A state-wide survey conducted in July – August 2020 shows that seven in ten (69%) Victorians feel that horses should not be hit with a whip in the normal course of a race, illustrating the majority of Victorians do not believe the use of whips in horseracing is necessary or reflective of community sentiment.
Concerns regarding the use of whips in horse racing have increased in recent years and this new research illustrates the community’s desire to see the end of whips in racing. RSPCA Victoria is opposed to the use of whips for the purpose of enhancing performance in racing due to the pain and distress they inflict on horses.
The research was conducted with a representative sample of the Victorian community by data insights and consulting firm, Kantar. Key findings include:
· 69% of Victorians feel that horses should not be hit with a whip in the normal course of a race
· 61% of punters and racing attendees feel that horses should not be hit with a whip
· 71% of Victorians who attend or bet on horse races would be undeterred if whips were banned and would continue to participate in horse racing events and activities
· The majority feel that whipping horses causes pain, is inhumane and is unnecessary.
Two in five Victorians attend horse racing events at least once a year (41%) and three in five (59%) never attend. Among those who attend horse racing events, thoroughbred racing (73%) is the most common type of event, followed by jumps racing (20%) and harness racing (15%). Whips are used in all three forms of horse racing.
In thoroughbred racing, Racing Australia’s Rules of Racing allow unlimited whip use during the last 100 metres of a race. Research examining the effect of whip use on performance in racing has indicated that horses are whipped most during the last 100 metres of the race, in an attempt to make them increase speed towards the finish line. Yet how the horse ran prior to this stage was found to be the most critical factor in racing success. [1] This indicates that whip use occurs at its highest frequency when horses are fatigued and have less capacity to respond.
RSPCA Victoria recently welcomed an announcement from Racing Victoria (RV) seeking national action on whip reform and calling for ultimate prohibition on use of the whips. RV is seeking a transition to this through a reduction in the use of the whip to between five and eight occasions per race. This would be a significant improvement on current practice where whip use is at the jockey’s discretion in the final 100m of a race.
Racing Victoria’s request for national action is scheduled to be addressed at the upcoming Racing Australia Board meeting in November. RSPCA Victoria hopes to see the Racing Australia Board support the proposed changes to reflect community expectation.
In addition to Racing Victoria’s request for Racing Australia to address the use of whips nationally, in August this year, Harness Racing Australia announced amendments to the Australian Harness Racing Rules (AHRR) outlining the whip cannot be applied with overt force. RSPCA Victoria is calling on all jurisdictions and all types of racing to prohibit the use of whips.
RSPCA Victoria’s CEO, Dr Liz Walker said, “Reforming whip rules would be a positive change, however our position remains firm that the ultimate outcome should be that whips are not used for the purpose of enhancing performance due to the pain and distress inflicted on horses. This would ensure that racing performance is not determined by inflicting pain through whipping but rather by sound breeding, quality training and outstanding horsemanship.
Dr Walker went on to say “RSPCA Victoria supports the introduction of racing where horses are not whipped to improve performance. Other countries have already introduced whip-free racing and we encourage the Australian racing industry to do the same.”
