More than one in two support ban on whipping racehorses

• 55% of Brits would support a ban on the use of whips in horseracing in the UK
• But opposition to whips drops to 43% when current regulations are explained
• 4 out of 10 say they bet on the Grand National, Royal Ascot or Cheltenham 

New research from Ipsos UK, released ahead of this weekend’s Grand National, reveals that more than one in two Britons aged 16-75 (55%) want jockeys banned from using the whip whilst three in ten (31%) believe horse racing is unacceptable.

Men (54%) and women (55%) are united in supporting a ban on the whip. However, there is a gender divide about whether horse racing as a sport is acceptable or not - 38% of women believe horse racing is unacceptable compared with 24% of men. 

There is also a generational split – while 55–75-year-olds are among the most likely to believe the sport is acceptable (41%), they are also among the most likely to support a ban on the whip (61%).  

Overall, around as many people say they are interested in following horseracing as say they are not interested but have objections to it (both 22%) – the majority say they are either not interested but have no objections to it (23%) or have no views on horseracing at all (31%).

Whipping horses has long been controversial and the British Horse Racing Authority is reviewing the current rules, which allow eight strokes of the whip with hands off the reins at any time during a jumps race, such as the Grand National and seven on the Flat.

Seven out of ten adults (71%) admitted not knowing very much about or nothing at all about the current regulations surrounding the use of whips by jockeys in the UK, but, after they had been explained , 20% supported use of the whip under those conditions whilst 43% opposed it. Among those who initially supported a ban on the whip, one in four (23%) believed jockeys should be allowed to use it once the regulations had been explained to them.

Despite some people’s reservations about the sport, 39% say they regularly or occasionally bet on some of the biggest events in the horse racing calendar, The Grand National, the Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot, and 41% might follow them on TV or radio. People in the North of England (47%) are most likely to put money down and, overall, young people more likely to bet, with half of under 35s enjoying at least an occasional wager, compared to a third of 35–75-year-olds.

Kelly Beaver, CEO of Ipsos UK, said: 

Horse racing is a historic part of British society and culture and the Grand National is one of the most popular days in the sporting calendar, but we are seeing concern for equine welfare, even though only a minority have objections to the sport. 
Our research shows that, whilst there is still a lot of interest in events such as The Grand National and many people enjoy having a flutter, some people are concerned about the treatment of racehorses. Initially, the majority do not want jockeys to be allowed to whip their horses during a race, and while opposition falls when the current regulations are explained, there is still little enthusiasm for the practice.

Note to Editors:

• Ipsos in the UK interviewed a representative sample of 1,129 British adults aged 16-75. Interviews were conducted using its online omnibus between 11 – 12 March 2022. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population of this audience. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.
• The current regulations were explained as follows: “The British Horseracing Authority has controls on the use of a whip in horseracing. The permitted number of uses of the whip is up to 7 times for an individual Flat race and 8 times for a Jump race. Jockeys must not use excessive force or whip a horse when it is out of contention or clearly winning, the horse must be given time to respond, and the whip may only be used in certain places (eg the horse’s hindquarters rather than flanks). Jockeys can only carry a specifically designed and approved foam-padded and energy absorbing whip."