Racing Australia announced on Tuesday that from December 1 it will "remove the distinction between forehand and backhand whip strikes so that there is a limit of five forehand or backhand whip strikes prior to the 100 metre mark of a race".

Under the last set of changes to the rules back in 2009, a limit was placed on the number of forehand strikes allowed but the move to include backhand strikes in the new crackdown has drawn the ire of a number of jockeys.

Former Dubbo apprentice Kathy O'Hara, who has made a good career for herself in Sydney, took to Twitter on Tuesday night and asked "Is it just me or is the new whip rule an insult to our judgement as jockey?", while two-time Golden Slipper winner Tommy Berry said "Disappointing to hear the new Whip Rules!!! We have all changed our style to apply with the rules now we are being forced to do it again."

Locally the decision also received a negative reaction, with Ken Dunbar and Kody Nestor not holding back when contacted by the Daily Liberal.

"I think it's an absolute joke myself," Nestor said.

"Too many of these rules are being made by people with no investment in the sport, who are being pressured by Greenies and protesters who know nothing about racing.

"Back in the old days the jockeys did flog the fur off the horses, but these days we have padded whips and it gets used more as a tool to guide the horse. It's like telling a builder he can't use a hammer.

"I hope I'm wrong but I can see the day where we won't be allowed to carry a whip, and when that day comes it will be carnage because we don't just use it to try and make horses go fast, we use it to try and keep them going straight.

"There's so many things to think about and react to during a race, now we have to worry about how many times we've hit the horse prior to a certain point, whether our arms were raised above our shoulders, if it was forehand or backhand. It's a hard enough job as it is, and at the end of the day you'll turn people away from investing because jockeys will come back and say 'I should have won but I couldn't hit my horse any more'."

Dunbar was just as vocal in his disapproval.

"I've been riding a long time and seen a lot of change. Some has been good and some has been bad, but they've gone a bit far now," he said.

"All the common sense seems to have gone out of the game, and it's detrimental because we're the ones out there riding day in and day out, but we're the ones who don't get consulted and the first time we hear of any changes is after a decision has already been made.

"Nobody goes out there to belt the horses for the fun of it. We've got padded whips to protect them but we should be able to do our best to win for the owners and trainers that put us on, and the punters that back the horses."

According to Racing Australia's chairman John Messara, the changes are an "extension" of the 2009 rule alterations.

"The changes to the whip rules in 2009 introduced limits on the number and manner of whip strikes which in conjunction with a padded whip has ensured the welfare of the horse," he said.

"However, too great a reliance on the backhand application of the whip has developed in response to the limits imposed on the forehand application.

"After careful consideration, we have decided that backhand strikes should be treated in the same way as forehand strikes so as to leave no room for misinterpretation of the rules against excessive use.

"Importantly, harsher penalties for breaches of the rule will be imposed in a consistent and uniform manner across Australia."