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wasoxygen · 3460 days ago · link · · parent · post: American Pharoah just became the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years.
It was amazing to watch and something I had never seen. It sounded to me that the announcer said the jockey did not use the whip on the back stretch. I suppose you could think of it that way. Presumably it will only be effective to the extent that it gets the horse's attention. Is entertaining an audience adequate justification for hurting the animal? Seems it would still be a fair race if no jockeys used crops.As for the riding crop, I always thought of it as an extension of the hand, merely elongating the reach. Is that wrong?