J. Noakes asks if people have seen for themselves how well the horses are looked after at Zippos Circus (Opinion, August 29).

Has he visited the Sussex Horse Rescue Trust at Uckfield and seen Oopah, a spotted pony, bred for the circus but thrown out because his spots were not distinctive enough and he was too "soft"?

Or has he seen Clara, a pony deformed by being made to constantly perform on her hind legs, who died last year? Their case histories may be seen. The Sussex Horse Trust is open on Sundays until September 10.

-Mrs M. Shelton, Ockley Lane, Hassocks