RSPCA welcomes review into horse whips
RSPCA WELCOMES REVIEW INTO HORSE WHIPS
The RSPCA says a review into the use of horse whips in the Australian racing industry is a welcome move but the draft measures should go further to protect horses from injury.
At the very least, the RSPCA wants to see a minimum set of nationally consistent standards developed that would determine when and how whips can be used and that set out enforceable penalties for breeches.
"These draft measures are certainly an important first step in addressing the excessive use of whips in Australian racing but they still leave too much open to interpretation," said RSPCA Australia CEO, Heather Neil.
"Whips can cause pain, bruising and inflammation and a horse whipped excessively in any other context would be protected by state-based animal cruelty laws. People are so accustomed to jockeys whipping their horses that it's not necessarily deemed as cruel."
The RSPCA believes hands and heels can be just as effective as whips. However, while whips are allowed to be used, the following measures should be agreed to:
§ Minimum design standards for whips that reduce pain and injury
§ Minimum set of nationally consistent standards that define the terms 'excessive, improper and unnecessary'
§ The term 'injury' should be clearly defined
§ All horses must be inspected for welts and bruises immediately after a race
§ Whips should not be used at all on 2 year olds
§ Penalties should be in line with, if not higher than, existing State prevention of cruelty acts
"The RSPCA is concerned about the use of whips both in the training and racing environments and has recommended that the proposed new and existing measures should apply to both settings."
To view the proposed measures visit www.australianracingboard.com.au.
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