ON the hill behind our house, the ewes have been separated from their lambs and the noise is deafening.

On one side of the road, that leads up the hill, the lambs are bleating BAA BAAAA! In a separate field, on the other side of the road, the ewes are echoing in a slightly deeper tone: BAERRE BAERRE!

It's the change which is unsettling them. Soon the ewes will realise that they’re much better off – that their udders are no longer sore and that they’re not being lifted off the ground by a pair of 35kg lambs every five minutes, as the lambs seek sustenance.

It was a cold March and it’s been a dry summer, with precious little grass growth, so the poor old ewes have given just about everything they’ve got to give.

The lambs will soon appreciate the benefits of the change too. The ewe’s milk is less nutritious at this time of year, and part of the purpose of weaning the younger stock is to feed them up.

They’ll receive concentrated food that will fuel their growth as they gambol in the sunshine.

This week’s announcement, that tickets will be going on sale for the Kelso Races 2018/19 season on Monday at noon, has been met with a similar crescendo of noise.

We’ll be releasing 3,000 early-bird tickets at the bargain price of just £10 (£20 for Ladies Day), while the priciest ticket on the day, for all race-days excluding Ladies Day, will remain at £20 – the same price that it has been for the last 12 years.

Crucially though, despite our dogged commitment to low ticket prices, there is a change.

All of the tickets will be valid for one single-enclosure as, for the first time at Kelso Racecourse, we’ll be permanently removing the barriers between the Club Enclosure and Paddock Enclosure.

The checkpoints between the old enclosures created pinch-points and bottlenecks, so it is anticipated that the removal of the fences will create extra space for everyone to enjoy the races – as well as making it easier to get around.

Some of the customers that frequent Kelso’s Club Enclosure have voiced concerns that the new layout will concentrate the crowd in specific places. And while I’ve every sympathy for their concern, I believe that the changes will have the exact opposite effect.

The additional space and improved flow will enable everyone to get a better view, especially around the parade ring and winners enclosure – where the enlarged space and new terraced steps will create better vantage points.

I’m pretty confident that, like the lambs in the field, visitors to Kelso will discover the exciting possibilities that will result from a little bit of change.

Unlike with the lambs, though, we have no ulterior motive that involves driving our customers to the abattoir. The sole objective is to improve the racing experience for everyone – including all of our existing patrons, whichever enclosure they’ve enjoyed frequenting in the past.

More dramatic changes are afoot this week – we think we might actually predict a winner: Foxtrot Lady in Goodwood’s Stewards Cup.