Whip proposals revised after criticism from jockeys
- Published
The new rules will be enforced five weeks before the Cheltenham Festival
Changes to new rules on the use of whips in British racing have been made after criticism from jockeys.
Riders will still be allowed to use the whip in the forehand position under the revisions.
But the number of times a jockey can strike their mount will be further reduced from February.
The British Horseracing Authority set out alterations to the rules in the summer, with jockeys only allowed to use the whip in the backhand position.
Serious breaches of the regulations will result in disqualification from races and possible 28-day bans for riders in major races.
However, further consultation took place after several riders registered their disquiet, particularly around the implementation of the backhand-only position.
Flat jockeys had been allowed to use their whip a maximum of seven times, with jump jockeys allowed eight instances. Both numbers have been reduced by one under the new regulations.
Under the initial set of a revisions, a jump jockey who used their whip 12 or more times - with 11 strikes or more for Flat jockeys - in any race could be disqualified, with those numbers also reduced to 11 and 10 respectively.
Following further consultation it was felt jockeys who had suffered from shoulder or collarbone injuries may find use of the whip solely in the backhand position more challenging.
The removal of "discretion" by the stewards has also been announced, meaning every use of the whip shall count towards the threshold unless clearly used for safety purposes.
Penalties for going above the new thresholds will also be further increased from those announced previously.
The implementation of the new rules remains 9 January for a four-week bedding-in period.
The rules will come into full force for jump jockeys on 6 February, just over a month before the flagship Cheltenham Festival.
Flat counterparts begin with a bedding-in period on 27 February, with full implementation from 27 March.
David Jones, regulatory independent non-executive director for the BHA and chair of the Whip Consultation Steering Group, said: "We are committed to listening to our participants.
"When further views and information came to light very late in the day, and following the conclusion of that process, we were duty bound to consider it, and make representations to the BHA board accordingly."
The BHA board insists the changes do not "reflect a dilution of the package of rule changes" in their view, but is "a method of achieving the same outcomes through a different approach".
BHA chair Joe Saumarez Smith said the changes "retain the objective of making whip use visibly more palatable to the public, therefore helping to safeguard engagement with the sport among our fans present and future."
Animal rights organisation Animal Aid said that the BHA allowing jockeys to still use the whip in the forehand position failed to protect racehorses.
"Their extensive review is in tatters as their resolve was weak when challenged by jockeys who were against stopping forceful forehand strikes of the whip," it said.