HY EVENTING, JOCKEY, RIDING CROP, WHIP - BLACK

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Each of the Racing League's 12 teams will select one of their 30 horses to contest each race. The squads will be announced three weeks before the competition starts. The whip rules were last reviewed 10 years ago when a maximum number of strikes - seven on the flat and eight over jumps - were introduced.

Emma Slawinski, RSPCA director of policy, prevention and campaigns, said not banning the whip for encouragement was "a real missed opportunity for horse welfare". Potential offences are now referred to a Whip Review Committee rather than being dealt with by racecourse stewards on the day. The start date for any whip suspension incurred this week is the opening day of the festival on Tuesday, March 14. While an entry-level four-day ban can be moved to avoid a Grade 1 fixture, any punishment more serious than that – starting with the seven days incurred for going two strokes over the permitted seven strikes – will automatically rule a rider out of Cheltenham. David Jones, chairman of the whip consultation steering group, said: "This whole process, from start to finish, has always been about listening to the views of all our audiences and making decisions which best preserve the perception of our sport and the welfare of our horses, while also recognising the role that the padded whip plays in safe and fair race riding." In Flat racing the bedding-in period will begin from 27 February with full implementation from 27 March, which is the start of the week in which the Flat Turf season commences.Fifteen months later a consultation was planned - later postponed because of the pandemic - after the HWB said that, although the numbers of whip offences by riders were down, they remained "unpalatably high". As part of the independent Horse Welfare Board (HWB)’s strategic plan, A life well lived – a new strategic plan for the welfare of horses bred for racing 2020-2024, a recommendation was made that a public consultation should be conducted by the BHA regarding the use of the whip in British racing. When race stewards evaluate the way the whip was used, they can choose to disregard instances when the whip was used in the following circumstances: Lorcan Williams: 18-day suspension for overuse of the whip on Saturday Credit: Alan Crowhurst / Getty Images While the meetings have been sanctioned by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the whip limits were proposed by event organisers.

This is an interim adjustment which has been put in place until the BHA and PJA hold a formal review in the summer after full implementation across both codes has passed.

Rules and limits on use

Final proposals approved by the BHA Board following extensive technical discussions with those most affected Manufacturers insist they do not cause pain to horses, although the Royal Society of the Protection of Animals (RSPCA) says there is evidence they do. When a whip is used to keep a horse in contention or maintain a challenging position before the race’s closing stages. The use of the whip in British racing is restricted to safety and encouragement. By “encouragement” we mean using the whip as an aid to activate and focus the horse, so the horse realises its potential by giving its best. Use of the whip to coerce is not permitted, and the rules are designed to reflect this. Rules and limits on use revised whip rules/policies and supporting guidance to be initially introduced for Jump racing from 9 January 2023, in a four-week ‘bedding in’ period