Sports Letters: Whip - getting it straight

Sir: The views of Mr Brunton (Letters, 27 November) on the use of the whip in horse racing are sadly misguided. The whip is not used as a weapon by jockeys, but as a necessary tool of his trade. Thoroughbred horses are invariably temperamental and a simple wave of "the stick" keeps them from veering off a straight line.

Racing without whips would end in farce and would certainly not be a true test of either horse or rider. Leave it to the professionals, Mr Brunton.

Alison Maskell

Aylesbury