Equestrian
“The boreholes were full of ochre. Our water has a high iron content - it turns everything brown - so we need to clear the system out every year to protect the pumping equipment”
Head Groundsman, Mark Ainsley and Clerk of the Course, Andrew Tulloch
pressure off the staff at what is a very busy time,” comments Andrew. To keep the investment
The daunting view from the first fence on the Grand National course
“The exercise also allowed us to test the output of the system which proved that it could supply 90 cu.m/hr”
working to its best, the boreholes have also been renovated via airlifting, which Mark comments removed large amounts of debris. “The boreholes
were full of ochre, and many of the fissures were blocked, so BoreSaver was added and recirculated,” he explains. “Our water has a high iron content - it turns everything brown - so we need to clear the system out every year to protect the pumping equipment. The exercise also allowed us to test the output of the system which proved that it could supply 90 cu.m/hr.”
The Grand National fences have
increasingly come under the spotlight in recent years, with animal welfare charities pressing for changes after a number of
horse fatalities. The imposing spruce covered jumps are unique in the United Kingdom. “Their size and construction is important. We haven’t, and won’t, make them smaller, because this would encourage the horses to go too fast and potentially cause more accidents,” comments Andrew.
As most of the fences have traditionally
stretched across the course, one concern that has been addressed is how to allow the field to go past a fence on the subsequent circuit where a fallen horse or rider is being attended to. In the past, the relevant part of the fence has been barriered off, but now ‘bypassing areas’ to the sides of the fences allow the obstacle to be omitted altogether. These also allow loose horses to run past the fence rather than jumping riderless and risking injury. To further minimise the hazards
presented by loose horses, railed areas (catching pens) have been made at the fourth fence and Canal Turn to allow them to be safely caught.
A radical change has been made to the construction of the fences, which were
The new catching pen at Canal Turn on the Grand National course for the safe retrieval of loose horse
112 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014
Bypassing areas to the right of the fences allow runners to safely pass a fence which is blocked by a fallen horse or rider
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