Letter to the Editor: Fight, flight or freeze? 30 December 2022 Free

Ruby Walsh explains to Nick Luck the reason for the new whip rules in Britain. The use of the whip toward the end of a race is to "ignite the flight reaction" in the horse. According to Wikipedia, the reaction is part of fear response and can be either fight or freeze. Letter to the Editor: Fight, flight or Freeze? 30 December 2022 free.

Ruby claims that the fight or freeze response to the whip ignites the flight reaction in horses. The fight response is an intense response that dates back to a time when horses were prey animals on the Steppe plains of central Asia. Some horses should exhibit a fight and some a freeze reaction. The horse who slows down when struck by the whips is displaying more of a fighting spirit.

The horse freezes for a while after falling and then gets up and walks off as if nothing happened.

Perceived wisdom had told me that winded horses were caused by the freeze response. Back on the Steppes, when the horse is eventually taken down, they usually displayed the Freeze response to make the kill easier on themselves. We humans also possess a well developed 3F response, probably from the time we were prey of sabre tooth tigers. The overriding emotion at play in this scenario is one of pride.

Constitution Hill won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle by 22 lengths at Cheltenham Festival. A Plus Tard won Gold Cup by 15 lengths. Constitution Hill was not touched by the whip during the race. However, A plus Tards was hit with the whips five times between the final fence and the finishing line at Betfair Chase. This is because he was traumatised after the previous race at Haydock. He showed a mixture of fight and freeze responses.

Constitution Hill won the March race at Haydock. A Plus Tard was still under the influence of the flight response.

Henry de Bromhead confirms that A Plus Tard has had an allergic reaction since Haydock.

Trauma patients are more likely to develop allergies and auto-immune diseases. Shishkin's bone condition may be indicative of trauma. A Plus Tard was struck six times behind the saddle in the Clarence House Chase last January.

After studying the flight reaction in racehorses and humans, I am left with a stark question. Is it necessary to ignite a primitive fear response in a natural prey animal for us to enjoy racing?