Fox Hunting Memories....

E

Equestrian Poet

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My first ride to hounds was with The Chiddingfold Farmers. I later became the second horseman to The Old Berkeley Hunt, one of two hunts to only wear mustard jackets. Hunt days were Tues, Thur & Sat. Tuesday being the day for second horses for the joint master John Brazil, huntsman Jim Bennet and whipper-in Harry Barber. Those days were an exceptional learning experience having never jumped ditches and barbed wire. During the hunting season, I worked with the horses under the supervision of the head groom Victor Williams. I remember he was adamant about not washing the mud from the horse's legs, they had to be wrapped and brushed the following morning. Summer season I would work with the hounds cleaning kennels.
 
They used to say if your horse has mud fever sack the groom.
Washing legs was never done when I was a child. The horses would unload, be thatched and bandaged, then left to a bran mash while we cleaned our tack.
After supper we went out and got every speck of mud off.
It was exhausting but no doubt you dealt with a lot more small injuries and thorns that way than just hosing them off.
 
It was exhausting before more handy conveniences/leg wraps etc!! I loved thatching a horse after hunting though and loved the huge straw beds and boiled linseed dinners we gave them. I loathed the vilely heavy rugs however. In terms of hunting experiences I will never forget watching hounds absolutely rocketing along a scent round a field in full cry with a fox following them round 2 sides before quietly tootling off up a separate hedgerow - fox looked completely unconcerned and confident!! It was something that old friends of mine still talk about and I am glad I saw that and other clever fox things. There are many other things I have great memories of - they seem utterly anachronistic now but still make me happy to remember!! A great friend of ours hunted very stylishly for years wearing only his flat cap and I loved the simple, traditional tack we used though the thought of that for the horses sakes gives me the heeby-jeebies now. It seemed simple, horses seemed tougher and I remember much of it with admiration for my younger, hardier self too.
 
One of my first memories when cubbing (pre ban before anyone has a go!), was when the then very scary Lady Master asked me and some fellow pony clubbers to hold up a cover......blow me within a few seconds a fox popped through the hedge and ran straight under my pony's stomach and galloped off safely into the yonder - we all kept very quiet as terrified of the bollocking we would have had!!!!

I also remember my dad hacking hours to meets as we had no transport, and often returning in the dark.......
 
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