Vet check criteria will be announced prior to the race start and will be determined by the Head Veterinarian after consideration of weather, terrain, and other factors. All horses must be presented to the veterinarians for a mandatory post race veterinary examination within one hour of finishing. Horses must pass this examination to be eligible for completion awards. Horses must be in excellent condition for this event, and any abuse of the horse will not be tolerated. All decisions of the veterinarian committee regarding the health and safety of the horse are final.
Artificial ties are illegal.
The use of any apparatus to create ties will result in immediate disqualification. Any decision to allow hand ties will announced at the pre-race briefing. A required tie will occur at each of the vet checks. A team must exchange at least twice between vet checks. Where vet checks are so close that two exchanges may be impractical, the Race Director may at his discretion allow one exchange between two specific vet checks.