The Santa Anita racing office late on Thursday sent an alert to horsemen that said that jockeys and exercise riders may use the whip for "corrective safety measures only," effective immediately.

The alert appears to establish a new house rule for all riders at the track that goes beyond current restrictions affecting the use of the whip during racing. Just hours earlier, the president of the track's parent company, Belinda Stronach, released a letter stating that "it is time to address the growing concern about use of the riding crop" that indicated the track would be putting in place new restrictions.

Santa Anita is currently on hiatus from racing until March 22 at it attempts to address the fallout from a spate of fatalities at the track. The track is currently open for training, and the new policy would impact exercise riders beginning on Friday.

The alert from the racing office said the new policy will be "strictly enforced," but did not list penalties for violations.

More coverage of the Santa Anita situation can be found at drf.com.