BHA reassure RSPCA over whip

British Horseracing Authority (BHA) officials have stressed they “greatly value” their relationship with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in the wake of the latest changes to the controversial whip rules.

David Muir, equine consultant at the RSPCA, described the decision to make fresh changes to the whip rules, originally brought into place in October, as “a backward step” and “absolutely staggering”.

The key element to latest amendments is that rather than it being an automatic breach when a rider uses the whip eight times on the Flat and nine times over jumps, the figures become the trigger point for the stewards to review the ride.