Animal welfare groups have criticized the `` utterly barbaric '' whipping of a horse which competed in a race against Paralympic icon Oscar Pistorius . The South African double amputee , who made history by competing in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games , beat an Arab horse in a race in Doha , Qatar on Wednesday -- as part of a campaign highlighting contributions made by people with disabilities . World Horse Welfare , a body which advises on rules for international equestrian competitions , branded the treatment of the horse , which started the race 15 meters behind Pistorius , as a `` disgrace '' . `` World Horse Welfare are appalled at the way the jockey used the whip which was not only completely unnecessary but utterly barbaric , '' the organization told CNN . `` Excessive whip use like this is a disgrace to racing as a sport . We applaud the achievements of Oscar Pistorius and his race could have been a great spectacle , but instead it was marred by the flagrant abuse of this horse . '' Prior to the race against Pistorius , World Horse Welfare had said it had no problem with the horse competing providing it was treated fairly . `` We commented on the race beforehand to say we did n't see any immediate welfare concerns providing the horse was treated well . Clearly it was n't , '' said the body 's deputy chief executive Tony Tyler . In a statement to CNN , six-time Paralympic gold medalist Pistorius -- who also reached the semifinals of the Olympic 400 meters competition -- said he was unaware of any ill treatment to the horse . `` I participated in the race in good faith as it was to promote abilities across sport and I was totally unaware of any alleged excessive force being used on the horse , '' said the 26-year-old . `` I do n't condone any ill-treatment of animals and would always hope that a horse would be ridden in the correct way . Those who know me well are very aware of my well-publicized care and love of animals . '' The organizers of the race were not immediately available for comment . The use of the whip in horse racing has been a source of controversy in recent years , notably in Britain . Regulator British Horseracing Association completed a 10-month review of whip regulations in November 2011 , recommending its use be regulated , with bans issued for excessive use . Penalties , which can include losing prize money , become more severe depending on the number of times a jockey breaches regulations .
Animal rights groups criticize ` ` barbaric '' whipping of horses which raced against horse Pistorius . Double amputee Pistorius , a six - time Paralympic gold medalist , beat an Arab horse on Wednesday . World Horse Welfare describe jockey 's use of the whip as ` ` completely unnecessary '' The use of the whip is in and has been cause of much controversy in Australia .