Equestrian
Www.fornells.com
Fornells 10100 Running Rail
Fornells 10108 Running Rail
Crowd Barrier & Gates
The Divot Crew
done using strimmers. The sward is fed two or three
UK Distributers of Fornells Products 01748822666 / 07966529666
www.wattfences.com billwattfences@aol.com
times during the growing season with liquid and granular fertilisers. Aeration is a key operation to help decompact the race track. Heave action, deep tine aerators are hired in a couple of times a year to complement the regular slit tining undertaken when conditions allow. The racecourse has its own Wiedenmann which is used regularly to decompact the take-off and landing areas either side of the seven National hunt fences set out on the course. Usually a full time job in the summer months, watering of the track involves the use of the course’s Briggs boom irrigators. This is a two man operation, and 5-8mm of water a day is usually required to keep on top of evapotranspiration rates. The water is drawn from the river Teign, usually beginning at 4.00am and taking eight hours to irrigate the whole course. Whilst walking the course,
Jason was keen to show me the work required to maintain the birch fences. After each race, the birch has to be repaired, pushing it back, replacing some bundles and levelling off the
tops. There are over 400 bundles of birch in each fence and, at £5 per bundle, it can soon become a costly operation to keep the fences in tip top condition. Generally, three fences will be totally repaired one year and four the next. In the winter, when time allows, Jason will source and harvest his own birch. There are also five flights of
hurdles to be looked after. For the last couple of years, the course has been trialing some new foam padded hurdles on behalf of the British Horseracing Authority. They are designed to help protect the horses and to last longer than the natural birch-made hurdles. However, they still come at a cost of £3,000 per hurdle. The staff have over four miles
of track rail to maintain, which involves moving it on a regular basis, repairing it and keeping it clean by power washing, usually a winter job. As for wildlife, the course is a
haven for many birds and animals; deer have been known to come onto the course along with foxes and rabbits. Kingfishers are regularly seen darting along the ditches. As for pests, the grounds team is
108 I PC APRIL/MAY 2014 View across the course
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