In the latest of his occasional series on greatest huntsmen he knew personally, Alastair Jackson recounts the life of the popular Sidney Bailey, who hunted the VWH for four decades

The Heythrop’s season gets off to a fine start at the opening meet

The team chasing season concludes at the Cotswold with wins for non-thoroughbreds, while Team Fox Grant and Team Ride Away 4 also snatch victories

After early profligate years in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, Francis Grant traded sporting scenes for portraits and climbed the ladder to become president of the Royal Academy. A forthcoming exhibition at Dickinson does justice to his drawing

BICTON ARENA (2) 22–26 October

The best equestrian artists strike a rich chord, touching us on a deeper level than mere aesthetic appeal. Catherine Austen finds out which paintings speak to art-loving riders