Set the easily-swayed straight about Racing

[HaloWishingwell]

Originally Posted by justindew

Maybe PETA still would have acted in an opportunistic fashion, but I doubt the story would be drawing as much attention.

PETA needs the slightest opening and they would jump on the opportunity. Not to criticize NBC handling of the matter and not to disrespect EIGHT BELLES but BIG BROWN'S win was pushed aside for a good amount of time after he crossed the finish line. The whole attention was now on the injured filly, the ambulance coming to her, replays of her race, her gallop out and the replays were clear. It was enough coverage to make them come out of the woods.

The white Randy Moss was on Sportscenter and said whips should be removed from racing. This is one of the most ridiculous ideas I've ever heard from a racing expert. I'm not going to go into the reasons why it's ridiculous because it should be painfully obvious to anyone who watches races on a regular basis.

[ShadowRoll]

As a diversionary tactic, I think we ought to start a campaign to ban NASCAR. That sport has got to be much more dangerous than horseracing, and NASCAR fans are much easier to make fun of.

But, seriously...thanks, Steve, for your usual reasoned and yet passionate response to yet another issue threatening the sport we love.

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by ShadowRoll

As a diversionary tactic, I think we ought to start a campaign to ban NASCAR. That sport has got to be much more dangerous than horseracing, and NASCAR fans are much easier to make fun of.

But, seriously...thanks, Steve, for your usual reasoned and yet passionate response to yet another issue threatening the sport we love.

Not to mention all of the gasoline used! If we could somehow roll this outrage over NASCAR way, that'd be great.

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by Coach Pants

The white Randy Moss was on Sportscenter and said whips should be removed from racing. This is one of the most ridiculous ideas I've ever heard from a racing expert. I'm not going to go into the reasons why it's ridiculous because it should be painfully obvious to anyone who watches races on a regular basis.

Okay, I'll bite. Why is it ridiculous?

I'm not saying it's a good idea. But I don't see it as ridiculous. Is there a valid reason we need horses being whipped for the game to be interesting?

--Dunbar

Originally Posted by Dunbar

Okay, I'll bite. Why is it ridiculous?

I'm not saying it's a good idea. But I don't see it as ridiculous. Is there a valid reason we need horses being whipped for the game to be interesting?

--Dunbar

Whips are needed to help control the animal. Some horses need whipped to help them hit different gears and switch leads. I can only imagine the number of champions who wouldn't be if whips were banned from racing. The number of horses veering out and in would also increase.

Hell I'll even go as far to say catastrophic injuries would increase if you take away the whip.

It's a horrible idea and was a completely lazy excuse from Moss. The whip had nothing to do with what happened to Eight Belles.

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by Coach Pants

Whips are needed to help control the animal. Some horses need whipped to help them hit different gears and switch leads. I can only imagine the number of champions who wouldn't be if whips were banned from racing. The number of horses veering out and in would also increase.

Hell I'll even go as far to say catastrophic injuries would increase if you take away the whip.

It's a horrible idea and was a completely lazy excuse from Moss. The whip had nothing to do with what happened to Eight Belles.

Best.PantsPost.Evah.

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by Coach Pants

Whips are needed to help control the animal. Some horses need whipped to help them hit different gears and switch leads. I can only imagine the number of champions who wouldn't be if whips were banned from racing. The number of horses veering out and in would also increase.

Hell I'll even go as far to say catastrophic injuries would increase if you take away the whip.

It's a horrible idea and was a completely lazy excuse from Moss. The whip had nothing to do with what happened to Eight Belles.

I'm not that worried about the champions who wouldn't be champions if whips were barred. Other horses who respond to hand or voice or just run on sheer competitive will would have become champions in their place. If we allow all drugs, we'd probably have a lot of different and maybe faster champions, too. That doesn't mean it's a good idea.

I'm also skeptical about the necessity of the whip for steering the horse. Would you care to give an estimate on what percentage of the time the whip is used to steer the horse vs what percentage of time it is used to try to make a horse go faster? And how often has the whip been blamed for causing a horse to veer out of it's path? Possibly often enough to offset the number of times it is used to correct a path problem.

Even for the horses that have become dependent on the whip to change gears or switch leads--isn't that often a result of the training? Don't you think horses could be trained to switch leads by getting a message direct from the rider's hands?

I'm writing as a rank amateur in this area. But it seems obvious to me that 90%+ of whipping is done to make horses run faster, and it's not at all obvious to me why inflicting pain has become an integral part of the game.

--Dunbar

[_ed_]

Originally Posted by Dunbar

And how often has the whip been blamed for causing a horse to veer out of it's path?

I can say that this has been quite common recently in this country...although the jockeys here use it much less frequently, so maybe it comes as an unexpected thing to the horses here.

[FGFan]

Originally Posted by Coach Pants

Whips are needed to help control the animal. Some horses need whipped to help them hit different gears and switch leads. I can only imagine the number of champions who wouldn't be if whips were banned from racing. The number of horses veering out and in would also increase.

Hell I'll even go as far to say catastrophic injuries would increase if you take away the whip.

It's a horrible idea and was a completely lazy excuse from Moss. The whip had nothing to do with what happened to Eight Belles.

Very excellent post, you should get pie.
I was thinking exactly the same thing last nite and I'm glad you posted it, especially the part about Randy Moss. I do like him and I just don't get where he is going with that.

IMO most against the whip have never trained an animal in their life. The slap of a whip on most 1000 lb. animals is not what some of you seem to think.
Whips are not solely used to make a horse go faster although it may appear that way, often times it is to focus the horse, or as pants said to stop a catastrophic event of a horse changing lanes.
Some horses don't need it like Samba Rooster. And has been mentioned there is the rule of excessive whipping the stewards may use and have used.
I have absolutely no problem with the use of the whip when used properly.

[the_fat_man]

Originally Posted by Dunbar

Okay, I'll bite. Why is it ridiculous?

I'm not saying it's a good idea. But I don't see it as ridiculous. Is there a valid reason we need horses being whipped for the game to be interesting?

--Dunbar

Less take it from the handicapping perspective:

Anyone who watches races closely knows that MORE races are BLOWN by excessive use of the whip than any benefit that might come as a result of it.
Am I the only one tired of seeing horses DUCK/DRIFT IN upon entering the stretch under RIGHTY whipping? Or, how many times has a horse drifted out or in significantly because of overuse of the whip in the lane? How many photos have I lost because of this ****?

Taking the whip out of plays makes the jocks focus on RIDING; gives them one less things to to. And, believe me, the LESS they have to do, the better.

The most important thing on a FAIR track is having a clear/straight path to the wire. I don't see how a whip comes into play here, other than working against this.

Whip and CASTRATION need to go the way of the good-ole-boy mentality (that still seems to be pervasive in racing) ---the way to EXTINCTION.

[letswastemoney]

I get what the original post is saying, but I don't believe the economic impact of horse racing relates to what the protesters are saying about horses being killed.

[Rupert Pupkin]

To just to clarify my position about whether horseracing is cruel or not, I don't think that horseracing is cruel to all racehorses. If you have a pretty sound horse that is in a barn of a trainer that is competent and conscientious, then I think that horse will have a pretty good life. That horse will be taken extremely good care of. In a situation like that, I don't see any cruelty. Unfortunately, most racehorses are not in situations like that.

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by letswastemoney

I get what the original post is saying, but I don't believe the economic impact of horse racing relates to what the protesters are saying about horses being killed.

It does when they try to relate racing to underground animal death matches.

[magic_idol]

While i do Not agree with Peta & Their Supporters & think personally that they should be put in a truck with a pipe from the exhaust to the back of the truck ......uuuuuuuummmmmmmmmm i Digress ,
I do feel ( At the risk of being booed ) that we have strayed way to far in the chase for speed in the durability of racehorses, with conformation faults commonplace " i go to the sales now & if i see a horse without any i think slow horse" it was while i was listening to one of your shows steve with the bloke who has storm cat that i thought gee we really are getting carried away with times in the end does it matter what time the horse wins by ? or that so long as it wins .
I would like to see the german attitude with racing taken where a stallion cant stand unless its won a major race & mustnt have major confirmation fault sure it might make the racing slower but maybe not .
Side note unfortunately seen quite a few racehorses break down nothing could have stopped the unfortunate accident with eight belles with 500 & up kilos on a bone no bigger than the size of two of your fingers under increased pressure one fetlock snaps forcing the horse at speed onto the other fetlock which snaps as well

[MisterB]