The weather is probably
the single most important factor as to whether a horse meeting
goes ahead or not. Weeks, days, and even hours before, owners,
jockeys, and course clerks are keeping an eye on the forecast
and the ground to see whether the race will carry on, and
which horses will run in it.
Calling off a race
Even in bad weather conditions, including snow or pouring
rain, races can still go ahead. With the exception of fog,
the general concept is to look at the effect on the ground,
and how dangerous this could be for the horses and jockeys.
The two main factors
which will cancel a race are fog and frost. As the jockey
goes over a jump he must be able to see the next fence in
front. If the fog is too thick for that, the race will be
called off. Likewise if there is too much frost, which doesn't
look like it will clear, the course will be deemed too dangerous
for the horses and riders.
Occasionally elements
such as wind and sun can have an impact on horse racing as
well. Strong winds during a jump race could be dangerous for
the riders. As they go to jump a fence the winds could push
the horses off balance, and the results could be pretty horrendous.
Equally, the angle of the sun could affect the riders and
their horses. If it's so severe that it will shine right into
their eyes and they won't be able to see, it could be necessary
to omit a fence from the course.
Planning ahead
An owner will start to plan where they want their horses to
run months ahead, especially when preparing for the big events.
For the majority of races though, preparations are made about
two to three weeks before an event.
About a week before
the race the course officials give the current conditions
of the course and the forecast for the days running up to
it. A couple of days afterwards, the official entries are
put in by owners. From this point onwards they will be in
touch with the clerk of the course for the exact details of
the ground and information about the weather they are likely
to face on race day.
Race day
When the day of the race arrives, the clerk is kept busy ensuring
the ground is suitable for the race to go ahead with the best
conditions. They measure the amount of water in the ground,
either with a penatrometer (which takes a scientific measurement
of the overall course conditions), or in the old fashioned
way of inserting a stick into the ground, and seeing how soft
the ground is. If there's been a lot of water on the course
it can be very difficult to soak up immediately prior to the
event. If the opposite is the case, and the ground is particularly
hard, decisions need to be made as to whether to water the
course, how much water to add.
The Stewards would
also be on hand, and it is there job to make the final decision
as to whether the race can be run. They use their personal
judgement of the conditions they see, to decide whether it
is safe for the race to be run.
Ideal conditions
Different courses present different conditions, and different
weather affects the overall state of these grounds. The harder
the ground, the faster the race is generally run, and the
softer the ground, the slower the race would be. Clerks ideally
aim for something between these conditions - called good to
firm in racing terms. This would enable a fairly fast race,
but the state of the course would mean the safety of the jockeys
and horses wouldn't be compromised.
Equipment
The only things the riders really do in particular weather
conditions to protect themselves from the weather, would be
to wear waterproof clothing and gloves - to keep out the rain
and cold. They also wear goggles to keep the splash out of
their eyes. However, if it's quite wet, or there's a lot of
mud being splashed from horses in front, the goggles may be
worthless as they get covered in dirt.
All-weather courses
Horse owners often train their horses on all-weather surfaces,
so the weather can't affect their training programme. Three
out of the 59 courses in England are created like this. There
have been calls for more courses to be like this so the weather
won't stop events going ahead, however most owners and riders
say this would make racing a lot more boring because all the
courses would be the same. In the USA a lot of their courses
are of this nature, but the class of racing is somewhat lower.
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