EQUESTRIAN


Racing is still the same and our work is not affected. If the horses go home safe and happy, we have done our job


”


Men at work…Michael and Mark tackle dandelions in the parade ring by organic methods, the trusty fork!


Mowing down to 10cm with a front-mounted deck and rear blower all summer encourages the grass to thicken up


that they are still benefitting from a programme of drainage carried out shortly before he arrived, along with work to build up the roadside bend to alter its camber. “We’re looking at additional drainage along the stands to get water away, and we’ve also put in a request to add an all- weather canter down,” explains Michael. “Currently for all but the 2m 5f start, horses turn right out of the parade ring and gallop down the course to the start, so it’s getting lots of traffic.” After the final meeting of the season in May, once treading in is complete, the jump wings and hurdles come off the track ready for renovations, and the whole course is gone over with a heavy roller to level it out. “We vertidrain and overseed, using GNN Sportscare - they are local contractors that we have a really good relationship with, and it makes sense for us not to have to maintain such specialist machinery. They also keep a close eye out for pests and diseases and can advise if any additional treatments are needed,” explains Mark. “We apply fertiliser and then water through the summer if necessary. I’ve switched to putting three applications of 1200kg fertiliser on, and the ‘little and often’ approach seems to be paying off. Michael and I


will also apply fertiliser by hand to the bends before treading in to encourage grass growth.” “Sedgefield was always known for being a bit bare as the track is so narrow,” comments Michael, “and we’re now getting seventy runners a meeting, so it’s great that we are able to maintain the growth.” Mark also likes to keep the grass down over the summer, mowing to 10cm to encourage the sward to thicken up. “We use a Votex front mounted mower with a blower on the back of the tractor to spread the clippings,” he explains. “It’s a mower we inherited and it wouldn’t be my choice - there are lighter and more manoeuvrable mowers on the market now. It takes five hours to cut the track and I’m mowing twice a week in summer and once a week as we get near to the start of the next season in August. My dream mower would be a big ride-on but that’s not on the horizon at the moment!” A second Votex is kept to cut the larger areas in the grass car parks, and a pair of small ride- ons do duty on more fiddly areas; the parade ring is generally striped-up with a push mower. At the end of the 2020/21 season, Mark plans to scarify the track for the first time in several years, to remove thatch and


Even Sedgefield sometimes needs watering - the Upton irrigator is soon to be replaced with a Briggs system


100 PC February/March 2021


Fence rebuilding in progress


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