Lead ring

Leading ring of the Cologne-Weidenpesch horse racing track

Lead ring at the Iffezheim racecourse

A lead ring is located at the edge of a horse racing track and enables the horses participating in a horse race to be seen up close before the race.

The background of the parade ring is to give the bettor the opportunity to inspect the horses from as close as possible before placing a bet, in order to draw conclusions about their current form. Since the interior of the parade ring is only reserved for the people directly involved in the race - trainers, jockeys and grooms - as well as the owners, it is also used by the owners to present themselves with their horses.

The race regulations stipulate that a veterinarian in the lead ring inspects the horses for lameness, circulatory disorders and other abnormalities. If there are indications of such a health impairment, the race track veterinarian must be called in, who then decides on the start or exclusion of the horse.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Victoria von Sachsen-Coburg and Gotha: To evaluate the animal welfare when dealing with horses for the field of horse racing . Cuvillier, Göttingen 2005, p. 189. ISBN 3-86537-405-0