'I wouldn't own a horse by myself now - the enjoyment is enhanced by sharing it'

Jumps owner Tim Syder tells Catherine Macrae about his early introduction to racing, his surprise first ownership and the lessons learned in more than 30 years of involvement in the sport. . .

My interest in racing began while I was in boarding school. It was a Catholic school and I was a dab hand at table tennis, which was overseen by one of the monks called Father Adrian. He was very keen on racing and was the first one to introduce me to the sport when I was about 14.

A couple of years later I started getting The Sporting Life and was definitely reading it when I should have been revising for my A-levels. It reflected on my grades dreadfully but I'm thankful I got into racing as it really changed the course of my life.