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I’m a big fan of the Easifix hurdles but I do have a problem with current policy here in Ireland which seems to keep their use a secret! Maybe I’m being obtuse but the first I knew they were jumping these at Limerick yesterday was in the highlights programme on ATR (didn’t get time to see any Limerick races live)
In retrospect Easifix did sponsor a race there which should have been a clue but would it be asking too much do you reckon to highlight when they are to be used in the racecards in the papers and also to indicate in past results when they have been jumped?Fair point and agree they’re far safer and horse friendly than the current "spring back" hurdles in use throughout the UK. They actually take some jumping and you can’t just splatter through them.
Exactly, which would make it useful to know when a horse’s form was over them and not normal hurdles.
Sam Morshead has been pushing ahead to use them at Perth next year. If and when they are used at Northern courses I will make sure the fact is noted by readers of this forum.
Rob
Haydock are looking to introduce them to more and more races at Haydock. Starting with the Fixed Brush series that’s been in evidence for the last few years and gradually introducing them more in place of regular hurdles – hoping they do so for the Champion Hurdle Trial and Rendlesham at some point.
Current winners over them include Cloudy Lane (pre-Chasing), Halcon Genelardais (winning Chaser), St. Matthew (winning Chaser), According To Pete (winning Chaser) and Millennium Royal (winner in France). Certainly seems to favour traditional type horses and Chasers.
Irish Stamp, we are talking about Easyfix hurdles, not fixed-brush hurdles. They are quite different.
Easyfix hurdles are 100% plastic and any contact between a horse’s legs and an unyielding, solid (i.e. wooden), component is precluded. They are a far safer alternative imo to either type of hurdle in use at present in the UK.
As far as I’m concerned, the fixed-brush hurdles in use at Worcester especially are a potential death-trap.Help me out here guys
I am out of touch with these things but I can remember the TV cameras coming down from Carlisle to Jonjo’s yard at Skelton before he moved. They were filming some horse jumping these new hurdles and interviewing Ron Barry who was involved in their development.
Are these the same hurdles or has someone introduced a newer and better version?
No don’t think so Fist. This is a much more recent innovation. Don’t know if Johnjo has bought any for schooling at Jackdaw’s Castle but Nicholls and Henderson are just two of several trainers who are now using them.
All of this was discussed on here back in September. Just enter EasyFix Hurdles in the search facility.
Irish Stamp, we are talking about Easyfix hurdles, not fixed-brush hurdles. They are quite different.
Easyfix hurdles are 100% plastic and any contact between a horse’s legs and an unyielding, solid (i.e. wooden), component is precluded. They are a far safer alternative imo to either type of hurdle in use at present in the UK.
As far as I’m concerned, the fixed-brush hurdles in use at Worcester especially are a potential death-trap.Fair points but either the fixed brush hurdles (which I’m a huge fan of – they teach horses to jump properly for a start) or the Easyfix hurdles would be a great improvement on springback ones.
Invest in the right type of hurdle and you’ll be rewarded with top horses – Worcester’s hurdles aren’t the best but there are more and more class horses turning out over Haydock’s variation on them and they are being rewarded.
Im quite friendly with the groundstaff at Perth,and Donald the head groundsman is very confident they will be in use for the April meeting.
That of course will depend on the BHA, and we all know how quick they are to approve anything sensible and beneficial; the "not invented here" syndrome may also play its part. The Irish Turf Club do seem to be more forward thinking in many respects.
No don’t think so Fist. This is a much more recent innovation. Don’t know if Johnjo has bought any for schooling at Jackdaw’s Castle but Nicholls and Henderson are just two of several trainers who are now using them.
All of this was discussed on here back in September. Just enter EasyFix Hurdles in the search facility.
Seems Jonjo has them at Jackdaw for a few months , apparantly the Ron Barry collapsible hurdle was introduced about 1973
………….geez is it that time already 
Never forget the first time I was on a racecourse proper and took a runner at a hurdle and bounced off it……not the same as they look on the TV, they are solid.
I’m dead against what they did at Haydock with those great fences. I Would love to see less rigid hurdles on every course though, as a wrong jump at a hurdle can do a lot more damage to the lower limbs of a horse than most fences will.
You only need to stand next to a hurdle when it’s hit to see that they bounce back at the horses following in behind. As such they are movable obstacles.
Would it be fair to say you’d be a fan of small fence like obstacles as hurdles then Fists?
Whilst I’m no fan of the new Haydock fences the hurdles they have are fantastic
Sam Morshead has been pushing ahead to use them at Perth next year. If and when they are used at Northern courses I will make sure the fact is noted by readers of this forum.
Very much looking forward to Perth embracing these obstacles. Morshead’s last quote to the Post on the matter about six weeks ago was that he, “would be extremely disappointed if they were not in use by the time of our April meeting”.
I think the British course crying out for them the most is Fakenham. How many times are hurdles omitted there on account of the horses coming round again too quickly for flight damage to be rectified?
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
To nobody’s great surprise, Sam Morshead’s plan to introduce EasyFix hurdles at the current Perth Festival has not received BHA approval.
If there are any Forumites attending the meeting perhaps you could let us know whether there is any reference to this in the racecard, or whether Sam has said anything about it during his rambling soliloquies at the microphone.
Thanks.
Michael.
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