Riders often complain that there is not enough prize money in the sport, but I discovered recently that a surprising percentage of those who win prize money NEVER cash the cheque! This was stated by the Organiser of multiple events, so wasn’t based on just one occurrence.
So, if you’ve been a money winner, go and check the pockets of the jacket you wear for prize givings, and/or your horsebox, you might just have forgotten the cheque and never taken it to the bank!
Also, it’s worth checking the BE Omnibus schedule to see whether you should have won money if you were placed. A good friend came 2nd in a BE90 a couple of years ago and was given a rosette by the Organiser. I happened to be checking the Omnibus a few days later and saw that she should have won money. She contacted the Organiser to ask why she hadn’t been given the cheque, and was told that she should have gone to the Secretary’s after the prize giving to collect it. She definitely wasn’t told this on the day (I was at the prize giving and saw her receive just the rosette from the Organiser, there were no spoken instructions.) Perhaps it was just an oversight, but I bet she isn’t the only one to have had this happen!
This sport is expensive enough, so don’t forget to collect your prize money if you’re lucky enough to get placed, and to pay it in!
Photo by kind permission of Katie Mortimore.
