30/05/2025
THIS COURT DECISION COULD JUST BE THE BEST NEWS OF ALL TIME FOR THE WELFARE OF RACEHORSES.
On 27 May it was proven in a Tasmanian court that padded whips indeed cause pain and suffering to horses. This is the first court decision, since the introduction of padded whips in 2009, against their use on horses.
This ruling is significant because it wasn’t any old whip in question, it was the specific padded whip which is approved for racing, and which Racing Australia claims do not hurt horses.
The conventional whip was replaced with a padded whip in 2009 because of the massive public concern about the pain it inflicts upon horses to be whipped. The racing industry has justified its continued use of the whip by arguing it has not been proven that whipping hurts horses.
With this court decision, that argument is no longer valid.
The guilty ruling relates to Tasmanian racehorse trainer Liandra Gray, who was recorded on CCTV in July 2022 hitting a racehorse with a padded whip more than 40 times.
Under the Animal Welfare Act, the RSPCA charged the trainer with committing an act which “caused or was likely to cause unreasonable and unjustifiable pain or suffering to an animal.”
The defendant Liandra Gray pleaded not guilty. In her defence, she claimed she had used less force with the whip than a jockey would in a race.
Although the whip that was used was padded, the Court was satisfied that it caused the horse to experience 'unreasonable and unjustifiable pain or suffering.'
This ruling is first step to the end of whips in racing. Thank you so much RSPCA Tasmania for pursuing the case🐴💜👏
