HUNTERS HARD TO FIND

WHERE have the well-mannered ladies’ hunters gone, especially if you’re a middle-aged lady wanting to replace a dear old friend of 13 sound seasons and don’t have £10,000-plus to spend?

I know what I like – a comfortable ride and not a plod, a good-looking, well-mannered gentleman who is not going to tank off across country; one with a brave but not foolish jump, one with stamina, who’s sound and is easy to do on your own. These horses are hard to find.

I love an old-fashioned eventer type, but a lot of these horses now have continental blood and I’m not a fan. It’s the same with an old-fashioned National Hunt chaser – with some jump stallions being stayers off the Flat, they don’t have the bone they used to.

I went to see a three-yearold off the Flat, who sounded

promising. But he had the most terrible conformation, so how on earth could he stand up to racing?

We should breed for quality, soundness and temperament. My search continues for this season.

Melissa Williams Newmarket, Suffolk