This is a ridiculous situation'

Graham Fletcher discusses horse vettings and getting bums on seats

- Graham Fletcher

LAST year, I predicted that Scott Brash was going where he belongs - to world number one - and he's certainly done it in style.

In recent weeks, I've been in Doha, where my son Olli has been competing, and to watch Scott scoop up grands prix on different horses has been mind-blowing. He's got a great string and the way he places each horse or gives them an easier class before he targets a grand prix shows he's so tactically astute.

The prize money at Doha is unbelievable; €10m over eight weeks. It's exciting how our sport has grown so much in recent years. Jan Tops tells me that the Global Champions Tour is now televised in 56 different countries.

As a sport, however, we shouldn't get too exclusive. Filling the grandstands is just as important as filling the executive boxes.

There's no doubt that showjumping’s popularity of yesteryear owed a great deal to characters like Harvey Smith who appealed to all sections of society. Today, we should be striving to make it more available to all by getting people that aren't horsey to follow the sport.