did you work that out on your own?

Does my head in the way people say the race is so much classier now..... ITS NOT, THE HANDICAP IS JUST MORE COMPRESSED NOW. and say Tiger Roll is a better horse than Red Rum is laughable, lets see how he does under top weight next year...

Cheers, ged. We tend to think of demands for 'welfare' changes as a modern 'snowflake' thing, but evidently not. Do you know if it was from within the sport that called for the changes, or was it external pressure? '

George: - 'The Society for the Modification of Steeplechasing and Grand National Reform' held an emergency meeting on the Sunday night after the 1954 Grand National, and its members 'demanded that a telegram be delivered to Topham's Ltd', and that a letter be written to the Home Secretary requesting a Government investigation into the race. Lord Ammon (a Labour peer) was president of the society, and resolved to put down a question in the House of Lords, and Brigadier Medlicott MP proposed to raise a quetion in the House of Commons.

The League Against Cruel Sports held an emergency meeting on the Tuesday to consider whether legal proceedings should be taken against the owners of the 4 horses killed, and whether any action could be taken against the promoters of the race.

The Humane Education Society wrote to Mirabel Topham asking for the number of fences jumped to be reduced from 30 to 15, and the abolition of Becher's Brook.

It was discussed in the House of Lords on April 6th, when it was mentioned that, overall, the fences were actually smaller than in 1936, with only one fence being bigger (by half an inch).

April 22 - RSPCA met with Weatherbys (acting for the NH Committee), and presented 6 recommendations for changes, including lowering the top weight to 12-0, tightening up rider qualifications, and decreasing the run to the first fence.

The Society for the Modif.....etc submitted their recommended changes, which were more extensive, including shortening the run-in, and jockeys not being allowed to hit horses when tired.

The Chief Steward met with the Home Secretary and defended the race, and the sport, robustly, and said that the public should not get the impression that ill-prepared/unwilling horses were being flogged by incompetent jockeys, as some members of the Houses had been suggesting.


In the end, the only changes made to the race for 1955 were...
1. Making the brook on the landing side of Becher's shallower and easier for a horse to get out of (should it have fallen in).
2. Lowering the fence after Becher's (today called 'Foinavon'), by 6 inches, to 4'6", the minimum allowed, as a respite following Becher's.

Interesting stuff, ged, thanks for posting.

I tend to think of calls for changes as a modern era protest, but this proves we've had at least 65 years of it!

The Humane Education Society wrote to Mirabel Topham asking for the number of fences jumped to be reduced from 30 to 15, and the abolition of Becher's Brook.


Some of us would be shocked if we had read that this week!