Parade:
Paddocks, Parade Rings, Mounting Yards
Paul Roberts and Isabelle Taylor
2016
Waiting at the rails to inspect the favourites at close quarters, watching as horses are saddled and prepared, observing jockeys being whispered final instructions before mounting: the spectacle of the parade ring is one of the unmissable experiences of the race-day theatre.
Whether known as parade rings, paddocks, mounting yards or walking rings, these physical spaces are pivotal to the pageantry and practical operation of the sport. And yet they are often overlooked.
Parade is a celebration of these fundamental components of the racecourse environment. Richly illustrated, it takes a tour of pre-parade and parade rings across the world. It examines when they first appeared at racecourses, how their form and function have changed in the intervening years, and the ingredients for successful parade ring design in the twenty-first century.
