Just saw this news. Is this the result of a known issue that has gotten worse over time that people knew about or is this information new? https://www.fauquiernow.com/news/october-gold-cup-races-cancelled-at-great-meadow-as-officials-deem-track-unsafe/article_627e26f4-7692-11ef-b5a4-2b372828fc33.html
“this is the first time in Gold Cup history the track’s been closed for lack of proper maintenance and that Great Meadow “was warned about sub-par conditions two years ago.””
From the article.
There has been contention regarding water for irrigation of the turf between the races and the international horse trials that was already cancelled for this year. Two very dry summers in a row has not helped, either.
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Very interesting as I had seen past complaints in the NSA stewards reports, but this May the course was complimented as being at its best in years. I don’t know what is going at at Great Meadow leadership but what a mess.
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A dear friend was planning a Big Fancy Client Event at the fall races and is beside herself because she only got this news today. This is an especially tough situation, because the spring and fall Gold Cups are some of the few horsey events that register with the general public. What a mess.
Well… that seems to depend on who you ask.
I’ve read that the NSA warned Great Meadow a few years back that the track was in need of better maintenance. But I’ve also read that the same team has been managing the track for years, and that people thought the turf was in excellent shape during the spring races.
If you follow local groups on social media, there seems to be even more finger pointing and chatter going on. Which is unfortunate.
What is known for sure is that the 4* had serious issues there last year, due to rock hard ground and a lack of irrigation. It was subsequently cancelled for the following year. Very sad. And now the fall races have been cancelled at Great Meadow as well (but at least moved to a different venue). The turf apparently looked like this as of ~ a week ago…
So I can definitely understand why they aren’t racing there this fall.
Hopefully the board of the foundation will have a meeting ASAP, decide to make a significant investment to repair/recondition the turf, and improve irrigation infrastructure… and hopefully racing (and eventually eventing… that’s wishful thinking though) can resume at some point in the not too distant future. But repairing turf in this shape will take some time.
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We also had a lot more steady rain leading up to the spring meet compared to the last two summers, which benefited soaking down into the turf. The summer storms we’ve gotten have been short sudden dumps of rain that run off without soaking deep into the ground. Our Virginia clay soil packs into concrete, then gets a couple of short exposures to moisture you may as well have a layer of grease on that concrete.
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Yikes, that track!
In Nova we have been experiencing a drought all summer into the fall – with intermittent rain here and there. Not enough, really - though we got a little this week and there is some in the forecast for next week.
I’m entered in the Old Tavern HT at Great Meadow a week from this Sunday; often they will aerate or aggravate the x-country tracks there, but not sure about the steeplechase track since that’s in a different area. Do they usually irrigate it?
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Yup. I hear you.
It seems like significant investment will be necessary now to get it back in decent shape though. And if they opt to do that, it might be wise to opt to do something to improve irrigation options.
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Yes, agree.
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They did irrigate it, but the issue last year (and probably this year) is that the summer drought caused low water in the ponds they use for irrigation.
Rain in this general area, and even closer to the Blue Ridges, can be very spotty, with it dumping in some areas, and barely raining at all in other areas only 10 - 15 minutes away. But overall, June and July were brutal this year. And I think the damage was done then.
It seems like they need other irrigation options to better support the turf during years when we get 2 consecutive REALLY dry summer months.
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Yes, that makes sense – and absolutely re: the drought conditions and “spotty” (at best) rain.
I live in Fairfax but board in Upperville; the rain to the west of Fairfax often fizzles out, passes us by, goes to the north or the south, or the Blue Ridge mountains stop it. It’s incredibly frustrating – and has been happening since late spring!
Many of the competition venues have not even been able to water their rings because of the drought. 
And as you say, the ponds and natural water sources are very low so irrigation would pretty much be the only way to ensure that the track footing is safe to ride on, and comfortable for the horses. And of course it’s $$$$ 
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BTW a post about this just popped up on my Facebook feed on Middleburg Uncensored – are you a member?
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Yep. Rainfall near the mountains depends on which direction the wind is coming from. And the Shenandoah can play a role as well.
Here’s a useful graphic illustrating the dynamics. It just shows a taller range and an ocean instead of a river. But… the same general dynamics apply.
It’s $$$$ but also, as much as I hate to say it as an eventer, I have to wonder whether it’s environmentally/socially responsible to use such vast amounts of water for luxury sport pet events during a drought…
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Drought in this area tends to be very seasonal in nature.
I think it’s fair to ask if the calendar date for the 4 star was optimal. But the spring and fall races? They are/were well positioned on the calendar in terms of the typical rainy season. It seems (although I am certainly open to being corrected) like neglecting to irrigate the tried at all during the exceptionally dry season in the summer led to significant damage to the root system, and compaction. And that is going to be $$$$$ to address.
It’s all unfortunate. The venue is a community asset. If they aren’t running an FEI event or Gold Cup there anymore though… I worry about the future.
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Yes, you have a point – up at Loch Moy at least they have those two big ponds to draw water from.
At several local barns, they have restricted water use over the summer and you’re not allowed to bathe your horse!
But it is indeed “recreational use”, not that responsible when peoples wells are running dry.
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True, but the seasonality also seems to be becoming less predictable and the rain more hyper-localized (spotty, as you mentioned). For example, in 2022 we needed water table perc testing done. In my county in MD near the VA border, the typical season for “wet season” perc testing is Feb 1 through April 15. That year we had such an unseasonably dry winter / early spring that testing was only open for a week in April, and all tests in the county had to be squeezed into that one week. No one at the county and none of the contractors involved, some of whom had been working in the field for 30+ years, had ever experienced such a thing before. Meanwhile this year we had expanding drought in June-Aug, which is not unusual, but suddenly in mid-Aug some areas got buckets of rain while some got none. Our grass was greener at the end of Aug than I’ve ever seen it, while a few miles away it still looked parched. I used to think of Sept/Oct as a good time to event, but these days the ground often remains pretty hard and dry through at least mid-Oct. I sympathize with anyone trying to farm, manage a property, or run a business that is affected by rainfall, because it is becoming so unpredictable!
I agree with your worry about the future…
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Another thing we have not received any appreciable amount of the last few years has been snow. It’s more likely to melt slower and recharge water tables than any rain, so even when we get a couple of decent months of rain it doesn’t make a lasting effect on the water table. I know it’s not as much of a moisture driver as more northern or mountainous areas, but it still makes a difference.
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That track looks terrible. I can’t find an excuse for it really.
I’m in Loudoun, in an area that had the worst of the drought. For comparison, this area was bare dirt until I had grass seed planted in April. It was not irrigated and had to endure a month and a half of no rain. This is what it looks like today. I mowed the shorter part last week. It’s pretty thick and happy.
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The future is what I worry about also. That is a big chunk of land to be found unsuitable for its traditional use. I fear the vultures may start circling.
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