AS spring makes way for summer, and the point to point fixtures fade away, the trotting season becomes the focus of the weekend horse events.
This traditional sport with its roots in the trotting cobs of the 18th century is still an integral part of the local rural scene. The first meeting of the season will be at the all-weather track, at Tair Gwaith, near Ammanford, on Saturday May 4, where conditions will be perfect for the horses to show how they can perform, giving pointers to the season ahead. All the keen punters will be watching intently as the newbies take on the characters from past seasons. There will be several new horses, some with previous reputations to live up to, some having their first experience of racing.
As the sport resumes, owners, trainers and drivers renew their efforts to head the prize winning lists. There is much discussion of the best prospects for the coming season, who will be champion driver, leading horse etc. but the sport is still dominated by the enthusiastic amateur who just wants to have fun. Their complete dedication to their horse’s wellbeing, is seen week after week, as these horses in return, give some memorable performances which will be talked about for years to come.
The favourable spring weather will have helped the trainers to prepare their horses ready for the ‘off’. Tair Gwaith is the site of three former south Wales coal mines and so perhaps it is fitting that this site has been converted to provide a showcase for trotting. In contrast to racing which was known as the sport of kings, trotting was the sport of the people, and had a huge following from the south Wales coalfield. Today it still has its loyal followers, with horses coming from a large area every week, to the many different tracks which continues the tradition of taking the sport to the community.
After the first two fixtures at Ammanford the season then moves on to the more traditional grass meetings, beginning as always at Knighton in the middle of May. Most of the fixtures are on Saturdays, with the majority on grass fields in Powys or Ceredigion, the final meeting of the season, the charity meeting will be held at Almeley, just over the border in Herefordshire on Saturday, September 21. So there will be a ‘buzz’ at Ammanford on May 4 as the season kicks off, with owners, trainers, drivers and punters all hoping to make 2019, one of the best.