at him cos racing is going through tough observation atm and lots of people are voicing their opinions on the 'cruelty' so yeah great frankie :\ but i watched the race and to me frankie hit his horse less than the horse that came second i mean at the end in the slow motion frankie hits rewilding about twice as many times as ryan hit so you think but frankie didn't really push till 1f out ryan was pushing at 2f out so how exactly does it work? Is it so many hits within a furlong or just over use in the whole race?

At 23:54:48 on 15.06.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
And i just think it is because men only go to bet and win money, not many men interested in racing are actually horsey people or even animal lovers, women seem to have that pull like AWWW its getting hit where my dad is the one shouting GO ON GO ONG HIT HIM PUSH HIM GO ON and to be honest i am nearly as bad and i get really annoyed when the jockey stops riding and the horse clearly has more to give im like NOOOO DONT STOP RIDING haha but yes i think more women who have horses think it is cruel and even more women who love animals but don't understand horses at all will probably see it as cruel too. But i wish everyone would leave the grand national be, it was unseasonally hot and all the jockeys were told to dismount as soon as they crossed the finish line to get oxygen and water into the horses because it was so warm! I mean i go out for a walk on grenville on a hot day and he comes back in a sweat gagging for water, its only natural i mean its like a person running a marathon in heat they are bound to be desperate for a drink afterward... Makes me quite mad all this time, effort and money is going toward changing racing 'cruelty' when horses are REALLY suffering elsewhere!