September 1, 2009 is a big day for harness racing in Ontario. On Tuesday, the Ontario Racing Commission(ORC) is implementing new rules regarding the urging of horses for all breeds. These new rules "take into consideration the safety of the participants, the welfare of the horse and the perception of the product." These rules were developed in conjunction with working groups from within the industry.
The new rules, among other things, bans kicking a horse; using a whip between the hind legs of a horse; requires a driver to give a horse a chance to respond to the whip before whipping the horse again; bans the use of a whip when a horse does not visibly respond to the whip or is not in contention for a meaningful position. A driver may no longer drive with the lines in one hand and further limits how the whip may be used. If you wish to read all the changes, you may click on these two links; the rule changes and the fines and definitions . The rule does not jeopardize driver safety as it permit the use of the whip in an effort to prevent an accident. As for teeth, the rule denotes minimum penalties and provides for placings as a result of interference caused by whipping or for flagrant violation of the new rules.
Of course there are people who are objecting to the new rule. Some object to no longer allowing one-handed whipping (meaning both lines in one hand and the whip in the other) to which I will quote Alan Leavitt:
The people who argue for one-handed whipping, whether for the entire mile or just the last seven-eighths, what they are saying is that it is all right to inflict pain on an animal...
To which I add...
The time has come for drivers to succeed based on their ability to rate a horse, ability to read how the race is playing out, racing strategy, and horsemanship. No longer should a driver be able to succeed because they are willing to abuse their mount while their counterparts are unwilling to do so.
What is so horrible about this new rule? Do they object not being allowed to keep whipping a horse that is not responding to a whip? What is the sense of whipping a horse working his way back through the field when he/she is tired or when you are fighting for that sixth place finish?
Some people are saying this rule change will chase away the bettors; hasten the death of our sport. I will argue it will help save the sport. Sure some bettors may look at the new rule change with suspicion and perhaps bet a little less for a period of time. Once they see the only impact on racing is the welfare of the horse being protected, their betting will return to the previous level. If this new rule works as expected, not only will we prevent some drivers from whipping the daylights out of a horse, we may actually be able to attract new people to the sport who previously have been repulsed seeing a horse kicked or excessively whipped.
Opinions regarding animal welfare have greatly changed over the years. The way we have done things in the past is not a valid excuse. Racing in the past has been slow to respond to the changing environment. With regard to the treatment of our equine stars, we may not get many chances. Look at Greyhound racing.
Hopefully after seeing how the new rule works in Ontario and seeing racing does not collapse as a result, other racing jurisdictions will adopt the Ontario rule. If there are drivers that can't adapt to the new rules, then they are free to seek employment elsewhere. Those drivers that don't abuse a horse have nothing to fear. The rules concerning whipping and kicking of horses need to be changed not just for the public opinion and perception, it is the right thing to do.
Society has become more 'enlightened'. Isn't it time for racing to do the same?
1 comment:
these new rules will be good for the sport.
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