Over The Stable Door: Watching fearfully the downside of bringing back the Red Kites

We have followed their precarious introduction into the world on a daily basis while cantering around our harrowed track, detecting every nest of eggs or newly hatched chick.

I feel a certain sense of responsibility to see them safely away while they inhabit the farm for a few months of the year. The chicks were totally exposed this spring, with the lack of early grass growth, which is vital for their safety.

Unfortunately, numbers dwindled with new and unwanted guests appearing in the skies here above Brookleigh – a pair of red kites.

My lapwings never stood a chance against these reintroduced scavengers and the six nests, from which we had counted 15 hatchlings, produced only two surviving birds.

At least 10 were snatched by the kites, while crows saw to the rest.

Being protected, all we could do was watch as the raptors carried away the vulnerable young, despite furiously protective parents.

I generally trust nature to take its course but I admit to cursing the human intervention which brought back the dominant kites to the area on this occasion.

Yorkshire riders were successful at Hickstead last weekend where a crowd was entertained by Harvey Smith in the celebrity scurry driving. A fair amount of colourful language was heard when he was asked to wear a crash hat – he only uses a woolly hat at home. Wetherby girl Lizzie Richmond won the Racehorse Retraining Championship aboard Treat Em Mean.

Her attractive 10-year-old grey failed to win a race under rules but has found his forte in the show ring. Also among the ribbons with ex-racehorses were Hambleton’s Vicky Smart, wife of trainer Bryan, and ex- point-to-point jockey Sophie Staveley.

The last time the Hickstead Derby was won by a woman a gallon of petrol cost 35p, roller skates were all the rage and Pink Floyd released Dark Side of the Moon. Tina Fletcher became the fifth woman to lift the title when she jumped the only clear round last Sunday.

Tina, wife of show jumper Graham Fletcher, has an outstanding record in the prestigious competition, providing three of the 53 clear rounds ever jumped in the track’s 51-year history.

Tina lived in Yorkshire for much of her early career where she was originally based in Otley with the late Fred Brown.

She had great success with his talented chestnut Genesis becoming a regular fixture on the Nations Cup teams. Fred’s premature death in 1993 meant the horses were sold and Tina moved to Newbury.

It has been a memorable season for Harriet Bethell, amateur jockey and my ex-work rider.

She won the Ladies handicap at Pontefract on Monday aboard her father William’s consistent performer, Fujin Dancer, riding a tactically perfect race to beat the favourite.

“I knew he was well before we ran as I fell off him last week – the same happened before we won at Fakenham, so it is obviously a good sign,” laughed the jubilant jockey.

The pair have now won three races from five starts and have struck up a unique rapport together.

“Fuli” was bought from Kevin Ryan at the start of the year and is now trained by Harriet’s boss, Brian Ellison. They have come home with prize money on every outing, much to father’s delight.

An ex-point-to-point rider and joint master of the Holderness hunt, Willy is a perfectionist but he may find it difficult to fault his daughter’s polished performances of late.

They are hoping for win number four at Stratford next week.

And with confidence riding high it seems more than likely they will achieve it.