2013 Grand National to modifications made for the previous year's race, Aintree announced that a number of further changes had been made for the 2013 National. Twelve of the 16 fences on the course were rebuilt with the timber frames within them replaced by a softer material known as "plastic birch". The fences are still covered with at least 14 inches of spruce and will remain the same height. The starting line was also moved 90 yards closer to the first fence, further away from the spectators' stands and thereby reducing slightly the overall distance. Aintree and the Professional Jockeys' Association jointly issued
The Chair (Aintree Racecourse) riders or were brought down, but not those who were pulled up, carried out or refused at the fence: The Chair (Aintree Racecourse) The Chair is a fence on Aintree Racecourse's National Course and thus is one of 30 that are jumped during the Grand National steeplechase which is held annually at the racecourse near Liverpool, England. It is the 15th fence that the runners jump and is one of only two (the other being the 16th, the Water Jump) in the race to be negotiated only once. Positioned in front of the grandstand, it is the tallest fence on