Guide Dog Access

[rosemary johnson]

I dunno about Shetland ponies being bad-tempered. I've seen plenty of Shelties who looked very much in control of their riders, rather than vice versa.
I've seen several heats, at horse shows, county fairs and sometimes even at the races, of the "Shetland Pony Grand National" - races for up to 10 of the little horrors at a time, with small children as the jockeys, all in their coloured silks, twice round the ring, pop over two hurdles on each long side, then up the centre, and the first 4 between the finishing line flags in the centre go through tothe next round.
There are plenty who have very wicked gleams in their eyes, and not a few who are very much in charge and decide for themselves what route they'll go and which of the jumps they will go over, through or round.

There are numerous tales fromt he old days of horses who knew their way home - from the pub in the evening, say - and would duly turn up, quite unaided, with their owner snoring less-than-soberly in the cart behind them.
I'm also quite sure the one I used to share and take out for rides in Epping Forest knew her way round the forest far better than I did. She always knew the places where "Come on, we canter up here!" and where there were logs beside the path that she may or may not feel like jumping over.
And there are racehorses who have a very good idea of where the winning post is! - I once saw one at Ascot (he must have raced there before) lose his jockey early in the race, gallop along loose following all the others - and when the got into the finishing straight, he must have realised where they were, because he suddenly put a spurt on, came sailing past all the others and got tothe front just in time to sail past the winning post nicely in the lead.
Rosemary

[Andrew MacLean]

What happens if a ockeyless horse crosses the finishing line first? Is it disqualified, or do the people who bet on its finishing first win?

sorry if the question seems silly, but I really do wonder.

Andrew

[Per]

What happens if a ockeyless horse crosses the finishing line first? Is it disqualified, or do the people who bet on its finishing first win?

sorry if the question seems silly, but I really do wonder.

Andrew

The horse takes it all and celebrate. The jockey is sent home in shame.

(Sorry, couldn´t resist )

[Andrew MacLean]

Per

The jockey often seems to be taken to hospital in an ambulance! But do the punters get their pay?

I think I may just have to ask one of my many friends who frequent the various turf accountants scattered about the British Isles.

Andrew

[rosemary johnson]

What happens if a ockeyless horse crosses the finishing line first? Is it disqualified, or do the people who bet on its finishing first win?

sorry if the question seems silly, but I really do wonder.

Andrew

I riderless horse is not placed in the finishing order by the judge.
It wuld not qualify as completing the course properly to win, as i has not carried the correct weight - even if it did take the right course and jump all the fences.
But the judges don't list them, because apart from anything else, without the jockey on board wearing the coloured silks and cap, the judge wouldn't know which one it was! (The horses do have saddle cloths with numbers on, but these often "ride up2, flap about, get folded over, and aren't always easy to read.)

Interestingly, I did once see a race where I horse was placed third (I think) by the judge, when it's saddle had come over in the closing stages. SOmehow, the jockey managed to cling on and pass the post riding bareback! The judge recognised who it was from the coloured silks, so gave out its name in the result. But it got disqualified because without the saddle, the jockey alone did not make up the weight the horse had to carry.
I suppose it's possible, if the horse had been allotted a low weight and the jockey was riding on a very small saddle, and particularly if it was a very wet day, the jockey may have acquired enough extra weight in getting wet and muddy from flying divots that he'd still make the weight. But I've never seen that happen!

Loose horses often do run round with the rest of the horses in a race, and quite often do get ahead of them, withoutht e weight of a rider to lug around. Unfortunately, they often don't run in stright lines and often get in the ohters' way - and sometimes cause nasty pile-ups.

THe oddest case of a disqualification of a horse I ever heard was in a steeplechase at Sandown a few seasons ago. The horse was in (I think) third place near the end of a race with four runners still going, saw the last fence, thought he wasn't oging to get over that, then thought he'd better have a go, wavered - and ended up stuck half way over the fence with his belly on the top, his front legs hanging down on one side and his back legs hanging down on the other. His jockey climbed off, and there were a whole group of people round him, trying to help him get back to earth (as it were). SOmewhere in the process, they took off his saddle, and his blinkers so he could see round. There were people in front hoding his reins trying to coax him on, and others behind trying to push him fro the back...
He finally wriggled down forwards and landed back on his feet on the landing side of the fence. And someone must have remembered that so far only three horses had actually finished the race and there was a prize for fourth place and only about 100 yards more to go up the track to the finish. So his jockey put the saddle back on, and someone gave him a leg up, and he rode the 100 yards to the finish.
And everyone finally stopped laughing and went to see the runners for the next race parading, and there was an announcement of a Stewards enquiry....

... and the poor horse got disqualified after all.....
.......... because after getting him off the fence, they'd forgotten to put his blinkers back on, and having been declared to race in blinkers, he had to complete the whole course wearing them, and hadn't done.
Rosemary

[rosemary johnson]

I suppose it would be possible for a particular bookie to have a rule that they'll pay out on horse who passes the post first riderless.
But I don't know any.
The trouble is, how do you prove it? The judge won't place it officially, and if it is not guaranteed the judge would recognise it, sitting in the judge's seat in prime position opposite the winning post, the chances of ebing able to be certain a riderless horse passing the post first was yours on the betting shops TV screens is remote.
Rosemary

[Andrew MacLean]

Thanks Rosemary

You can plainly tell from my question that I know nothing about horse racing.

You have answerd a question that has niggled away for many years.

Andrew