Our Community

In early 2023 Retraining of Racecourses (RoR) launched an exciting new initiative to showcase the care given and opportunities available to racehorses once their racing days come to an end. The RoR Horses for Courses programme has so far seen ten racecourses around the country adopt an equine ambassador of which Wetherby is proud to be one. We are lucky to have three equine ambassadors, all of which we hope you enjoy following in their second careers.

Meet Wetherby’s Equine Ambassadors

Wemyss Point

For more information on Wemyss Point & for Beth’s latest blog post – click here

Guitar Pete

For more information on Guitar Pete & for Laurence’s latest blog post – click here

Lady Buttons

Wetherby Town

Wetherby Town has had a long-standing relationship with the Racecourse and the Racecourse Executive recruit staff from the local area and use local suppliers whenever possible.

Wetherby is an historical Market Town located on the River Wharfe and for centuries it has been an important crossing point and staging post along the A1 Great North Road being exactly equi-distant between London and Edinburgh.

Racing has been held in and around Wetherby since Roman days and its strong links to the community have been recognised in the Granite horse that now proudly jumps a serpentine limestone wall on the main roundabout connecting Wetherby with the A1 and Leeds.   For the full story of the Wetherby Granite Horse please click this link

For information on local amenities and where to stay, please contact Wetherby Tourist Information Centre on 01937 583144

Or try Trip Advisor, which offers first-hand reviews, good about hotels, restaurants, and places of interest.

Public Access & Dog Walkers

We pride ourselves on maintaining a good relationship with our local community and host many events at the Racecourse for local organisations and charities.

Our main gates are usually open Monday to Friday between the hours of 8.30am and 5.00pm and we accept that local residents will want to walk their dogs and/or exercise within our grassed car park areas. However we would advise, that outside of these times you do not park vehicles within the Racecourse grounds, as the gates could be locked at any time.

Whilst on-site, please do not venture onto the racetrack or within any of the Enclosures and keep dogs under control at all times.  It goes without saying that we would expect dog owners to pick up after their dogs.

Wetherby Racecourse is committed to providing the best possible care and facilities to ensure the highest standards of equine welfare

Horseracing in Britain is among the world’s best regulated animal activities and responsibility for the care of our animals rests with everyone in the sport.

Nothing matters more to British racing than the health and wellbeing of our horses. 300 years of careful breeding has developed the Thoroughbred to the elite sporting specimen we see today.

Large hearts, a highly efficient circulatory system, supercharged lung power, spring-like muscle tendons which propel them to high speeds…the Thoroughbred has been selected for its attributes which enable it to run and jump at speeds and over long distances.

Racing gives these athletes a purpose. It’s in their DNA and what they were born to do. From tailored nutrition to state-of-the-art training, every aspect of their development and care is curated to safeguard their health and realise their athletic potential.

There are around 14,000 horses in training at any one time, receiving dedicated care from a team of more than 8,000 racing staff, and the quality of life they lead can be seen in their physical condition on the racecourse.

Our common objective is for agreed, transparent, world-leading standards of equine care for the whole life of our horses; a commitment to innovate and make ongoing, measurable improvements based on clear evidence with the full engagement of owners, trainers, jockeys and fans.

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 racing, three vets follow the action around the racetrack and can attend to a horse in the same response times that paramedic teams can attend to a fallen or injured jockey.  It is standard policy that screens are erected in case a horse requires veterinary treatment whilst on site. This does not reflect on the severity of an injury but allows the vet some privacy and the horse a calmer environment in which to make a recovery.

Access to water after racing is vitally important. Self-filling troughs, buckets and spray hoses are provided strategically as horses leave the track and return to either the winners’ enclosure or the stables.

British Racing now has a dedicated hub, designed to promote the sport and to talk about the Thoroughbred – their purpose, the lives they lead, and the high welfare and safety standards that underpin British racing.

Engaging the younger generation

Racing to School

We are proud to work with Racing to School, an education charity that aims to inspire young minds through the provision of free, interactive, and healthy outdoor educational events for schools.

We have so far welcomed children from St Joseph’s Catholic School Wetherby and the local Pony Club groups at a number of our racedays.

To find out more about Racing to School please click here to visit their website.

In 2022 the Racecourse partnered up with WiSE as part of the Yorkshire Racing Beacon Programme.

WiSE offers services to improve the quality of life for over 60’s in Wetherby and surrounding villages including Befriending, Transport services and Social activities. Wetherby in Support of the Elderly (WiSE) is a registered charity organisation. WiSE aims to enable older people to live at home, whilst reducing social isolation. They also support those who care for older people in the community.

WiSE at the Races!
Wetherby Racecourse provide WiSE with the ability to bring along some of their Wise Friends for a day at the races, twice a year.  The Racecourse provide a warm, comfortable viewing suite together with free entry and complimentary tea/cofee and biscuits and volunteers from Wise get everyone to the course, they meet them and show them to the WiSE suite and look after everyone on the day.  To date we have enabled 150 elderly residents in the local community, including one resident who is partially sighted and enjoyed her first social outing in 7 years, and another Gentleman aged 92 who enjoyed his first ever trip to the races!

Debbie Todd, activities co-ordinator for WiSE said “I just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone involved with Wise’s day at the races.  It has enabled us to get some of our friends out to enjoy a fun social activity when they otherwise would have been spending another day alone.  I want to pass on our thanks to everyone involved at the Racecourse, including Adele Mulrennan, who provided a racecard talk for the group – our friends found her knowledge really useful.”

We had some lovely feedback from our WiSE friends:

What does a day at the races mean to you?

Team Wetherby volunteer at WiSE Pay as You Feel Cafe – Wetherby Town Centre

As part of our ongoing commitment to suppor WiSE and as part of Racing Together’s Community Day initiative, members of the Wetherby Racecourse team volunteered their services to help run the WiSE Cafe in Wetherby Town Hall on Tuesday 23rd May.

Find out more HERE