British Horseracing Authority denies RSPCA snub over latest whip reforms It insists the changes do not sanction jockeys to become whip happy. A black day for racing" was the inflammatory spin that an RSPCA statement put on this revamp of the whip rules, which encouraged discretion by the stewards, but on Wednesday it was reported on Twitter that these highly-controversial comments, attributed to David Muir of the RSPCA, were, in fact, not those of the respected spokesman, but instead those of the press office. The BHA has spent much time and effort over the past week in reaching a solution on a fair way to handle breaches of the whip rules at the lower end of the scale. While the maximum seven hits with the whip on the Flat and eight over jumps remains the benchmark, greater flexibility will exist to exercise common sense appropriate to any case. "The changes are not a licence for jockeys to go crazy with the whip," said John Maxse, spokesman for the BHA, "And, if any do, they will be heavily punished. We have been concentrating on how to deal with those breaching the rules at the lower level. If, for example, we were talking about the matter of a speeding ticket, we are dealing with drivers doing 35mph in a 30mph zone. We're not talking about the driver doing 50mph. As for the claim that the RSPCA and animal welfare groups were not consulted, Maxse said: "They were all involved in the original whip review and their views were acknowledged in that report. But this week, we were addressing a different area entirely. We are at the margin of what is in breach [of the rules], and that area does not represent a welfare problem," he argued. Maxse pointed out that cases of horses coming back with weal marks on their bodies were almost non-existent. "The BHA greatly values the relationship it has with the RSPCA and David Muir, and we would like to reassure them there is no compromise on horse welfare," he said. Jockeys have welcomed the introduction of discretion by stewards and Robert Thornton's reaction was fairly typical when he said: "This is the right direction for everybody. There is going to be an awful lot of discretion used, so that'll be interesting how it varies from track to track. It's not rocket science. Everybody can see when a ride looks wrong or is borderline on the abusive side.