What do you think of the Jockey club and it's antiquated rules?

Answer 1

tony, did you ever see the racing on tv when it was a variety day and the camera zoomed in on snow white and the seven dwarfs, John Francome remarked " here come the Jockey club stewards " bet he got scollded for saying what we all feel....

Answer 2

The Jockey Club are no longer the regulatory body for horse racing, the Horseracing Regulatory Authority took over that role earlier this year.

What antiquated rules are you referring too? The rules are reviewed every year and updated as necessary. These days the priority is to the welfare of horse and jockey, but that doesn't seem to sit well with people who like to talk through their pockets!

As far as the comment about AI goes, it will never be permitted in Thoroughbred breeding. We already have problems with over-production in GB and Ireland (too many foals, not enough buyers or races), so why would we want to allow the stallions to cover more mares?

AI is great for sport horses as they often have to continue competing until they are in their teens and may not have the time to physically cover a mare. Racehorses are normally retired to stud by the age of 5 and therefore have a good fifteen years of breeding ahead of them.

If you can refer to some specific rules that bother you, I will try to answer your questions.

Answer 3

I am not sure which rules you feel are antiquated unless you mean the live cover breeding.
The reason for that is that with all the AI breeding being done horses are being so over produced.
It is a safer procedure for the stallion and they could breed so many more mares by going with AI breedings. It allows people in other places to breed with studs they could not breed with otherwise. But now they are having a mare bred and flushing out the embryo and placing it in a surrogate mare. Who gives birth and nurses it. It allows the top mares to continue to compete and still have babies.
I have worked in the racing industy for years and I prefer live cover. You know for sure who the stud and dam are and there is no chance for error. It is a tradition. It limits the amount of offspring one horse can produce and you do on flood the market with one bloodline.
In the future every AQHA horse registered could be from one or two sires and that would make breeding in the future hard as you would be doing alot of line breeding. Not always the best thing.

Answer 4

i might say the longest flat race is the Newmarket city Plate. that's held each 365 days in Newmarket and is administered over 3 miles and six furlongs. i might accept as true with the others that the grand national is the furthest NH race at 4 miles and four furlongs. A mile and a nil.5 continues to be seen to be the optimal distance for a thoroughbred - that's why the Derby is held over this distance. I, alongside with others, have self belief that there is too lots emphasis on velocity presently and that human beings could desire to be inspired to reproduce middle-distance horses.

Answer 5

In the realm of racing and other exhibition, I am not familiar with the JC's rules ad regulations. However, I do know a bit about their breeding practices (both what the "book" says and what reality is... and these are NOT the same!)

In an industry that is seeing a lot of growth and interest in reproductive technologies, the JC is shooting itself in the foot by resisting movement in this direction. The AQHA is fairly progressive with its laws, and embryo transfer, frozen semen, frozen embryos, allowing multiple offspring per mare per year, using semen from a deceased stallion, etc has benefited not only the breeders, but the consumers as well. The quality horses are being promoted and reproduced (Royal Blue Boon, Smart Little Lena, anyone?) and universities, vets, and private individuals are being rewarded for further advancements.

Meanwhile, the Thoroughbreds are stuck in the last century and unethical methods are becoming commonplace. Live cover is a) more dangerous to the mare/stallion/handlers than AI, b) more conducive to spreading diseases, c) less efficient than AI in the numbers of mares bred per collection, and d) limiting in the individuals that can be bred since both stallion and mare have to be in the same physical location.

To get around this, established and otherwise reputable TB farms are collecting their stallions and AIing mares in secret. This allows them to breed more mares per collection and benefits the stallion, due to reduced likelihood of injury and prevents overuse of the stud which hampers semen quality. It's hard to blame the farms for deliberately breaking their association rules, though, when there is so much reason to do it they way they do.

The JC prides itself on tradition and is unlikely to change the rules anytime soon. With the governing board based in Kentucky, where a great majority of the industry is concentrated, they are benefitting from the limitations of the current rules. The money stays in Kentucky, and anyone who is serious about breeding their mare brings their business to Kentucky. Until the prices for racehorses start falling, or people switch to racing Quarters, the system will remain frozen in the past.

Answer 6

i think a bit of tradition is great, but if racing wants to survive, i think it needs to modernise with the rest of the world. not to the extent that it becomes too modern though. a mix of new and old, a re write of the rules would be a good move in my opinion.

Answer 7

Out of date aren't they, they should wake up and smell the 21st century

Answer 8

take the grey horse to place

Answer 9

I don't