The current weather conditions and the forecast for the weekend continues to show high temperatures across much of England in high 20s/ early 30s across much of this area. An amber weather warning for heat is in place until the end of Sunday south from Leeds to Plymouth. High temperatures are also forecast in areas outside of this amber warning area.
The HPA are therefore expecting all clubs, including those who are outside of the amber warning area, to put the measures in place listed below to ensure pony welfare is protected. This should include cancelling or postponing games if people cannot travel to/from the game/s safely or if games cannot be held safely, changing the times of games to a cooler part of the day, whilst being considerate of the traveling time (see below), shade if this does not exist already in pony lines, more frequent changes, fans/ mist or additional hosed water being available and a vet present on site or on immediate call nearby. In addition, we suggest that teams in the amber warning areas provide 2 umpire ponies so that a single pony isn’t being used for a whole match.
We also urge to you to constantly monitor prevailing weather conditions and ensure a close eye is kept on ponies at all times.
