Nice win for Stunnin Cullen and Power Of Tara did well. Does Villagem get on it like that normally? I haven't seen it do that before. Smokin Up was dissapointing but I been dissapointed with him before and he has bounced back big time.
I'm with you on this one Buster two different styles one correct and one not the correct one looked ascetically to the eye shocking. They should never had changed the rules they should have policed it better, holding both reins one in each hand and using the whip leaves little control IMO. The S.A. whip pads were not a bad idea but at the end of the day their use made the horses look like they were getting flogged and thats what its all about now pleasing the Animal Welfare Lobbys
because that would make too much senseOriginally Posted by mango
whips are needed but they shouldnt be used to compensate for poorly driven or conditioned horses which they often are...
its simple really, 1 rule for all of aus, 1 rule for protests, 1 rule for driver fines and suspensions = no excuses or misinformation
Got it in one there Buster.
They do indeed compensate for poorly driven & poorly conditioned horses, no question whatsoever.
Take them away and those drivers, horses & their trainers will quickly be left with no place to hide.
You say that whips are needed Buster. Why ? Is it a Punter perception thing ?
Last edited by triplev123; 01-30-2011 at 08:57 PM.
well yes and,
- horses do actually respond to a whip, well 99% of them do and its just when they are out on their feet that they don't and thats when it looks bad to flog them
- i think it looks just as bad to have the reins thrown at them all the way up the straight, they made out of leather or the new synthetic stuff and either way they can leave welts just like a whip
BUT with all that said, i do support the new rules - something had to be done, far too many individuals ruining the entire industry
i think its a massive gee up to say not being able to cross the reins and hit them is dangerous, if you can't steer the horse as you hit them you should hand in your license and let someone else drive
I disagree. By not crossing your reins, even a flicking action does not allow you to keep a contact with (well that side) of the horses mouth. Ask any old timer, the people that REALLY know how to drive, how important it is to keep contact with a horses mouth, especially when they are getting tired over the concluding stages. This isn't about whips, it is about safety and many a times a horse has been help up by a good hold of their heads to balance them. You can keep an even and good hold of a horses mouth with the lines in one hand. You can't if you have to hit them while holding the rein at the same time. Plus it hits the horse in the mouth.
Without mentioning names, there are many drivers, including some well known drivers, that practice the loose-reins-flopping-everywhere-urging-in-the-home-straight and not only is it disgraceful, but dangerous. Loose lining is unsafe not just going at speed, but also at jog tempo.
And Triple V - whips ARE needed. I can't believe this, but I have been on 3 different forums this weekend and this same conversation has cropped up! I have some that don't need a whip - these horses will race others even on jog days! They are just unbelievably competitive. I have others that you need to carry one, you raise it and "show" it to them and that is all they would need (for the record, if I was a horse I'd been one of these!!). And then I have had others that literally won't go without one, or went from doing good things to great things by getting a few decent ones on his backside. Flashing Red for example was a great, great, trier, but he just found that extra something when you thought he was down and out with a couple of good ones on his backside. Yeah it's not nice, but when you need purse earnings to put food on the table, if you have to cause them a little pain, so be it. And they get looked after so well each and every day. It isn't much of a trade off do you think?
One place I worked with, huge welts were left on the horses after they raced sometimes. It really use to upset me, to the point I was in tears. I don't like horses being abused. But when I found myself in a position a couple of years ago where purse money literally puts your food on the table, funny thing was I never watched how many times my horses got hit in races or how hard etc.
The old rules weren't regulated and when they changed it to not crossing your reins that was silly too. I think they have struck the right balance now.IMHO
Most horses know what is required of them when you draw the whip much the same way as when they here the bell lap coming up-down to business.A couple of light flicks usually does the trick. This is what I have found with the horses I have driven.However many Years ago when I first attended the trots over here in the west,I distinctly remember 2 horses that were hit with the whip from start to finish(they were both very good horses and I can still remember their names).Rightly so this would be regarded as extreme cruelty today and would not be tolerated.These two horses wouldn't even try unless driven as such but they were an exception rather than the norm.
the old horsemen that 'really' know how to drive a horse? the same ones that used the canes? if you need to cross the reins to hit a horse that hard then you can't feel its mouth, because its already OFF THE BIT
i couldnt give a crap about these old horsemen, give me dean braun any day of the week
mighty atom - spot on you only need to let them know its time to get serious
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