The Darley approach shows how the large stud farms (with requisite staff numbers to allow greater client support) are putting pressure on local properties to match their standards.

Riverdene Stud have taken an alternative approach. Given their staffing numbers their approach is no doubt eminently sensible but in today's business environment it is not a marketing tact that I would encourage a farm to adopt.

In September the Stud's homepage listed the following message: "September is one of the more crucial months of the year for a fully functioning thoroughbred stud and we ask for your full co-operation regarding our first discussion point of this month...

We would like to take this opportunity to remind our valued clients that visits to the stud can only be made by appointment at this time of the year when it's very much a case of 'all hands on deck'.

With Riverdene Stud now home to seven busy stallions, our staff must adhere to a very strict schedule if we are all to achieve our mutual goal... a healthy new crop of youngsters on the ground and broodmares successfully put back in foal.

For the record, our preferred days for visiting are Monday, Wednesday and Friday. All other days of the week provide us with some considerable complications and clients cannot expect to receive the high standard of service they have come to know from the normally accommodating Riverdene Stud team."

As I said - their hardline approach no doubt makes sense - but it also fails to take into consideration who pays the bills ...