Reply With QuoteWe all talk about the blokes who like to flog a horse. But check out this little princess. I lost count at 25. Stewards got her though!
You must be seeing something i can't see anything wrong
Have whoever you want on but don't ever have yourself on
We all talk about the blokes who like to flog a horse. But check out this little princess. I lost count at 25. Stewards got her though!
My two PET HATES. One, they ping her for slow sectionals $100 fine for doing everything she can do to give her drive every possible chance to have something left in its legs. They should be fining every other driver for allowing her to do it. The stupidest rule in harness, contradictory at every level. Get rid of the rule.Originally Posted by Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild
We all talk about the blokes who like to flog a horse. But check out this little princess. I lost count at 25. Stewards got her though!
Two, she gets fined $200 for excessive whip action. The original issue in the thread was a horse getting bashed when it could do no more and rightfully was highlighted as a blight. On this occassion Laura was using her persuasive ways on a horse that was responding to her urgings. Also well outside the guidelines, even though there are two different outcomes for both horses (ie one horse responding the other horse not). The problem lies in the fact that the industry is not FAIR DINKUM in taking this option away from drivers who, with so much riding on a successful result, will openly flout these rules. If they wanted to improve the image of harness, the fine should reflect community standards on animal welfare issues, not this little tap on the wrist and an"off you go Johnny, now be a good buy next time" Pigs arse!!! The next time they are in a scrap, that shillelagh will be flashing just as wildly as last time. See if the amount of excessive whip use charges drops dramatically if they start hitting them with $1,000 fines.
Brad, without getting into all the nitty gritty of sectional fines etc. I think a far more equitable out come would have been a double barrel from the said horse, half way up the home straight.
Boom, boom!!! An equitable deliverance of justice and I am sure the horse would agree whole-heartedly.
At the risk of upsetting most of you the penalties handed out to harness drivers for whip infringements are already pretty tough compared to their thoroughbred equivalent.
The average fine in the gallops for a whip infringement is around $300 that is or about 178% of the riding fee the jockey was paid for riding the horse.
The average fine in harness is as we all know about $200 that is about that is about 300% of the fee the driver got for driving the horse.
Penalties in the $1000's are a joke if they are a regular offender take the whip off them that shortens then up.
And thats fair because it leaves future connections of horses and punters at a disadvantage....
I understand what you are saying but connections would know before the driver in engaged that he can not carry a whip, the reality is with a deterrent effect like that less and less drivers would take the risk.
There was a junior driver in the Hunter who lost the whip for a few weeks a few years back..... amazing how he tidied up his act after that.
So in essence Bill, you must agree that the industry (thoroughbreds included) are NOT FAIR DINKUM in their efforts to stamp out this practice...these penaltys are in fact window dressing to appease the animal liberationists. The industry can say, "Well we do have safe guards in place for the welfare of these animals and we do apply these penaltys when drivers/riders step over the line" and animal welfare organisations could easily take their cause further, BECAUSE IN REALITY A SOFT STANCE HAS BEEN ADOPTED BY THE INDUSTRY in addressing these issues.
Removal of the whip by offenders is wonderful idea, but I think there is a place for it when applied responsibly.
Personally I do not see a great need for any further change my I think both industries have done a poor job of explaining how much softer the current whips are on horses in both codes.
I am not sure if you have ever had a close look at the whips used today but compared to the older style ones they are like chalk and cheese.
I think the style of the whip is actually much more important the the manner in which it is applied.
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