A Christmas shopping trip turns into a chance to catch up on pony gossip for Tessa Waugh , who is on the back foot as far as present buying is concerned but replete with tales of happy new homes

A trailer-coupling mishap and a wild goose chase searching for lost keys confirm Tessa Waugh’s concerns that she’s suffering from the brain fog that sometimes affects women of a certain age

There’s a last-minute change of huntsman for the Bedale opening meet, and hounds do their very best in less-than-ideal conditions

The smell of mud and hot horses in a freezing downpour elevates the spirits, while the eventual toe-thawing in the shower is a cause for jubilation, finds an undaunted Tessa Waugh

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Kim Bailey on the new-style hurdles and repercussions from the budget