Can hitting a horse prior to the race help him win???

Question

Witnessed this yesterday as they saddled and loaded the horse. Horse (20-1) broke out on top and never looked back - Won on pure Adrenalin! I think they hit him on purpose to scare the living daylights out of him and it worked.

Answer 1

You aren't really specific on the 'hitting' so it is difficult to answer.  Hitting the horse as he is being saddled was probably a means of behaviour correction, although with the lack of details it is difficult to say.

Behaviour modification may also have been the intent of the jockey whipping the horse on the track.  If he was being fractious or not listening to the jocks' cues one option a jockey has is to show, tap or hit with the whip.  

That said, if the horse has a history of being slow out of the gate, one strategy to improve his performance is to get him 'pumped' in the warmup.  Jockeys looking to get a horse out and running faster than normal will often warm a horse up faster and for a longer distance than they would otherwise, the intent being to get the horse's blood pumping and muscles limber.  If the horse were not warming up quickly enough the jockey may have used the whip to encourage him on.  

He also may have tapped or showed the whip to the horse in the gate to remind the horse to go out quickly.  He also could have whipped the horse coming out of the gate.  It is very unlikely that he whipped the horse while in the gate - a situation like that would be extremely dangerous for both horse and rider.

Answer 2

no, there is no way to make a horse win besides proper training. hitting a horse could only make him from thinking about one million other things.

Answer 3

all it did was get his mind on racing, they know when the

whips come out....it crunch time....before the race, it more like

get ready to roll big boy.....i would not play the ponies it they

ever banned the use of the whip.....

Answer 4

no

Answer 5

This wouldn't have anything to do with what the horse does once on the track. Horses, like all animals, live in the moment. When a horse is in the starting gate he doesn't think about how he got a smack in the paddock for misbehaving. When he is coming down the stretch, he isn't thinking about how he was prodded into the starting gate. What you saw is just a coincidence.

Answer 6

Nope hitting a horse prior to the race does not help the horse win.

Answer 7

you didn't say how they hit the horse but regardless that is animal abuse and should not be tolerated, especially if what they are trying to do is help the horse win.  I agree with others that it wouldn't make much of a difference and is just plain cruel.  If you witnessed it you should have reported the abuse.

Answer 8

i have been a jock 4 some time

The jock prob gave him a slap to keep him on his toes as he may have been feeling flat or sluggish in the barriers or may have been on the wrong leg before going into the barriers.

The good jocks will always use the whip as a last resort as you will always get more out of the beast riding hands and heels and keeping it well balanced .

I and many other jocks have ridden in races without whips with permission from the stewards , at the request of connections.