Australian Veterinary Association strengthens policy against the use of whips on horses

That is out of step with the UK, Ireland and parts of Europe and the US, where whip use is limited for the length of the race. From February whip use in British racing will be further restricted.

The Pony Club Australia chief executive, Dr Catherine Ainsworth, who is also a vet, said whips did have a place however in most cases they should be carried but not used. Pony Club rules limit whip use and type.

Willsallen said it was important that anyone using a whip was educated about its correct use.

Equestrian Australia, the national governing body for Olympic disciplines, currently penalises the excessive use of whips but allows them to be carried in training and in some competitions.

Ainsworth said while using whips had become accepted wisdom in the horse community, riders and trainers who misused them could expect a public reckoning. In April, the UK Olympic gold medallist Sir Mark Todd accepted an adverse ruling from the British Horseracing Authority after video of him striking a horse with a tree branch began circulating on social media.