Richard Hughes gives up his jockeys licence

Top Jockey Richard Hughes has given up his riding licence in protest over the new whip rules .Hughes was given a 5 day ban on monday and a further 10 day ban on thursday for breaking the new regulations . He said "Until the rules are resolved i wont be riding - i'd rather retire " " I cant ride horses like this .It's like telling Lionel Messi he cant use his left foot".

source BBCsport ( sorry cant do the link , im useless at it )

Ridiculous, disgraceful, pathetic.

This is what happens when the ruling body (come back old Jockey Club, all is forgiven) kow tows to an unelected, politicised body like the RSPCA.

Move to France!

On a day when we should be celebrating all that is good in our sport,we look to Ascot with bated breath,worrying as to what the day may bring in terms of controversy and bad press.Its my opinion that racing died last Monday,it finally gave in to the tree hugging,bunny loving,tofu eating,do gooders that dont know which end of a horse bites and which end s****s.How can the sport be taken seriously by anyone? As an owner how are you going to feel if your charge gets done a short head but when the jock returns he says "sorry but i could have won with one more crack but im scared of getting banned"? Robbed,betrayed,etc etc.As a punter how are you going to feel if your pick gets done in the same way? Exactly the same. Racing has to realise very,very quickly that owners and punters keep this sport going,if they become disillusioned by all the obstacles that are getting thrown in the way then they will just walk away.Its hard enough to make anything out of this game without a bunch of Alziehmer riddled,gin slinging old dodderers who dont know what they have had for their breakfast(apart from when they look in the mirror,cos half of its still stuck on their face)make knee jerk reactions to apease a few numpties.Ive had loved and loathed and loved this sport again for the last 35 years,ive pumped loads of my hard earned into it,i wasnt looking for a return,i did it because i loved it,ive met some wonderful people,had some magical,money couldnt buy days but this is the final straw.Heres a question,how can a piece of plastic covered,air filled foam,wielded by a eight stone man possibly inflict damage or harm to a three quarters of a ton animal? It cant,sorry.Its an instrument of encouragement,if it hurt then you and i know that the horse would merely dig its toes in and do nothing.Asking a jockey to race ride and keep a tab of the number of strokes administered is tantermount to the point of being insane,if Hughesie is a whip happy jock then im Errol Flynn,hes a finesse rider pure and simple,for him to be vilified is an outrage.Guidelines by all means but sensible ones,maybe a limit to how many strokes during the race as a total or maybe a limit that can applied in the last furlong but based on strokes per stride number,say one stroke every four strides for example,so the jockey is actually riding in rhythm with his charge and not just flaying away with his stick.I seen these rules coming,so i had a bet last week and be rest assured it will be my last until the rules are changed,how can punters take into account the number of cracks allowed and factor that into ground,trip,course,rating,race style and run style? The betting shops should be empty,the courses should be deserted because racing has turned full circle,for the last 30 years it has tried to make itself more open,more competitive by drumming out the non triers,now its criminalising those who try too hard and want to win.We are the proud owners of the most uncompetitive racing on the Globe as of last Monday.Unless the guidelines are changed i can see a time when theres going to be more horses than jockeys to go round because of the severity of the bans.It is a sorry state of affairs that if not corrected will shake the sport to its foundations,if the BHA and PJA cant thrash out a worksable solution on Monday then i reckon its only a matter of time before owners and trainers join ranks with the professional riders of this land and bring the sport to a standstill.It will be a long time coming before i darken the gates of any racecourse again,the sport is self imploding again,it doesnt deserve anyones hard earned and why,why,why would anyone want to pay through the nose to watch uncompetitive sport.This rant is over but rest assured there will be plenty more.

Racingnut

100% spot on -

Eloquently put!

Most of the time the big, ignorant brutes (sorry tree huggers) are just shown the whip, and they respond because they jolly well know what it is!

I don't think there was anything particularly wrong with the "unreasonable use" rule; that allowed discretion.

Where would poor old Lester have been with his whip-a-stride win on The Minstrel?

The Grand National and other major jumps races have already become pale shadows of their former selves. But don't get me going on another tack!

A sport in terminal decline that was looking over the abyss was hopefully going to be saved by this so called clear the air meeting between the BHA and PJA,the result?...as you would expect,a waste of time and money.The newer version of the guidelines give jockeys a certain amount of slack in that the limit for final furlong/after the last strokes has been lifted although the total amount to be administered in any race stays the same.Hardly what you would call ground breaking is it? and deferring the ban/financial penalties until a second offence doesnt exactly set the world alight does it?
I am no lover of Jamie Spencer but i thought he was brilliant when questioned at Doncaster yesterday,he came out and said that the jockeys should stick together,they should strike if need be and the PJA have "sold them down the river".As a sport it is absolutely finished,cow towing to total imbeciles and being run by pure bred tools.
The jumps is about to start in earnest over the next 10 days,i wager that come the Welsh National there will be meetings that have more horses engaged than there are jockeys to go around.Some of these jumps lads are on a hiding to nothing,riding slow old plodders that need loads of stoking around places like Chepstow or Towcester is a ban and fine waiting to happen,i pity the ones who are engaged to ride horses like Ballyfitz or Tidal Bay,all their whip strokes will have been used by halfway!
The sport needs a drastic wake up call but the only way to get it seems to be by taking direct,effective action and if that means jockeys striking or trainers and owners withdrawing horses then so be it,im all for it.The BHA think that they rule the roost and call the shots....wrong,owners and punters pay the piper,they call the tune,they put the money in,without money racing would die.If the BHA want to bite the hand that feeds them then let them get on with it,they have sown the wind,they shall reap the whirlwind.
Until racing smells the coffee and sensible guidelines are put in place then im finished with it,i wont waste my hard earned in any way,shape or form on a sport that to all intents and purposes has been made less competitive.

If there is still any doubting Thomas' out there who dont think that these new guidelines will ruin racing then please watch the replays of two races today.Gusto won at Doncaster,given a text book ride by Dane O'neill,anyone with a modicum of racing knowledge would say the same but horror of horrors....he gave Gusto one slap too many...off with his head.Ruby Walsh did the same thing at Aintree,he gave one of Nicholls a tremendous ride but was done for the same offence.Notebook to the Walsh ban was that the first signs of dissent came from the jump jocks as they had to be persuaded by the Stipendiary steward and AP to leave the weighing room to ride in the next race.I will give it till the end of November before theres a total revolution in the weighing room.
If these two rides contravene the new rules and are deemed unacceptable then this game isnt dying,its stone dead already.(nearly as dead as these pages )

I haven't seen a riding whip but apparently they are fairly blunt and flexible/yielding and don't leave a mark on the horse. Whips used in the past were apparently more unforgiving and did leave a mark on the skin if used with gusto. Hence it seems to me this new rule (7 whips and you're out) is both misguided and pointless.

Clearly the jockey's don't want it and I believe on the whole and in general that they, along with the trainers, are in the best position to judge the welfare of a racing horse.

Ruby Walsh gave an interview on ATR today,as usual he spoke total common sense and expressed himself with his normal eloquence.He seemed to hint that there was almost a divide within the weighing room and that he was certainly among those who would if push came to shove be in favour of "direct action"(strike).He also made the point that the money on offer for most midweek UK racing isnt worth riding and possibly getting a ban for,he stated that he woiuld "have to evaluate every ride that he had" before committing himself.That statement struck me as a "im only riding the good ones".The final salvo was to say that eight strokes just isnt workable,the whip might as well have been outlawed full stop.
I get the feeling that something is afoot within the NH jockey ranks and its only going to take one spark to light the bluetouch paper.I cant ever remember a more emotive subject in my racing lifetime,it will shake the sport to the very core if not corrected very,very,quickly.

It's total madness, racingnut.

From Sporting Life

This isn't good news for all those horses that need lots of encouragement in a race,with a few smacks here and there, all the way round, to help keep their mind on the job......they will now be unsaleable as racehorses if this ludicrous rule continues.

I saw Dane O'Neill's ride on Gusto......it's an absolute insult to him to be banned for a winning ride like that.

I don't like seeing horses hit with excessive force and in the wrong place.....that's what needs keeping an eye on, not the amount of times they're hit.

It will be interesting to see what happens next.

Solerina wrote:...I don't like seeing horses hit with excessive force and in the wrong place.....that's what needs keeping an eye on, not the amount of times they're hit.

As far as I am aware the whips are now plastic coated hard foam and so basically impossible to noticeably harm a racehorse. Anyone with direct knowledge of these whips are free to correct me, but that is my understanding after hearing an interview from William (Willie) Carson.

The thing that bugs me the most is the pro-whip party saying that it doesn't hurt, or that the horse doesn't feel pain.

How the fek would they know? Let MEa horse whi give some of them a few cracks with a horse whip and see if they change their minds. I think it is difficult for non-horsey people to get a proper handle on the whole thing, and I include myself, who although following horse racing for 50 years, I have no knowledge or experience at first hand.

But when respected horsemen like John Francombe say that whips could be dispensed with, I'm inclined to listen.

I'm sure things have moved a long way from the times when a horse could be roundly thrashed and barely an eyebrow was raised - especially in Ireland where there seemed to be NO concern at all.

In the end I'll be happy with whatever outcome is reached - I just hope that a conclusion IS reached, and soon, as this is damaging the sport.

Hey, that's a good idea-dispense with whips altogether!

How many jockeys are you prepared to see injured or, heaven forbid, killed because they couldn't steer out of danger just to prevent your "sentient beings" having a few cracks?

The most intersting thing regarding this.

The jockeys get blamed for it all. Hit the horse 9 times, 5 day ban & lose your win fee. The horse keeps the race & the owner bags all the cash.

Hit the owners also, the horse should be disqualified & the jockey gets banned. All involved are then dealt with.

Once the owners get embroiled in this, the BHA will soon resolve it. If not all the owners will move their horses to Ireland or France & British Racing will die.