First conclusive evidence horses hurt by whips, whips don’t aid jockeys

Images of horse (A) and human (B) skin, showing comparable epidermal thickness. Two papes published in journal Animals lend support to a ban on whipping in horse racing. They respectively show that horses feel as much pain as humans would when whipped, and that the whip does not enhance race safety. Do horses feel pain when whipped? Racing industry officials have long held that they don't. Yet in two studies released around Melbourne Cup week, Professor Paul McGreevy from the University of Sydney School of Veterinary Science and his colleagues have found that not only have horses evolved to feel as much pain when whipped as a human would, but that there is no compelling reason to whip these animals at all. The culmination of nearly a decade of research, these findings have the potential to fundamentally change the racing industry, locally and worldwide. Published across two papers in open access journal Animals , Professor McGreevy says he would not be surprised if the findings prompt the phasing-out of whipping in Australian racing within two years.