Drop the Crop: Letter to the Editor, by Dr. David Ranson

We have all been affected by the recent tragedies that have occurred in the racing industry. Whether reading of, heartbreakingly witnessing these horrors on national television, or while sitting with our friends at an event, we have all begun with breathless engagement in the grand spectacle of poetry in motion. We watch in admiration and awe as living, breathing works of art slice through the wind in full flight only to often sadly witness events that cannot be unseen; events that may haunt the recesses of our minds, creating fodder for nightmares to come.

How many of us bite our lips when the full flight of competitors turns the corner at the quarter pole hoping and praying that they cross the wire safely, not having to be destroyed for the sake of entertainment or for gamblers to experience another hit or miss? Upon witnessing these events, people walk away during watch parties, quickly change the channel, walk out of the racecourse on what purported to be a beautiful day at the races and eventually, walk away from the sport.

With no substantial uniform national rules, creating and sustaining entertainment value for a whole new and different culture is one of the many challenges of thoroughbred racing. We have had way too many deaths, irregularities and misinterpretation of rules which contributed to the prolonged delay of naming a Kentucky Derby winner as well as the conviction and possible imprisonment of a celebrated trainer winning an international event for cheating that involved veterinarians as well. Sadly, this is becoming the face of our sport.

With decreasing foal numbers and closing of racing venues over the years, it is no secret that we are not growing. In fact, we are dying as a celebrated sport and as a source of livelihood for thousands. The industry is in the trauma bay, and we need all hands on deck to survive and perhaps be able to again thrive.

Allow me to introduce myself and also offer a possible lifeline to the sport and industry: a lifeline based on physiologic fact that will perhaps quell the rising tsunami that threatens our very existence by supplying a palpable, visual solution while also serving as a public relations tool.

I am a human surgeon by training and a third-generation horseman by choice. My undergraduate degree is in animal and veterinary science which prepared me to enter vet school but I chose medical school and surgery as my primary profession. I have been competing in equine sport my entire life. I have a show horse background and have worked with and for trainers in different disciplines and have achieved world-championship status during my show career. I have been involved in the thoroughbred industry as an owner, principle of a racing LLC, creator of racing and sales syndicates, horse farmer and pinhooker for over 15 years. I have an intimate knowledge of these athletes, how they work and the physiologic machine that allows them to perform at peak levels.

Catastrophic breakdowns and efforts to decrease them are nothing new to the sport . We have traditionally looked at multiple racing surfaces by trying to find the culprit in the infrastructure, and content of the surface on which we run.

However, we have not discussed PROPRIOCEPTION…. what it is and how it works in both the human body and equine athlete. Proprioception permits horses to sense pressures, discomforts, tension and location of their bodies and limbs. It is an automatic feedback mechanism through sophisticated neurological pathways generated by bone and sinew all the while telling the animal where its body parts are in relation to the environment.

Equine sport places unusually steep demands on both horse and rider. Proprioception allows the horse to sense joint angles, muscle length, tendon tension and postural balance. These proprioceptors are nerves that can pick up .002 percent of muscle length and send that information to the horse's brain allowing him or her to make adjustments for gait and ultimately, survival.

Enter the crop. The crop is an age-old tool that has many purposes in equine sport and has been modified on several occasions. But let's face it, it is primarily used as an accelerator. Granted, it causes very little harm to the horse and on most occasions just strikes the saddlecloth. But it is an accelerator for all to see coming down the stretch.

Now consider the physiologic framework of proprioception and the horse's natural competitiveness combined with the concomitant use of the accelerator. Could the accelerator (crop) be a participant in the horse surpassing and overriding his natural proprioceptors, thus causing him/her to extend themselves past the point of bone and sinew? If so, wouldn't it be prudent to omit this piece of equipment to protect the horse from over extending and instead winning the race with his own heart, determination, conditioning, and riders urging, all the while demonstrating to the public that thoroughbred racing takes action, thus easing the ever present threatening public relations issue. Now may be the time to” Drop the Crop.”

David W Ranson, MD, Principle of Equivest Racing LLC 

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New Whip Rules to Start in Early 2023

The British Horseracing Authority approved new guidelines, penalties and procedures regarding the use of the padded whip Tuesday. In Flat racing, the rules will be fully implemented Mar. 27, with a bedding-in period that begins Feb. 27. In Jump racing, the bedding-in period will commence Jan. 9 before being fully implemented Feb. 6. During the bedding-in period, jockeys will be asked to ride under the new rules, however, will not be subject to the new penalty framework.
The core recommendations include:

  • Use of the whip for encouragement to be limited to the backhand position only
  • Threshold for acceptable use of the whip to remain at seven in a Flat race and eight in a Jumps race
  • Development of a whip review committee which is responsible for evaluation of all rides and any necessary sanction or action, to increase consistency and drive ongoing improvement in riding standards
  • Increased penalties for offences, including doubled suspensions in major races

Disqualification introduced for offences in which the whip has been used four times or more above the permitted level in all races
    Brant Dunshea, Chief Regulatory Officer for the BHA said, “We recognise that some of the new rules are going to take some time to get used to for some jockeys, which is why we have factored in time for communication and education as well as a bedding-in period before the rules and penalties are implemented in full.

Full details of the rules, guidance, penalties and procedures can be found on the BHA website.

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Monmouth Appeals to Racing Commission to Amend Whipping Rules

With new regulations regarding whipping set to go into effect throughout the country on July 1 when the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) takes effect, management at Monmouth Park has asked the New Jersey Racing Commission to adopt the more lenient HISA rules when the meet opens May 7.

The story was first reported by the Asbury Park Press.

At the start of the 2021 meet controversial rules were put in place by the New Jersey Racing Commission that banned the practice of whipping horses to encourage them to run. While restrictions on the use of the whip were in place in several states, New Jersey was the only jurisdiction that banned the use of the whip outright.

On July 1, that is set to change when HISA rules will supercede regulations put in place by state racing commissions. The HISA rules allow a jockey to strike a horse six times a race but no more than twice in succession. With the rules set to change some seven weeks into the meet, Monmouth is asking the racing commission to put the HISA rules in place at the start of the meet. Track management has requested that the commission hold a special meeting to discuss the matter.

“I think we have a very good chance of getting this done,” Dennis Drazin, the chairman and CEO of the management company that operates Monmouth, told the Press. “It doesn't make sense to have different rules to start the meet and switch midstream.”

Several jockeys raised objections to the rule last year, arguing that the whip was needed for safety purposes. While most decided to ride at the meet, 13-time Monmouth champion Joe Bravo refused to ride and relocated to California. Antonio Gallardo also cited the rule when announcing he was leaving Monmouth to ride at Woodbine.

From a pari-mutuel wagering standpoint, Monmouth did not have a particularly strong 2021 meet, which raised the possibility that some bettors shied away from the Monmouth product because of the whipping ban.

The post Monmouth Appeals to Racing Commission to Amend Whipping Rules appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Swedish Racing Regulator Bans Whip Use

New whip regulations will take effect in Sweden in April, according to regulator Svensk Galopp.

According to the new rules, the whip may not be used for driving purposes. The new rules mean that the rider may only use the whip to prevent accidents, and are largely in line with the Norwegian rules. The only difference is that in Sweden, riders can carry a whip in all races.

The whip regulations were discussed at the autumn meeting last year and the decision on the new rules was made by Svensk Galopp's board on Monday. The rule change is made in connection with a new version of SRG (Scandinavian Regulations for Galloping) being published in March.

Previously, jockeys in Sweden had been allowed to hit their horses three times in a race. The whip, however, had not been allowed in jumps racing or for 2-year-old racing.

“The use of the whip in Sweden has been discussed for years,” said Helena Gartner, project manager of the Scandinavian Racing Regulations Committee. “The regulations have changed gradually and the foam-padded sticks were introduced some years ago, but now it is time to ban the use of the whip completely. Whip use in horse racing simply does not belong in 2022.”

The new whip regulations in Sweden:

Whip may be used to ward off a dangerous situation. The whip must not be angled up to the horse's eyes and ears. With whip blows, blows are equated with the horse's rein, the rider's arm and hand. During the run, the rider must ride with both hands on the horse's mane and neck. From 200 meters before the finish line, in the obstacle course after the last obstacle before the finish line has been passed, the rider may not change the whip from one hand to the other unless such a situation as stated in the first sentence exists. Riders may only use a whip determined by Skandinavisk Galopp, so-called cushion stick (padded whip).

The first paragraph also applies when training a horse. By training a horse is meant the physical and mental preparation of a horse that is to compete and where the purpose of the training is to prepare the horse for competition. The horse is exerted, physically or mentally, in a way that is not only devoted to maintaining or achieving basic physical condition and mobility or basic mental training.

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