On Grand National Day, it’s time for racing to ditch the whip

Today is Grand National day.

A time when all eyes – from those cheering at the television on their sofa, to those dressed up to the nines in the crammed stands – are on Aintree Racecourse’s annual National Hunt horse race. For many, it’s about who wins and how much.

I also watch with bated breath, but for me, it’s only ever about the welfare of the horses. Will they make it round? And will the tired frontrunners be whipped to the finish?

Over the years, attitudes to animals have thankfully changed, and concern about the welfare of those we share our lives with and derive so much enjoyment from has increased.

As far as we at the RSPCA are concerned, this is a good thing. It has undoubtedly resulted in greater scrutiny of the many ways we interact with animals, including the use of horses in racing and other equestrian sports. 

In animal-loving Britain I would imagine the majority – if not all – would say that hitting an animal, in any circumstances whatsoever, is wrong.

But if that is the case, then why is whipping horses to get them to run faster permitted, openly, on racecourses across the country?

I imagine that there are some who will argue that it’s fine to use a whip, painless for horses, and actually safer for jockeys to carry and use one. Contrary to the claims of these ‘whip defenders’ in the industry, studies have shown striking horses with a whip in the way it is used in racing does cause pain.

This isn’t just common sense though. Studies of videos showing horses whipped during races have shown deformation of skin and muscle – with such deformation likely to be sensed by pain receptors in the skin.

What’s more, even though the lower part of the whip is supposedly designed to be energy absorbing, the aforementioned videos have shown the unpadded part making contact with the horse in two out of every three strikes, making the padding completely irrelevant. 

The whip doesn’t need a PR-makeover – it needs to be consigned to the history books

Simple logic suggests that the horse must feel whip strikes, too – if horses cannot feel and react to them, then why use the whip at all? 

If the whip isn’t associated with pain, the sound it makes would have no significance to the horse, and so they surely wouldn’t respond to it.

A Japanese study revealed that of 34 horses observed sustaining catastrophic injuries such as bone fractures or joint dislocations in video captured at racetracks, 38% of these were observed to be whipped immediately prior to the injury. 

Plus, a study looking at 109 fatal incidents involving racehorses in the UK over two years showed that those that were whipped within the 10 seconds prior to the incident were more likely to sustain a fatal fracture.

Far from making things safer, with jockeys believing that whips keep them safe by giving them more ‘control’ over their horse, scientific evidence actually suggests that the use of the whip during races can increase the risk of injury to horses and jockeys. 

Finally, a tired horse heading towards the winning post is likely to be whipped more as jockeys battle for the winning spot, but a study also suggested that whip use was not more likely to lead to better safety or improved finishing times. 

Worryingly, in efforts to tackle concerns from animal welfare groups and the public, there’s been talk in the racing media of renaming the whip to ‘the encourager’.

A disappointing approach, to say the least.

We don’t think people concerned about the impact of the whip on racehorse welfare would fall for simply renaming the whip in an effort to deflect public concern; pardon the pun, but that is a total non-starter.

The whip doesn’t need a PR-makeover. It needs to be consigned to the history books.

Thankfully, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) opened a public consultation on the use of the whip in British horseracing last year, and we submitted a response setting out our view and indicating the science supporting this. 

Our position is simple. We believe it is likely that any effect of the whip is due to the infliction of pain and suffering on the horse, and may expose them to increased risk of injury. 

Therefore, it should not be used to drive a horse forward, or for ‘encouragement’ as the BHA puts it. We also believe that more research is needed to assess whether or not it is necessary to retain the whip for ‘safety purposes’.

Action from the racing industry on this extremely important issue is frustratingly slow.

We are disappointed that the recommendations to the BHA from the consultation steering group are delayed, and we’re still awaiting a response. 

As far as we at the RSPCA are concerned, it’s already well past time to see the end of tired race horses being whipped to the finish line. 

Sadly, we will continue to witness this horrible spectacle today, including over the four mile-long, 30 jump Grand National Steeplechase, and we expect to see exhausted race horses being whipped to the finish line.

Based on all the evidence, our call to the British Horseracing Authority and everyone in racing is simple: it’s time to get rid of beating horses with the whip to get them to run faster. 

Further research needs to be conducted to identify whether the whip even needs to be carried at all..

It’s time the whip was taken out of the running for good.

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