Lynn Russell says . . .
“It’s hard to believe another season is over. Full marks to Royal Bath and West for introducing an invaluable novice cob class. I wish I could say that the controversies that marred the season have been solved, but the issues of judges responsibilities, cob heights and amateur status are still here.
“I make no apology for saying and writing exactly what I think: there may be some who would prefer to take a more passive stance, but you cant make problems go away by ignoring them.”
Pammy Hutton says . . .
“Theres no doubting the importance of instilling dedication and attention to detail even when it comes to the simplest of exercises, such as riding a circle.
“When I was training, riding an incorrect circle resulted in getting off to run the next one. It has been fun passing on this well-remembered punishment.
“A transition at a marker should indeed be at a marker. The marker cannot move…But often we all wish it would!”
Lucy Higginson says . . .
“Interspersed among some fine racing at Ascot was a ‘speed jumping’ test event. Every new innovation suffers teething problems, and the main one, from the point of view those whod paid to go, was the poor visibility they got through numerous layers of fencing not a problem for BBC cameras.
“While riders support anything that augments our sports scant terrestrial coverage, I think someone must speak up for ticket buyers. I hope the fact that the live audience struggled to see is not eclipsed by the judgement of TV producers.”
