Why Do We Use Lead Ponies in the US?

[Brigid]

@RPM

I just heard a commentator say that they don’t use lead ponies in France. They didn’t use them at Royal Ascot in England last year either.

Why do we use them in the US?

I could also ask why we race on dirt instead of turf for most races here, but I’ll just stick to the one topic for this thread.

Their horses trained this way.
You will also see ‘banged tails’ (neatly cut ends like a show horse.) and also their bits are pulled up closer to the molar-teeth. You’ll not see so many tongue-ties, as the bit is pulled-up to first molars: ‘bit-seat’. Mostly, they use (dexter) ring-bits instead.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_bit
But google. Don’t take my word

[Brigid]

@RPM

I just heard a commentator say that they don’t use lead ponies in France. They didn’t use them at Royal Ascot in England last year either.

Why do we use them in the US?

I could also ask why we race on dirt instead of turf for most races here, but I’ll just stick to the one topic for this thread.

Was I sucker-ed in to this? Yes. Why? The meds & infect-shun. Gross-ness everywhere.