Another view is that a number of people would gather, stand in rows (1) on both sides of the course, drive the horses on and shout at them; they were forbidden to do this. The ḥadith encompasses both forms.

As for janab, it has two explanations.

The first—and it is the interpretation adopted by most jurists (2)—is that the contestant runs a second horse beside his own to incite it to greater speed. ʿAhmad ibn Abī Ṭāhir said (3):

When the battalion’s ranks grow thick with men,
you are the one before whom the procession parts;
You advanced, outstripping all who had moved ahead,
and just behind you came a rider running abreast. (4)

The second explanation is that they would lead a spare horse, and when they approached the finish line they would switch from the mount that had been (5) worn out by riding to the led horse,