Horses with hoods

[cosmicway]

I 've seen quite a few horses lately getting off to a slow start because the jockey forgot to take the hood off. The hood is used so the handlers can guide horses into the box, when they don't go quietly. I wonder however how much of a common practice it is around racecourses to leave the hoods up to the last moment before the start.

[alexmac]

Re: Horses with hoods

I wonder however how much of a common practice it is around racecourses to leave the hoods up to the last moment before the start.

Happens in every single race just about mate. The starter shouts 'hoods off' just before the off... you can hear it clearly even on TV.

[mowgli77]

Re: Horses with hoods There was a bad incident at Ripon a few weeks ago when the horse had a hood on, reared up and threw the jockey off and then ran into a parked car. It looked like it had a really bad cut to its stomach. It just ran off towards the woods before they eventually caught it. The car door was a complete mess too, crumpled.

[cosmicway]

Re: Horses with hoods I thought so. Obviously the starter must be well positioned and also have the help of observers. There is always a lot of commotion in the start boxes with jocks shouting "I 'm not well" and things like that. The jocks feel if they take the hood off in the last moment their horse is likely to speed out of the gate - but this can also prove a boomerang. I think it is the starter who has to be very experienced to handle things well. In America there are n't almost no horses exhibiting behaviours and I never seen such an incident (UK races I have n't been watching almost a year now).