As you have probably realised by now, as a child, I was pony-obsessed. My favourite monthly reading was Pony Magazine, which I read cover to cover: every advert; every word. I recently bought a set of Pony Magazines from the 1960s. I actually took Pony in the 1970s, but there wasn’t a lot of difference between the decades in the style and contents of the magazine. One advert which took me instantly back to that state of childhood wanting; longing for things I couldn’t have, and trying to work out what I could do to afford them, was for Jacatex riding clothes. How I loved that ad. The Pat hacking jacket; the Pat riding mac and the Pat jodhpurs. Who was Pat? Was there a Pat? Or were the clothes just something that was off pat? It was never explained. Jacatex adverts didn’t change much over the years. The 1969 ad below is the same one that I remember from the 1970s, a cheerful pony girl in immaculate clothes. I don’t know whether Jacatex ever did haul themselves into the modern age a
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In the 1980s I had the privilege of covering the show as a journalist and it was great fun - the World Cup round had come in by then and there were lots of world-class horses there, and the hospitality was just amazing - used to stagger back to the hotel after phoning over my story. I used to cover some of the other big shows too, but Olympia was the best. It had a very festive feeling.
Good to know it's still going at any rate.
Juxtabook: do entirely agree (and I like OMAHD too). And that reminds me, there was also dog agility relay, which was excellent fun.
Liz - I don't think Dorian Williams and Raymond Brooks-Ward have been topped, though Mike Tucker (I think it was he) irritated me less live than he does on tv.
Susannah and Liz - cor. I hope it was as fantastic covering the event as it sounds. Is the press box like the normal box? They get tv feed in there, and apart from the girls watching everything, hanging over the edge, everyone else in the boxes watched not one jot; just talked and drank.