The Horse Comes First

Here at Wetherby Racecourse we are committed to minimising risks, dealing quickly and humanely with injuries and maintaining the highest possible quality of life for the animals in our care.

At every meeting we have three specially qualified Equine Vets appointed to look after the welfare of all horses in action. There is also a British Horseracing Authority Veterinary Officer in attendance. During the race, three vets follow the action from the centre of course and can can attend to a horse in the same response time as the Paramedic Teams responsible for treating the injured jockeys. It is standard policy that in the event of a horse requiring veterinary treatment whilst on site, screens will be erected round the horse. It is designed to afford the vet and patent some privacy. Please do not assume the worst. A specialist horse ambulance is also in attendance every raceday.

In addition, should your horse stay at the racecourse the night prior to racing and become distressed in anyway, a standby vet is on call to deal with any emergencies that might arise.

We have a large cool down area for all runners as they exit the track, providing space to wash them down with pressure hoses and with plenty of drinking water available.