Paco Lopez, one of the top jockeys in the U.S., is under fire again. The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) handed him a six-month suspension, effective September 23, 2025, following repeated violations of riding crop rules. The incident that sparked the latest action occurred at the Grade 1 Forego Stakes in Saratoga on August 23, when Lopez did something strictly forbidden under HISA rules. While this was not his first violation, the repeated breaches prompted the authority to take decisive action. Since reinstating him in January 2025, Lopez broke the rules ten times, eight of which involved the banned wrist technique. HISA has declared that enough is enough.

The suspension has stirred a heated debate in the racing world. The Jockeys’ Guild jumped in with a post on X, featuring Hall of Famer John Velazquez and other board members. Velazquez didn’t hold back: “We have to stand with Paco when this ends, in the sense that the penalty he just received…six months for the multivariate violations, and he also served some of those days already is very effective.”

“We believe that his riding is definitely under the microscope, but we also know that he actually served those days from before…The Guild is really concerned because more than 50% of our riders have multiple violations,” he said. While jockeys are allowed to use the whip to encourage horses safely, up to six strikes per race, taps on the shoulder, or waving the crop, certain actions are strictly forbidden. Raising the wrist too high, using excessive force, hitting after the finish line, or causing injury are all violations of HISA’s whip rules.

But Velazquez further explained that the Guild is considering Paco Lopez’s case carefully, questioning how far they can go. “We also agree that he shouldn’t get suspended for all the multibiome violations he has,” Velazquez said. “If he did five, six, or seven days, multiply that…give him 14, 15, or 16 days for whatever he did. So he starts learning that we take his violations seriously. You’ve got to follow the rules, and we’re all trying our best.”

Velazquez added that the Guild has actively engaged in talks with HISA since introducing the rules. Their goal is to consolidate whip regulations and align them more closely with the Kentucky standard. “We’ll continue talking to HISA, and hopefully we’ll come to some middle ground. Six months is excessive, and we hope that in the future we can fix this problem.” And the debate isn’t stopping there.

Repole Stable, led by billionaire entrepreneur/horse owner Mike Repole, joined the conversation with a fiery post on X: “Thank you Johnny, Tyler and all the jockeys!!!!! We stand with the jockeys. Unite!!!!! Now the Tracks, Owners, Trainers need to do the same in order to fix the sport for everyone!!!!! HISA needs to be revamped with a $40mm budget and the Jockey Club, that has created this mess, must only be a breed registry!!!! LFG!!!!”

Between jockeys defending their own and owners calling for big changes, Paco Lopez’s suspension has turned into a lightning rod for the future of American horse racing. But how did this all start?

HISA cracks down after Paco Lopez’s pattern of whip rule violations

It was the $500,000 Grade 1 Forego Stakes at Saratoga on August 23. In that race, Paco Lopez raised his wrist above his helmet and struck Book’em Danno multiple times. This action clearly violated HISA’s whip rules. Following a complaint filed by PETA, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has suspended Lopez for six months.

PETA obtained video from other recent races showing Lopez apparently breaking whip rules at several tracks, including stakes races at Parx Racing in Pennsylvania. “Lopez wins by beating the horses and breaking the rules,” said PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “This suspension should make him rethink the abuse, and PETA is grateful to HISA for handing down this stiff penalty.”

 Paco Lopez has accumulated 22 whip violations since HISA’s Racetrack Safety Program began in July 2022. Earlier this year, HISA suspended him for raising his wrist above his helmet in three races. In December, they suspended him again for whipping a horse after crossing the finish line, but he returned to racing just 46 days later.

In February, he again used the prohibited wrist technique in three races, receiving a one-day suspension. While Lopez currently has 300 wins this year, the six-month suspension will likely cost him the 2025 leading jockey title. Advocates stress that horses have extremely sensitive skin, even feeling a fly land. Yet in racing, they are often physically punished to run faster.