Mounted official sat horse races

I FEEL desperately sorry for all involved with the mare that had to be destroyed after running loose at Newton Abbot (Irish Examiner, July 18).

As a visitor from New Zealand, I am amazed that in Ireland and the UK, mounted officials are not used, as they are in New Zealand (and also in Australia and several other countries).

When a jockey is dislodged, the official gallops after the runaway horse and grabs its reins or, at the least, steers it away from danger.