# Waht are the limits to how hard you can whip a horse in horse racing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 26, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waht-are-the-limits-to-how-hard-you-can-whip-a-horse-in-horse-racing/381851 "2006-11-26T16:38:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waht-are-the-limits-to-how-hard-you-can-whip-a-horse-in-horse-racing/381851/1 "2006-11-26T16:38:39Z")
I’m watching some harness racing on TV, and those guys are really letting fly (it appears) with their long whips in the final stretch. Does this really hurt the horse badly? Are race horses ever injured by the whipping? ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waht-are-the-limits-to-how-hard-you-can-whip-a-horse-in-horse-racing/381851/2 "2006-11-26T20:17:10Z")
In NY State at least, there are rules about the proper use of the whip. This article [from the NY Times](http://www.igha.org/tb_whip.html) quotes several jockeys who say that it can be effective when used in moderation, but can be counterproducive when used too much. > [@](#): > > “I’ll only spank the horse for encouragement,” [jockey Kent] Desormeaux said, “and only if he shows any response. After a mile or so, any horse might be too tired to respond. And when he is tiring, if he is hit, he’ll stop. You have to know when your horse won’t respond. In the Kentucky Derby last year, Gary Stevens whipped the stuff out of Silver Charm.” ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2006, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waht-are-the-limits-to-how-hard-you-can-whip-a-horse-in-horse-racing/381851/3 "2006-11-26T21:33:19Z")
[This source](http://www.thehra.org/doc.php?id=5036) gives the British Horseracing Regulatory Authority rules on whip use and specification. Riders have been suspended for excessive use of the whip on many occasions in the past. The duration of the suspension depends on the severity of the offence and the rider’s past record. Some horses do not respond to this kind of pressure so there is no point in applying it. They would simply down tools. Other horses definitely respond to the whip and I have personally witnessed animals winning races they would have otherwise have lost. It’s also important to understand that what looks bad from the stands, to the uninitiated viewer, is not necessarily the case. Sometimes the jockey will just ‘show’ the whip to the horse and not actually hit it. I’m still looking for cites but I’m sure that, with the tightening up of the whip rule in this country over the years, instances of horses being injured are very rare indeed. Very occasionally they are hurt and they show the marks to prove it after the race. In such cases the stewards will come down very hard on the rider. It’s worth noting also that excessive force could sour an animal for future races. I have seen this happen personally as well. Whip regulations obviously vary from country to country. ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waht-are-the-limits-to-how-hard-you-can-whip-a-horse-in-horse-racing/381851/4 "2006-11-27T17:04:25Z")
Just yesterday I saw a race where the winning jockey had dropped his whip en route, however he was flapping his “whip hand” up and down as though he was using the whip - the horse ran on quite nicely for him