SAFETY INFORMATION

A day at Kelso Racecourse should be great fun for everyone; nobody wants an injury or an incident to spoil their day. So, when push comes to shove, we need to make sure that there isn’t any pushing or shoving.

The racecourse team prepares carefully for each event and we take every precaution to ensure that the site is as safe as is practical. However, we also need some help from you – to take responsibility for your own safety and to respect the safety and comfort of those around you. With this in mind, we’ve compiled a brief list of precautions that we’d like all visitors to consider:

Fortunately very few accidents occur at Kelso Racecourse, but those that do are most likely to be relatively minor incidents involving someone who has had too much to drink Quite simply: you’ll be safer if you drink less alcohol. On the rare occasion that we receive a customer complaint, it’s quite likely to be linked to the behaviour of someone who’s had one too many So please drink responsibly and encourage your friends to stay within their limits

Any incident involving substance abuse will be dealt with by Police Scotland.

We’ve commenced a series of developments at the racecourse and we’re gradually making the site more accessible for all, with smoother surfaces and ramps where we have differences in gradient

Please note that the site is not flat and there may be differences in levels, particularly between old surfaces, and surfaces which have recently been renewed. Please take care of yourselves and mind where you walk Don’t try to run faster than your legs can go, even if you think your bookmaker might be packing away for the day

The fences, walls and temporary barriers located on the racecourse are intended to segregate people into specific areas This may include segregating people from horses or people from sensitive or hazardous equipment

Please do not attempt to climb over, sit on or stand on any barriers – regardless of whether they appear to be permanent or temporary features – they are not designed to take a person’s weight

Horses are big and run very fast; hopefully yours will run fastest of all. Please pay attention when in close proximity to the horses: stay on the public side of any barriers (close to the track or horse walk areas) and do not sit on or lean over barriers near to the horses The running rails are designed to encourage the horses to stay on the track but they will not withstand a horse’s weight if they hit them, nor a jockey’s if he is thrown over them so be prepared to move if a horse is behaving erratically

We’re proud of Kelso’s reputation for providing a warm welcome and the unique feature provided by the real fires that we light in the listed Grandstand and in the log-burning braziers surrounding the Parade Ring.

Our Fires have no brains – so please use your own. Fires are hot and there is a danger of burning yourself if you touch the fire or the surrounding metalwork Please do not put anything in the fires or fireplaces

We welcome many children to Kelso races Although we don’t consider them to be particularly dangerous, we do ask that all children are appropriately supervised by a responsible adult who should be particularly mindful of all the considerations above