PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
HITTING HORSES IN RACING (21 October 2015)

That this House notes with concern that racehorses are routinely beaten with a whip under rules set by the industry's regulatory body, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA); further notes that these rules explicitly sanction the use of the whip for so-called encouragement, in order that jockeys may try to improve their chances of winning; observes that new research demonstrates that the majority of whip strikes and breaches occur in the final stages of hotly contested races, even though evidence indicates that whipping for this purpose is counter-productive and does not make a horse go faster; further observes that horseracing is the only form of public entertainment to involve hitting animals, and believes that this is out of place in a nation with a great concern for animal wellbeing; notes that no other animal can be legally beaten in such circumstances, and that a 2014 YouGov poll found that 70 per cent of all respondents oppose racehorses being whipped; recognises that, for genuine purposes of safety, where other methods have failed to bring a horse under control, a whip can be legitimately employed, as recommended by the RSPCA and as is already the case in Norway; and calls on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure that the BHA's rules are amended to forbid use of the whip for encouragement or for equivalent reasons.

Sponsored by:
Mr Roger Godsiff (Labour)