It was tough negotiations, but a solution was found that was probably more than just the lowest common denominator. From the new season on, the whip rules in German gallop races are different. They have been tightened up. A jockey is now allowed to use the stick three times in a race instead of five.
That`s right and also a pointer in the direction of the animal rights activists who would like to ban our favourite sport. Those who exceed the limit or violate the rules will face severe sanctions. However, we could have lived well and perhaps even better with a zero solution. Germany could have been a "pioneer". If the use of whips had been reduced to zero, there would have been no more discussions with Peta & Co. A former managing director of the umbrella organisation once jokingly referred to them as "animal protection Taliban". Of course, such expressions do no one any good, but the self-appointed guardians of animal welfare could have been kept quiet by completely renouncing the use of the whip. They would then probably only have spoken out in cases of serious accidents with their usual generalisations and accusations.
But the jockeys would also no longer have to fear punishment, because if you were no longer allowed to carry a stick, there could be no more offences of this kind. Who knows, maybe the whip will be dropped in the future. We would not rule that out. We can only hope that the paradigm shift to three sticks as a maximum will be quickly understood and that the weekly racing calendar will not be overflowing with penalty reports. Let`s hope for the best.
