Events cancelled and special measures for Army horses as Britain sweats
Equestrian events and fixtures are being cancelled owing to the sweltering June heatwave.
British Showjumping (BS) and British Dressage (BD) have cancelled all competition in areas for which red extreme heat warnings are in place on Wednesday (24 June) and Thursday (25 June).
A BS spokesperson urged riders to check the BS website and social media, as well as venue announcements, before travelling as affected areas can change and some venues where competition is set to start on Friday are limiting arrival times.
“It is very important during this period of hot weather that horses are kept as cool as possible and out of the sun with plenty of access to clean water,” added the BS spokesperson.
A statement from BD said any venues within the red warning area “will be cancelling their BD competition or training activity with immediate effect” to “protect the health and safety of all participants, both equine and human”.
The statement added that riders will be entitled to refunds and venues will have the option to reschedule if they wish.
“For venues running in amber warning areas, a decision will be made on a case-by-case basis as to whether the scheduled competition or training activity can still safely go ahead. If a decision is made to cancel, and a rescheduled date can be arranged, you will be contacted directly in due course,” added the statement.
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“Please note that these warnings are subject to change and the Met Office can often update their guidance and advice at short notice to extend the areas covered by red and amber warnings, so we would recommend checking their website regularly.
“As this is the last week of summer qualification and entries are now closed, if the venue chooses to reschedule their dates, please note that only a transfer of existing entries will be offered and no late entries will be accepted.
“We understand that this might be a disappointing and frustrating decision, however the welfare of our competitors, horses and venue staff is always our paramount consideration. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.”
Wednesday’s racing fixtures at Kempton Park, Salisbury, Worcester and Ffos Las have also been abandoned owing to the forecast high temperatures. Three of these courses fall within the red warning zone – Ffos Las is just outside but people would need to travel through the red zone to reach the racecourse. The meetings have all been rescheduled for early next week.
Timings for Thursday’s racing fixtures at Nottingham and Newmarket, both in amber alert zones, have been shifted to start earlier to avoid the hottest part of the day. Nottingham’s card will run from 10.30am to 1pm and Newmarket’s from 10.45am to 1.15pm, and the Dereham Handicap at the latter has been rescheduled for Friday (26 June).
“The [British Horseracing Authority] BHA will continue to liaise with racecourses hosting fixtures in amber warning zones this week to consider any further mitigations that may be needed, in line with the industry’s hot weather policy,” said a BHA spokesperson.
“Each fixture will be managed on a case-by-case basis, with several factors considered according to the local weather forecast and environmental conditions.
“Trainers are advised that horses should not be moved from or through any areas where red heat warnings are in place.”
The Army is amending its ceremonial operations across London and Windsor in light of the red heat alert.
“The wellbeing of our soldiers, military working horses and the public who gather in large numbers to watch these events is always our priority,” said an Army spokesperson.
This means there will be no ceremonial guard changes in London or Windsor on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. On Wednesday, the King’s Life Guard at Horse Guards will change without ceremony at 8am to avoid heat stress to the horses.
Hot weather cancellation policies: what do they say?
Each of the individual governing bodies for horse sport in Britain has its own approach to hot weather.
The BS rule book spells out that “competitions must not take place in extreme weather conditions if the welfare or safety of the horse may be compromised” and that “provision must be made for cooling horses quickly after competing in hot or humid conditions”.
The BHA and BD hot weather policies both feature traffic light-style systems. Racing fixtures are automatically abandoned if they fall within a red warning area, and BD rules state that competition “must be cancelled” in the event of a red weather warning, unless there are extenuating circumstances and it is agreed in advance with BD.
A British Eventing (BE) spokesperson told H&H BE does not operate a Met Office red/amber zone policy or a specific hot weather traffic light system, as its events and venues vary significantly.
“As with any extreme or adverse weather conditions, decisions around whether an event can safely proceed are managed on a case-by-case basis, the BE technical adviser and BE steward working closely with the organiser,” said the spokesperson.
This is echoed in the BE rulebook.
The spokesperson added: “At the moment, we are continuing to monitor forecasts across the UK, particularly at venues hosting events this weekend, and are working closely with organisers to ensure appropriate measures and support are in place. Horse welfare remains our top priority.
“Fortunately, current forecasts suggest temperatures will ease over the weekend, but we are monitoring the situation day by day and continue to encourage all riders and teams to take appropriate steps to keep horses safe in hot weather and prepare carefully for competition.”
Alnwick Ford is the sole BE fixture due to take place before the weekend and is not currently in a red warning or amber alert area.
Farley Hall, in Berkshire, had been set to run some classes on Friday (26 June), but has now moved these to Monday (29 June). Those who are unable to compete on Monday will receive a partial refund through BE’s abandonment support fund.
Farley Hall organiser Stuart Buntine, of BEDE Events, said: “This decision has been made in the best interests of everyone involved with the forecasted temperature for Monday considerably lower than Friday.
“We appreciate that moving the date won’t work for every rider, so all Friday entries will automatically be moved to Monday and those unable to attend on Monday, please contact Josie Brettell josiebrettell@gmail.com by 8pm Wednesday evening.”
Hot weather policies: more information
- More information on the British Dressage hot weather policy and on page 111 of the BD members’ handbook
- BHA hot weather policy
- British Showjumping rule on extreme weather on p96 of the BS handbook
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.