White Turf: Horse racing with a hint of frost

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CNN)Far out of your typical race assembly, the upmarket ski resort of St. Moritz is domestic to one of the most spectacular activities on the horse racing calendar. White Turf, held annually over 3 Sundays in February, is a racing competition on a frozen lake at the foothills of the Engadine mountains in Switzerland. The occasion combines traditional flat racing with trotting races and skijöring — an uncommon pursuit one-of-a-kind to White Turf. Skijöring functions skiers pulled in the back of unsaddled horses across the icy song in what locals bear in mind the principal occasion. Visit CNN.Com/Sport for more news, capabilities, and video. It’s been held at the lavish ski lodge due to the fact 1907, and hundreds of site visitors flip up every year to sample the glitz, glamor, and particular snow-clad environment. a

Two-time winner Valeria Holinger is aware of precisely what it takes to compete in such a unique discipline. “You ought to feel how the horse is running, determine the approaches and do what is exceptional for your horse,” she told Winning Post’s Aly Vance in St. Moritz. “There is likewise a variety of adrenaline, which I honestly love.” The transient arena takes three weeks to build and is complete with all the trappings of a conventional racecourse. But such a precise environment requires special measures. Safety is of paramount significance, and organizers meticulously screen the song to ensure the ice is at least 30 centimeters thick. Dashing through the snow, horses additionally wear specialized footwear to forestall them slipping, whilst jockeys use masks to guard themselves against the snow kicked up by using the hooves.

White Turf: Horse racing with a hint of frost 1

Coping with the acute conditions is frequently harder for those horses delivered in from nations without an awful lot of blizzard. English teacher John Best has been taking horses to White Turf for years but says there is no apparent way to prepare the horses. Some don’t thoughts the snow being kicked up of their faces; others cannot handle it, he says. “You just ought to depend on your judgment as to whether the pony is going to be suitable,” Best told Winning Post from his yard in Kent, UK. Watching racehorses gallop thru the snow at 1800 meters above sea stage amid surprising mountains simultaneously as playing lavish hospitality makes White Turf a must-visit spectacle. “It’s a unique and very thrilling revel in,” adds Best. “I suppose for anyone inquisitive about racing, it needs to be on their bucket listing.”