NOT for the first time, Susan Oakes has had to find mounts for other side saddle riders but, on this occasion, she has to bring her own horse, and two more, over to Wincanton racecourse for next Sunday’s Side-Saddle Dash, and is seeking help to cover transport costs.

The Meath qualified rider had planned driving over with just The Hollinwell for the mile and a quarter flat race which is being run in aid of the Southern Spinal Injuries Trust. However, fellow Irish participants Claire Gundry (née MacMahon) and Aoife Byrne, who are both living in England, found themselves without mounts two weeks before the race and turned to Oakes for replacement point-to-pointers.