Australian Jockey Only Gets Two Weeks Suspension After Punching His Horse, Fans Want Harsher Punishment
Animal lovers and horse racing fans all over the world are lashing out at an Australian jockey who lost his cool and punched the horse that he was riding.
According to the Sun, jockey Dylan Caboche was about to begin a race when his horse, She’s Reneldasgirl, became agitated and started moving backward before entering the racing gate. Caboche was clearly irritated at the horse’s behavior, and he ended up jumping off of the horse to take matters into his own hands. The 22-year-old then used his jockey whip and punched the defenseless horse in the ribs. Surprisingly, Caboche and She’s Reneldasgirl were allowed to participate in the race, where they ended up finishing in eighth place out of 10 horses. The pair was beaten by 14 lengths in the race.
The Sun goes on to report that Caboche was punished immediately after the race with a two-week suspension. A spokesperson for Thoroughbred Racing South Australia made it clear that the TRSA does not tolerate that type of behavior. In addition, the spokesman said that the penalty will remain on Caboche’s record and could impact his future earning ability.
Following the incident, the jockey spoke to media and said that his actions “weren’t the greatest.” The Daily Mail reports that Caboche then went on to say that striking a horse is not the way to go about things before he blamed a “brain fade” for causing him to blank out and lose control.
Lankan Rupee trackwork, Ready for tomorrow???????? Spring stakes pic.twitter.com/FQH0Sd3VcV
— Dylan Caboche (@DylanCaboche) August 18, 2017
Fans of the sport and animals in general took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the jockey’s “weak” suspension, stating that he should have gotten a harsher punishment or even should have been banned from riding a horse ever again.
“He doesn’t deserve to be a jockey. To punch a horse in the stomach should get him fired.”
“Dylan Caboche should be banned for life from racing! Punching your horse?? What is WRONG with you?? You are sick!” another user said.
A ton of other Twitter users tweeted directly at the disgraced jockey with some choice words. Many of them called for the rider to retire, stating that he shouldn’t be in a profession that revolves around animals if he doesn’t even respect animals to begin with.
Great to ride my 100th winner yesterday, thanks for everyone’s support along the way???????????????? most appreciated pic.twitter.com/dj6rsmtVFM
— Dylan Caboche (@DylanCaboche) October 21, 2017
Other than his brief statement to the press, Caboche has yet to respond to the backlash on his Twitter page. The 22-year-old’s last post came on October 28 when he retweeted a video of the Hometown Cup from Racing.com.
Do you agree that the jockey should have received a harsher punishment than just a two-week suspension?
[Featured Image by Paul Rovere/Getty Images]
