A leading horse trainer wants to change the public perception's on racing and ban the whip. 

The World Racing Association has called for US and Canadian jockeys to only use riding crops in dangerous situations. 

Shaune Ritchie told Mike Hosking New Zealand needs to move with the times and get the public back on side. 

He says crowds don't see how well the horses are looked after. 

"What they see is horses coming down the home straight and being hit with the whip in the last 200 metres of the race, and it looks like it's for their entertainment and for us gamblers, and that perception is what we've got  to lose."

He says whips don't do much damage anymore but there's still a perception in the public they need to change.