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Home / Equine Research Bank / PLoS One / Longitudinal trends in the frequency of medium and fast race...
PloS one2018; 13(3); e0184091; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184091

Longitudinal trends in the frequency of medium and fast race winning times in Australian harness racing: Relationships with rules moderating whip use.

Abstract: The use of whips in racing is subject to current debate, not least because the prospect that fatigued horses cannot respond renders the practice futile and inhumane. The racing industries maintain whip use is a form of encouragement and that the rules of racing that govern whip use safeguard horse welfare. The current study examined longitudinal trends in the frequency of medium and fast race winning times in Australian harness racing between September 2007 and August 2016 to explore relationships with a series of changes that moderated whip use. The first change, introduced January 2010, moderated whip action so that horses were struck with less force. Subsequent amendments reversed this change for the final 200m of the race except in one racing jurisdiction. However, those amendments were eventually reversed, restoring the first rule change in all geographic locations. Despite whip use being regulated from January 2010, a long-term trend of increased frequency of both fast and medium winning times over 1609m (~1 mile) was noted. Even after adjusting for this trend, all whip handling codes were associated with greater odds of winning times being less than 1:55 minutes compared with the pre-2010 period. A similar finding for times less than 2:00 minutes did not reach statistical significance. Additionally, the periods immediately before and after introducing the most stringent regulations were compared. This revealed that, when introduced in 2010, these regulations were associated with faster winning times. Their re-introduction in 2016, was associated with no significant differences. Despite concerns that tightening of whip regulations might reduce performance, none of our analyses revealed any significant reduction in either fast or medium winning times in races following the tightening of regulations governing the use of the whip. These findings question the putative need for whips to improve racing performance.
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Publication Date: 2018-03-07 PubMed ID: 29513660PubMed Central: PMC5841648DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184091Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
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  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article studies the influence of changes in whip use regulations on the winning times in Australian harness racing from September 2007 to August 2016. The study concludes that modifications in whip use rules have not significantly impacted either fast or medium winning times, questioning the alleged need for whips to enhance racing performance.

Introduction and Research Motivation

  • The article starts by addressing the ongoing controversy surrounding the use of whips in racing, emphasizing potential horse welfare concerns.
  • The study aims to examine the impact of several changes in the rules governing whip use by conducting in-depth analyses of race-winning times for an extended period.

Changes in Whip Use Rules

  • The initial change in whip use rules, introduced in January 2010, moderated how the whip was used, ensuring horses were struck with reduced force.
  • A few amendments temporarily permitted a more forceful use of the whip in the final stretch of the race, except in one jurisdiction.
  • However, these amendments were eventually reversed, implementing the initial, less forceful whip usage across all racing locations.

Observations and Analyses

  • Even with the regulation of whip use from January 2010, there was a continuous observable trend of both fast and medium winning times improving over the studied distance.
  • Additional analyses adjusted for trends showed that all periods of whip handling regulations had greater chances of winning times being less than 1:55 minutes as compared to the period before 2010. A similar finding for times less than 2:00 minutes was also observed, although it lacked statistical significance.

Comparison of Regulations and Results

  • The periods immediately before and after the introduction of the strictest regulations were also compared. It was noted that the strictest regulations, initially introduced in 2010, correlated with faster winning times.
  • Upon re-introduction in 2016, no significant differences in winning times were found.

Conclusions

  • The stringent regulations on whip usage did not lead to any significant reduction in race-winning times, contradicting concerns that stricter whip regulations might impede horse racing performance.
  • The study thereby questions the presumed requirement for whips to enhance racing performance, calling for further research and consideration of racehorse welfare.

Cite This Article

APA
Wilson B, Jones B, McGreevy P. (2018). Longitudinal trends in the frequency of medium and fast race winning times in Australian harness racing: Relationships with rules moderating whip use. PLoS One, 13(3), e0184091. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0184091

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 13
Issue: 3
Pages: e0184091
PII: e0184091

Researcher Affiliations

Wilson, Bethany
  • School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Jones, Bidda
  • School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
  • RSPCA Australia, Deakin West ACT Australia.
McGreevy, Paul
  • School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

MeSH Terms

  • Animal Welfare / legislation & jurisprudence
  • Animals
  • Australia
  • Fatigue
  • Horses
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Running / legislation & jurisprudence
  • Sports / legislation & jurisprudence
  • Time Factors

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
  1. Thompson K, McManus P, Stansall D, Wilson BJ, McGreevy PD. Is Whip Use Important to Thoroughbred Racing Integrity? What Stewards' Reports Reveal about Fairness to Punters, Jockeys and Horses. Animals (Basel) 2020 Oct 29;10(11).
    doi: 10.3390/ani10111985pubmed: 33137898google scholar: lookup
  2. Fenner K, Hyde M, Crean A, McGreevy P. Identifying Sources of Potential Bias When Using Online Survey Data to Explore Horse Training, Management, and Behaviour: A Systematic Literature Review. Vet Sci 2020 Sep 22;7(3).
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci7030140pubmed: 32971754google scholar: lookup
  3. McGreevy PD, Griffiths MD, Ascione FR, Wilson B. Flogging tired horses: Who wants whipping and who would walk away if whipping horses were withheld?. PLoS One 2018;13(2):e0192843.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192843pubmed: 29466458google scholar: lookup
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