‘Brexit plus Covid is the perfect storm'

James Fisher on why the window is narrowing for championship hopefuls

- James Fisher

JANUARY is always dark, with short days, grim weather, few events, hoof abscesses, mud fever and heavy wet rugs, and you have to grin and bear it until the birds start singing. Although it’s always difficult, as I write, Brexit plus Covid has created the perfect storm.

Covid has brought a halt to our shows and now the red tape around Brexit is making it incredibly difficult to travel abroad to compete. Hopefully, common sense will prevail over the paperwork. With the racing industry as well to support, there has to be a system that works properly.

At the moment, however, costs are spiralling, the rules keep changing and you would have to be a brave man or woman to take a lorryload of horses down to Spain.