An apprentice jockey suspended after punching a horse at South Australian race meeting has described his actions as a ‘brain fade’.
Dylan Caboche was observed hitting his mount She’s Reneldasgirl ahead of race two at Port Lincoln on Wednesday.
‘Yesterday my actions probably weren’t the greatest…’ he began.
The apprentice jockey Dylan Caboche (pictured) who punched a horse blamed ‘brain fade’ for his actions
Shocking footage (above) of the moment shows the horse clearly distressed and anxious before being led to the gates
‘…My actions behind the gates probably weren’t the greatest – striking a horse is obviously not the right way to go about things.
‘It was a blank… brain fade and it shouldn’t have happened,’ he told 7 News.
Thoroughbred Racing SA conducted an immediate inquiry and suspended Caboche for two weeks for misconduct.
The jockey had been caught on camera delivering the brutal punch to the horse before the race when the animal refused to calm down.
‘If this bloke thinks it’s ever okay to punch a horse, he doesn’t have the temperament to be a jockey,’ said one commenter on social media.
The South Australian apprentice jockey was suspended for two weeks after punching his mount She’s Reneldasgirl before a race in Port Lincoln
Footage of the incident shared on social media shows barrier attendants trying to get the fractious filly into the gates, with 22-year-old Caboche aboard, before he dismounts and punched her rib cage.
Fans slammed the penalty as too lenient, saying the act was ‘absolutely disgusting’ and labeling it ‘animal cruelty’.
Thoroughbred Racing SA stewards announced the rider’s suspension in a tweet on Wednesday afternoon.
When the animal kicks her head back, refusing to walk with the steward, Mr Caboche (pictured) jumps off and angrily assaults the filly, striking her rib cage
She’s Reneldasgirl was the first of Caboche’s seven rides at Port Lincoln on Wednesday, with the apprentice winning the final race on Slide Of Hand.
People reacted with outrage to the footage, with some even saying Mr Caboche should be banned for life.