Opinion
Although I jump here regularly, the spectator stands, hospitality marquees, flags, trade area and arena dressing transforms South View into a completely different show. There is a great build-up to the grand prix, where the atmosphere is always electric.
The British Masters is a favourite show of mine, but I have suffered misfortunes. I watched from a mobility scooter after breaking my pelvis in 2014, but won the grand prix with Mystic Hurricane the next year. Laid up with broken ribs and collarbone last year, I didn’t even make the show and hated watching the grand prix on livestream.
It was a good class though and I decided I wouldn’t have been quick enough to win it anyway.
With Mark McGowan building you expect tracks to be big and strong, which is how it should be.
The format of including pony, amateur and international classes works very well, as it gives everyone a time off to relax, which is especially nice for owners to spend time with their riders.
We have so few international shows of this calibre in this country, so it’s such a shame to have two back-to-back — I would normally do the British Masters and Keysoe, but with just a couple of days between them, it has not been possible.
Surely running them so close together would affect entries at both shows.
Ref Horse & Hound; 6 July 2017