Pennsylvania Approves Harness Racing Whip Standards

Drivers must now use two hands on the reins at all times, which restricts motion of the whip to a flick of the wrist and forearm.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

The Pennsylvania Harness Racing Commission has imposed stricter standards to safeguard equine athletes from direct contact with whips during harness racing at the state’s tracks, Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary George Greig said Sept. 25.

“Harness racing is a timeless sport that relies on quality horses, so protecting our equine athletes is a top priority,” said Greig. “We have worked with horsemen, judges, and industry leaders to develop these standards for the safety of the animal without sacrificing the quality of Pennsylvania racing.”

Drivers must now use two hands on the reins at all times, which restricts motion of the whip to a flick of the wrist and forearm. Whips are normally used to strike the sides of the sulky or the horse’s saddle pad, generating the “cracking” sound that encourages horses faster down the home stretch.

“Our new policy on whipping now becomes the most progressive in the country,” said Harness Racing Chairman Jonathan Newman. “We care about the horse and hope families will come to the races to enjoy this wonderful sport together as the best racing is here in Pennsylvania

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
284 votes · 284 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!