Disqualification for breaking the whip rules is the British Horseracing Authority’s equivalent of the nuclear button – a deterrent designed never to be used.
I don’t like British racing’s whip rules. I didn’t like the rules introduced in 2011 and I like the ones announced on Tuesday – which put disqualification on the statute books for the first time – even less.
I’m perfectly prepared to admit that the ProCush whip – and I use its brand name only to distinguish the instrument used in our sport from the nylon-and-leather ones you’d be given if you had riding lessons – can represent a threat to equine welfare.
