Dubious riders, angry trainers and the blasted GoingStick - all in a day's work

Our series going behind the scenes of the industry is back – and this time our writers are trying to have a go at the jobs themselves

It was not a good start. "Are you wearing those shoes?" It is asked with the benign bewilderment of a teacher wondering at the latest foolishness of a wet-behind-the-ears pupil.

Or wet between the toes. It was not the fashion faux pas of pairing brown leather footwear with a grey suit that had James Sanderson shaking his head, rather my error in thinking that they were suitable attire for walking the track at Thirsk at the end of a long, hot week.