According to a report, the Hambletonian Society Board of Directors has passed a resolution on whipping and submitted it to the United States Trotting Association as a proposed rule change.
Today's Harness Tracks of America's daily newsletter states the proposed rule would require drivers to keep a line in each hand for the entire duration of a race, thus eliminating the negative image of vigorous one-handed whipping.
HTA says in its report that the Society, in its proposal, said the rule "certainly is not intended as a criticism of our drivers whose use of the whip was within the rules in the past. It also is not intended in any way to relieve any driver of the responsibility of maintaining control of their horse for their own safety and the safety of others during the race when they use their whip as permitted under the rule."
The specified proposal calls for amending the last sentence in the second paragraph of USTA Rule 18, Section 9, which currently reads, "Drivers shall keep a line in each hand from the start of the race until the head of the stretch finishing the race," to read, "Drivers shall keep a line in each hand from the start of the race until after the finish of the race."
The Society intends to urge the Association of Racing Commissioners International and its members where harness racing is conducted to amend their rules "for the sake of the industry's public responsibility and image."
(With files from HTA)