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Jockeys in australia strike over new whip rules
The new whip rule have just been implemented in Toronto Canada. There are now padded whips and the horse can only be hit a certain number of times in a row. The racing people here are trying to change the sport's image.
We'll see if the jockeys here strike as well.
September 12, 2009
Jockeys angry over new whip rules in Australia took strike action on Thursday, affecting race meetings across four states.
The move saw racing disrupted in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.
Jockeys are now required to use new padded whips, but at issue are the five-week-old rules that limit the number of times a jockey can use the whip in the final stages of a race.
The jockeys claims the new rules are putting the safety of the country's jockeys at risk. Australian Jockeys' Association chief executive Paul Innes has called on the Australian Racing Board to conduct an urgent review of the rules.
"In the dying stages of a race jockeys need to be concentrating entirely on their personal safety and the safety of their fellow jockeys, not worrying about calculating the number of times they've moved their whip," Innes said.
"Racing is a very dangerous sport; one slip in concentration could be fatal. These new rules are a serious health and safety issue for jockeys."
The association said it was seeking a legal opinion on the health and safety issues arising from the current whip rules.
He argued the current "onerous rules" were neither necessary nor appropriate given the recent introduction of padded whips.
"The introduction of the padded whip was a fantastic initiative from the Australia Racing Board which successfully dealt with the animal welfare issues arising from whip use.
"The padded whips which are currently used have been scientifically proven not to cause the horse any harm or distress at all."
Innes described whips as an essential tool of the trade, not just for increasing speed, but for safety reasons as well - "they encourage the horses to keep their mind on the job".
"The fact is that nobody cares more about the welfare of the horses than the jockeys themselves, but they also care about their own safety and the safety of their fellow riders."
The association's chairman, Ross Inglis, said the group did not endorse flouting of the whip rules.
"But in their present form significant controversy looms on the horizon for racing in this country," Inglis said.
Inglis said the association had received support for their position from the Australian Trainers Association, Thoroughbred Breeders Australia and representatives of the owners groups in support of modification to whip rules "in order to avert a strong and united backlash from all industry participants".
However, that backlash came on Thursday, when jockeys launched strike action after the board released a statement indicating it would not budge on the issue.
Board chairman Bob Bentley said it was clear both from the way jockeys had ridden in the five weeks since the new rules became effective that the industry had "achieved a fundamental change in its attitudes and practices".
"Many so-called experts have criticised the changes made by the Australian Racing Board, but the fact is that the industry has come light years ahead on this issue.
"This is a good thing because it really needed to, whether or not that is palatable to hear.
"It should not be forgotten that 10 months ago all of the groups who now say that padded whips are working well were vehemently opposed to them. It is a credit to the industry that it has come this far in such a short space of time.
"The incidents of breaches of the new rules is less than 1 per cent and this is incontrovertible evidence that the overwhelming majority of riders have adapted to them."
Jockeys will race over the weekend but intend meeting on Monday to discuss the issue. They have not ruled out further strike action.
The whip rules are scheduled to be reviewed in February.
We'll see if the jockeys here strike as well.
September 12, 2009
Jockeys angry over new whip rules in Australia took strike action on Thursday, affecting race meetings across four states.
The move saw racing disrupted in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.
Jockeys are now required to use new padded whips, but at issue are the five-week-old rules that limit the number of times a jockey can use the whip in the final stages of a race.
The jockeys claims the new rules are putting the safety of the country's jockeys at risk. Australian Jockeys' Association chief executive Paul Innes has called on the Australian Racing Board to conduct an urgent review of the rules.
"In the dying stages of a race jockeys need to be concentrating entirely on their personal safety and the safety of their fellow jockeys, not worrying about calculating the number of times they've moved their whip," Innes said.
"Racing is a very dangerous sport; one slip in concentration could be fatal. These new rules are a serious health and safety issue for jockeys."
The association said it was seeking a legal opinion on the health and safety issues arising from the current whip rules.
He argued the current "onerous rules" were neither necessary nor appropriate given the recent introduction of padded whips.
"The introduction of the padded whip was a fantastic initiative from the Australia Racing Board which successfully dealt with the animal welfare issues arising from whip use.
"The padded whips which are currently used have been scientifically proven not to cause the horse any harm or distress at all."
Innes described whips as an essential tool of the trade, not just for increasing speed, but for safety reasons as well - "they encourage the horses to keep their mind on the job".
"The fact is that nobody cares more about the welfare of the horses than the jockeys themselves, but they also care about their own safety and the safety of their fellow riders."
The association's chairman, Ross Inglis, said the group did not endorse flouting of the whip rules.
"But in their present form significant controversy looms on the horizon for racing in this country," Inglis said.
Inglis said the association had received support for their position from the Australian Trainers Association, Thoroughbred Breeders Australia and representatives of the owners groups in support of modification to whip rules "in order to avert a strong and united backlash from all industry participants".
However, that backlash came on Thursday, when jockeys launched strike action after the board released a statement indicating it would not budge on the issue.
Board chairman Bob Bentley said it was clear both from the way jockeys had ridden in the five weeks since the new rules became effective that the industry had "achieved a fundamental change in its attitudes and practices".
"Many so-called experts have criticised the changes made by the Australian Racing Board, but the fact is that the industry has come light years ahead on this issue.
"This is a good thing because it really needed to, whether or not that is palatable to hear.
"It should not be forgotten that 10 months ago all of the groups who now say that padded whips are working well were vehemently opposed to them. It is a credit to the industry that it has come this far in such a short space of time.
"The incidents of breaches of the new rules is less than 1 per cent and this is incontrovertible evidence that the overwhelming majority of riders have adapted to them."
Jockeys will race over the weekend but intend meeting on Monday to discuss the issue. They have not ruled out further strike action.
The whip rules are scheduled to be reviewed in February.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Barbara F. on
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Toronto Star Recent Article
Sep 01, 2009 04:30 AM
Jennifer Morrison
Special to the Star
We've all seen the image: horses thundering down the stretch, the jockeys urging their steeds to the finish line with repeated – and, some say, vicious – whacks of the whip.
It's a sight that will appear at least a little less cruel beginning this week at Woodbine Racetrack.
Aiming to improve horse safety and attract new fans by cleaning up thoroughbred racing's image, the Ontario Racing Commission has brought in a new "urging rules initiative."
In short: A kinder, gentler whip. And jockey.
Thoroughbred jockeys must now use a new, soft-cushion crop with a less severe popper at its end that will give a strike less of a sting.
The practice of hitting a horse during races has also been strictly regulated. The jockey must not strike a horse more than three times in a row and must allow the horse at least two strides before using the whip again.
Penalties for infractions will also be stiffer – so stiff that a jockey could lose thousands of dollars in purse money or face immediate suspension, and a horse could be disqualified from a race.
"This is an effort to change the face of the racing industry, give it a softer look," said Gunnar Lindberg, a former top jockey and a racing commission steward at Woodbine.
"In the old days, not too many people noticed the whipping and flailing and where jockeys were hitting their horses. But if we want new people to come to the track they have to be sure the horse is not being abused."
While excessive whipping isn't common – it happens only about once a week at Woodbine – safety is driving the new rules, Lindberg says.
"We want to protect the health and welfare of the horses as well as the safety of the participants," he said.
In racing, a whip is used to steer a horse or get its attention. It can be used on a horse's shoulder or hindquarters, but no lower.
With the old whip used on it, a racehorse could be cut or suffer welts if hit on the soft flap of tissue connecting its hind legs to its belly.
The cushion crop costs $60 to $100, about 30 per cent more than the old whips and is being hailed as a much kinder tool used to urge a horse in a race.
At no more than 30 inches, the new crop and old whip are about the same length. The crop's padded popper – at least 6 1/2 inches long and seven-eighths of an inch wide – replaces the whip's small leather loop, which could cut a horse if misused or if the leather hardened.
"The difference between the old whip and new crop are like night and day," said Robert King, manager of the Jockeys' Benefit Association of Canada. "It's so much less severe and our jockeys are welcoming it."
Some riders at Woodbine started using the new crop last fall. And in June jockeys were required to use the crop in the first two races of each racing card.
"I'm all for it," said champion jockey Todd Kabel, 43, who has used only the new crop since spring. "I think it has the same effect for me."
Ontario is the latest jurisdiction to introduce the cushion crops and new rules, part of an industry-wide push to improve safety for horses set in motion in part be the death of the filly Eight Belles, who collapsed with broken ankles after crossing the finish line at the 2008 Kentucky Derby.
Jockeys in New York and California have begun to use the new crops over the past month, and in Australia strict whipping rules were introduced along with the crops.
That has led to a mini-revolt Down Under, where jockeys say paying attention to winning a race is their first priority, not counting how many times they strike a horse.
Kabel agrees that restricting the number of consecutive hits "takes something away" from the job of the jockey.
"If I am down in the heat of a race, how do you start counting?" said Kabel. "People know I am an aggressive rider, that's why they hire me."
There has never been a maximum number of times a horse can be struck with a whip, and there still isn't. However, allowing a horse to respond to the crop is key said King, a former jockey.
"I mean, really, three in a row is enough. How many do you need? If you hit a horse eight times in a row how can he respond?"
Penalties likely won't be enforced until after a two-week grace period. But the racing commission confirms there is a no-tolerance attitude toward jockey violations.
What was once a $500 penalty for a third offence now results in a three-day suspension. A fourth offence results in an automatic suspension.
Cutting or leaving a welt on a horse qualifies immediately as a third offence.
"The penalties are too severe," said Kabel.
"I can see (the penalties) if a guy is beating the hell out of a horse and he's not responding."
When Eye of the Leopard won the $1 million Queen's Plate in June, jockey Eurico Rosa Da Silva was fined $200 for excessive use of the whip.
Starting tomorrow at Woodbine, Da Silva would be fined $12,000 – 20 per cent of his $60,000 purse – for that same offence, plus a possible five-day suspension.
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Permalink Reply by Geoffrey Pannell on
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It is interesting Barbara,ow when I was younger my dad use to say ( he had an owners trainers licence) if a jockey can't ride hands and heals , he can't ride! I wonder if the standard of jockey has slipped? It's been a very long time since I've been to a race track so I can't say. ?????
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Lamm on
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:) Hopefully they will work it out so that everyone is okay with it. Change evokes drama always doesn't it.
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Permalink Reply by Susan on
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Well.....why would they be all that upset when they use a a device that fits in the palm of their hand that delievers an electric jolt? They have more then just crops for tricks up their sleeve. I tend to agree with the other poster about not really needing to use aides. Are these horses not bred to run?
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