As May marks the start of the new hunting season, with it comes change. After hunting with the Holcombe Harriers for 18 years, and being employed as professional huntsman for the past 11, I decided the time had come for a new challenge and, like many other hunt staff all over the country, started to look to pastures new.

Having spent over a decade with my beloved harriers, and wanting to give the masters as much time as possible to find a suitable replacement, in went the letter of resignation. This was closely followed by sheer panic: what now? Where next? What’s the protocol?

The realisation soon hit that neither my wife nor I had written a CV since school, didn’t have a clue what jobs were available or how to go about getting on the elusive “list” to apply for them. Luckily for us, a phone call to a respected peer put us in touch with a hunt he thought was well suited, and off we went for an interview.

We drove up the M62 feeling sick, windows down, trying mentally to prepare for what we imagined would be a Dragons’ Den-style grilling. All intelligent answers went straight out the window as I faced the worst mental block of the 21st century and even managed to excel myself when talking about hound breeding by announcing that “my wife and I thrash it out in an evening.”

We laughed all the way home remembering the things we should have said, or in my case the things I shouldn’t have told a room full of strangers.

The waiting game

It was a long week waiting for a reply — we’d fallen for the comparatively open and rural country, the quaint village settings of kennels and the most welcoming of hunting people. We’d seen the door to Narnia (a garden gate looking out on to rolling green hills and a deep wooded valley that had everything you needed for great hunting), and we wanted in!

It was a huge relief when we were put out of our misery and offered the job at the Derwent. Of course we were thrilled and excited, but we also felt like we had cheated on such a fantastic pack of hounds, who that day like every other, tried their hearts out to add to our guilt of leaving them behind.

A strange season of “lasts” followed — our last opening meet, the festive period, the hunt ball and, before we knew it, our last closing meet with the Holcombe Harriers. Cue emotional breakdown number 127 for my wife as I blew for home.

With that, a mountain of cardboard boxes started to appear and, despite plenty of taking the mick out of everyone who brings a new box, it turns out there’s no such thing as enough boxes when moving jobs, house, yards and horses all in one go. Or enough helpers!

My advice to anyone who has a friend moving — take them cardboard boxes and cake, it’s much appreciated.

We wish everyone who has made a move this season the very best of luck settling to their new roles. To happy hounds, good hunting and not moving again for a long time!

Ref Horse & Hound; 16 May 2019

A foxhound and a cat have renewed the great friendship that started between them when the foxhound – Belvoir Polish 10 – was a puppy.

Born at the Ledbury hunt kennels when Belvoir huntsman and H&H columnist John Holliday was hunting the Ledbury hounds, Polish was walked by Sally and Julian Pritchard in 2009.

Sally said: “She was only the second hound puppy we had walked. The first was really naughty, but Polish was great. She played with our cat, Bart, for hours, and was really gentle with him. He was only a kitten then.

“She loved our working collie and our terrier as well and they all played and slept together.”

John took Polish – who is by Heythrop Ponder out of Ledbury Satin – with him when he moved to the Belvoir, and thus she was entered as a Belvoir hound.

“She’s been a really good hound – low-scenting but quick, and particularly good through sheep and cattle,” said John. “I did find at first that she tended to be away and gone on a trail a bit too quickly, but having her first litter of puppies steadied her up a bit, which was perfect.

“I’ve always been very fond of her – she was my connection with 14 years of breeding the Ledbury hounds – and she hunted right up until the end of last season. I wanted her to stop while she was still going really well, and I always knew that she would go back to being domesticated without a problem.

“I thought about keeping her myself in retirement, but we already have seven dogs here. Polish always recognised Sally whenever she saw her and I knew she and Julian would give her a lovely home.”

Sally says: “I’d always said I’d have her back to retire, but John didn’t give us much warning – he rang up on his way to the Cheltenham Festival in March and said, ‘Is it ok if I drop her off now?’!

“We didn’t know how it would pan out, but we said we’d give it a go. As soon as she arrived, Bart the cat saw her and jumped down through the window. She wagged her stern and he went and rubbed himself up against her. They love each other – Bart would never come for a walk with the dogs before Polish came back, but he will now.

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“We have a ginger rescue kitten which we found in the middle of the road on the way to a party, and Polish loves her too – she’s so gentle and calm.

“She remembers everything about being here as a puppy. She used to sleep in a shed in the garden, and she went straight there and curled up in it, and pottered off to where the pigs used to be – she used to play with them all the time when she was a puppy, but we haven’t had any pigs for eight years now!

“She has shown no indication of wanting to go off hunting; she mooches about, and is probably the best behaved animal I’ve had!”

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The hurdles are up on the kennel lawn. To the educated eye, this can mean only one thing: the imminent approach of the puppy show.

There are many aspects of preparing for the puppy show, including painting the kennels and ensuring that everywhere looks at its very best with stripy lawns and hanging baskets brimming with a colourful array of flowers — not to mention the marquee, and of course the tea. However, the chief consideration for the huntsman should always be the preparation of the young hounds. Everything else is just table decoration.

It is a common misconception that hounds naturally just wander out into a ring, among a throng of flowery dresses, bowler hats and, well, we are in England, umbrellas, and stand to attention. They then gallop up and down joyously and catch biscuits like leaping salmon.

The reality is, of course, that the 40 minutes most people see is the fruition of weeks of preparation. I like to approach it in building blocks. This will be my ninth puppy show at the Pytchley and I now have a recipe which, if followed, should produce happy and confident hounds on the day, although there can be the odd exception and animals have a habit of reminding us of the proverb “pride comes before a fall”.

The first step is to bring the puppies out en masse and just throw biscuits around. This is to familiarise them with the ring, give them confidence and teach them that biscuits come from a huntsman’s pocket and don’t just rain down from heaven — a concept that can take some young hounds a surprisingly long time to grasp. I usually leave several days between sessions for the hounds to digest what they have learnt.

The next stage will be to come out in pairs and have a little more individual attention, and hopefully at this point they’ll learn to catch. I will be constantly considering which hounds match quite nicely in pairs and this will help to form the order of draw. Then a crowd will be added to the mix, and this can be a big setback in their confidence, but over time they usually come out of their shell. Then judges are thrown in as well. This has no practical benefit to the young hounds, but certainly makes it more interesting for the onlookers.

The formality will increase slightly with time, starting with brown kennel coats and flat caps for hunt staff and progressing to white coats and even bowler hats for a final dress rehearsal. After that, you have only to book the judges and pray for sunshine. If your young entry are not quite to the standard you had hoped, a liberal liquid lunch is recommended for the judges.

Thank you, masters

At our point-to-point, we waved farewell to three Pytchley masters — Stuart Morris, Rowan Cope and Henrietta McCall.

All three have completed 10 years as joint-masters. The time and effort put in during that period is unquantifiable and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude. In an era in which three seasons is considered a long-standing mastership, their dedication and commitment is to be commended.

Although we are sad to have lost their valuable knowledge and experience, none of them are physically moving away — although Mr Cope has joined the Quorn mastership — and therefore they will be on hand to offer advice and moral support, which is great for the continuity of the hunt.

Ref: Horse & Hound magazine; 30 May 2019

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Two people formerly connected with the South Herefordshire Hunt have been found guilty of animal cruelty after a trial at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.

In May 2016 covert cameras, planted by anti-hunt monitors, recorded joint-master and huntsman Paul Oliver handling foxes at the kennels and later placing the bodies of two foxes in a bin.

Though the film footage does not show what happened inside the kennels, prosecutors claimed Oliver fed the foxes to the hounds, which he denied.

Of the pair, both of Spalding in Lincolnshire, Oliver was convicted of four counts of animal cruelty and his partner, Hannah Rose, who was also employed by the hunt, was convicted of three counts of the same charge. Oliver received a 16-week suspended prison sentence and Rose a 12-week suspended sentence.

Nathan Parry was found not guilty of causing suffering to four foxes, which he had brought to the kennels believing they would be released elsewhere in the country.

Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said: “The actions of Paul Oliver were completely disgraceful and have no place in hunting. Such behaviour is totally unacceptable in hunt kennels or anywhere else.

‘Those who work in hunting know that their activity attracts more scrutiny than almost any other, and that standards in kennels and the field must therefore be impeccable. The cruelty and stupidity of what went on at the South Herefordshire is plain to see.

“It is incumbent on everyone involved in hunting to ensure that this sort of behaviour never happens again, because one such stupid act reflects on every other hunt in the country however well they are run.”

Two further people connected to the South Herefordshire, Paul Reece, 48, from Chepstow and Julie Elmore, 55, from  Abergavenny admitted two counts of causing unnecessary suffering before the trial began. They were given conditional discharges.

Lord Mancroft, chairman of the Masters of Foxhounds Association (MFHA), told H&H: “We immediately suspended the entire hunt in 2016 – the first time that the MFHA has ever needed to do this – and the hounds were dispersed to other packs. We were completely horrified by the allegations. Something like this had never happened before and I hope it will never happen again.

“We set up a disciplinary committee, chaired by a senior Appeal Court judge, Sir John Chadwick alongside Bill Andrewes, a former master and hunt chairman, and a vet, Pauline Tolhurst.

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“Their investigation was adjourned because of the likelihood of criminal charges being brought in the case, which they were, but they produced an interim report recommending the suspension of the hunt, and Paul Oliver left the hunt’s employment immediately.

“The Crown Prosecution Service took three years to bring this case to court, and now that it has been resolved, the committee will meet again and produce a final report.

“One of the reasons that the MFHA has focused so hard on training recently is because Paul Oliver had clearly not received suitable training.

“We have set up a new assessment panel which anyone wishing to be appointed huntsman or kennel-huntsman and therefore be in charge of a pack of hounds must pass, which will prevent anyone unqualified from being in that position again. We also have much great support and supervision of hunt staff in place now.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

While naming puppies, I was searching through the pedigree books seeking inspiration. I came across a ledger of puppy walkers covering the period beginning around 1900 and I was soon distracted.

The first thing I noticed was the vast amount of hounds sent out to walk; the main reason becomes apparent when my eye fell upon a list that registered how each puppy fared. The list of disasters to befall litters seemed endless.

Surprisingly, “Run over by motorised vehicle” features more than one might imagine. “Deformed spine”, “the yellows”, which covers a number of horrid things that cause jaundice. But by far the worst was “hardpad” (distemper), which has a fatality rate of around 80%. Often whole litters did not return to kennel.

Another reason for the poor success rate might have been the estate tenants who were obliged by their tenancy agreements to walk puppies and who were often less than enthusiastic. “One volunteer is worth three pressed men”, after all.

It must have been disheartening for the hunt staff. Home remedies of “Jollup” were sent out, with an accompanying spoon to administer such that gave rise to the traditional gift for puppy walkers today.

Those hounds that made it back to Belvoir discovered it was no guarantee of a long stay; only the choicest were selected for the new entry and the remainder found themselves destined for the “draft.” This was much sought after by other packs and was not infrequently booked two years ahead. It was also a perquisite of the huntsman!

Quite a number found their final home in America, where hunting in the English style was taking off. The walkers were an eclectic bunch, spread far and wide. There cannot be many hunts whose hound walk list featured HRH the Duke of Gloucester and HRH the Prince of Wales. The first whipper-in was usually tasked with delivering the goods — two meal sacks, each containing a couple, were slung each side of a horse and off he went, sometimes many miles as there were walks deep in the fens, which in those days were very remote indeed. A day’s task to say the least. A motor did not appear at Belvoir until 1931.

Forgives but never forgets

During those peaceful days of King Edward’s reign, the good villagers of Rippingale awoke one morning to discover a new police constable (PC) had been thrust among them. Keen to do well, he was soon searching the parish for prey to appease his inspector. Being a law-abiding community, he found little use for his virgin notebook, until his attention was drawn to a collarless hound that appeared to have the run of the place.

Finding the walker, he went in with both feet and issued a summons. Naturally the walker sent a note to the Belvoir, from where the Duke sent Ben Capell, the huntsman, to sort out the matter.

At court, he was not surprised to see that the sitting magistrates were regular members of the hunting field and it took but a moment to explain that the hound was clearly marked in both ears, thereby proving identity. The case collapsed and a PC with it.

Now, it is a known fact that the long arm of the law may occasionally forgive, but it never forgets and a decade down the line Capell, by then enjoying well-earned retirement at Bottesford, was caught with an unlicensed terrier and duly paid the penalty — the princely sum of 10/-.  As the saying goes, “He who laughs last, laughs longest.”

Ref Horse & Hound; 13 June 2019

Tim Easby and Lizzie Pinney, directors of the Masters of Foxhounds Association (MFHA) and Association of Masters of Harriers and Beagles (AMHB) respectively, are both leaving their positions at the Hunting Office after stints of 10 and 12 years.

They have been exceptionally diligent and hard-working officials, but MFHA chairman Lord Mancroft reminded me that “the Hunting Office is purely administrative. There are more and more demands on it, with less and less funding.

“We organise nine training days a year and a multitude of regional meetings. Every hunt is visited every three years and there are many follow-ups. We deal with the complexities of internal hunt politics, hunt amalgamations and the hound studbooks.

“We have a proper disciplinary procedure with an appeals process, and all huntsmen will have to be vetted by a panel of experts before they can take up a position. Our emphasis nowadays is on training and support. We do not provide hunting’s PR.”

It is positive PR that hunting needs — and help tackling the problem of saboteurs and the deluge of lies and distortion with which they swamp social media. We currently rely on the Countryside Alliance for all our PR.

The Alliance’s chief executive Tim Bonner tells me, “We are spending more money directly on hunting now than at any other time since the ban,” and from reading the MFHA “white book” — its directory of hunts and hunting-allied organisations — they have three people working on hunting’s behalf.

That may be the case, but from where I am sitting, hunting is in a bad place and the antis are beating us with their intimidation and lies. A huntsman who has the misfortune to be plagued by antis has to show immense bravery and steadfastness under fire. Are we really doing enough to help them and, if not, how do we do more?

Just telling them to amalgamate with another hunt isn’t the answer. If we are not careful, we simply won’t be able to find masters or huntsmen for those packs that are hit the hardest, and the subscribers who pay the bills won’t enjoy it any longer and will disappear.

Time to harness talents

Remarks from the Countryside Alliance chiefs at recent meetings that hunting has to sort out its “toxicity issues” just don’t help matters, and would appear to be an excuse for sitting on their hands.

Tim Bonner talks of “minimum standards” and a “sustainable future” in exactly the same way as Lord Mancroft, so we all appear to be on the same page. We all know what a diverse community hunting is — there are undoubtedly people out there with ideas and the right experience who can help take the sport forward. This is the time to harness their talents.

Maybe the changing of the guard at the Hunting Office is just the opportunity we need. A prominent master told me that “comms by social media” is what all young people use and is the way forward, but at a recent hunting conference they had a survey by a show of hands and no one used social media.

Hunts are not toxic and we shouldn’t be told we are. We are a force for good. We just need to get our act together and think outside the box. We might just have an opportunity to do that now.

Ref Horse & Hound; 27 June 2019

The Lycetts Festival of Hunting, held on the East of England Showground at Peterborough on Wednesday, 17 July, is the hunting world’s summer jamboree. Here’s why we wouldn’t miss it for the world.

1. It really does showcase that glorious animal, the hound. The showing classes for modern and old English foxhounds, harriers, beagles, bassets, bloodhounds and draghounds are the most competitive of the year. Hundreds of years of very careful breeding have resulted in the excellent examples of each type that you will see at Peterborough. There are also displays of coursing dogs and fellhounds.

2. If you “hunt to ride” rather than “ride to hunt”, there are all sorts of equine showing classes for ridden hunters, working hunters and working hunter ponies and coloured horses and ponies. And the Honri Hats-sponsored inter-hunt relay is great fun to watch, with gangs of spectators hollering their own hunt teams on.

3. The shopping is great. You can purchase pretty much anything you might need in the sporting line, plus jewellery, art, sculpture, clothes, food, booze, presents… Take your credit card – who doesn’t need a new pair of breeches, a rare “Snaffles” print, or a large bottle of home-made sloe gin?

4. The packs that are showing tend to hold individual picnics, which are uproarious and can get very lavish. Coronation chicken is almost compulsory. Cadge yourself an invitation – or wander around until you spot someone you know and smile at them. They’re bound to ask you over for a drink. Of course, for the picnic-less, there is masses of very good food and drink you can buy!

5. Lycetts sponsor a seriously good drinks party after the judging has finished, at which a horn-blowing competition takes place.

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6. There are new classes this year for young handlers, aimed at 12-16-year-olds who help their local packs. Go to Ring One at 3pm to watch the huntsmen, masters and whippers-in in of the future.

7. It’s gossip central. This is where you’ll learn what’s going on in the hunting world, so keep your ears and eyes open!

Tickets can be bought at the gate or online in advance: www.festivalofhunting.com

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

The run-up to Peterborough for this, the 131st show, has been an interesting one. As in every year, more or less the same hounds exhibited at the Royal Foxhound Show have already been seen before. At the three previous major shows, their relative merits or weaknesses are spotted and speculation on the potential outcomes made.

The South of England at Ardingly saw the Grove and Rufford and the Heythrop tough it out, while Builth Wells was particularly well supported with four “Peterborough regulars” showing there. Harrogate gave a glimpse of what the north had to offer and thus the Tynedale’s successes were of no surprise.

While some elements of the day have changed over the years, the core has remained the same and is an opportunity for breeders of hounds all over England to showcase what they believe to be the best of their kennel. A lot of hunts prefer not to show for all sorts of reasons, though, a disappointing one being that they “only breed for work”.

That is what we all do, but the advantage of breeding for conformation as well means the hound lasts longer. It would be a touch unfortunate if one bred a low-scenting, intelligent and tenacious hound which couldn’t go quickly enough to keep itself warm and lasted only two seasons. A hound is an athlete and Mo Farah doesn’t have knock-knees and pigeon toes.

Encyclopaedic knowledge

Few men or women have spent as much time trying to put this into practice as Martin Scott. It was just therefore that the VWH walked away with the doghound championship, thanks to their attractive Jacob.

Martin’s encyclopaedic knowledge of pedigrees has been a great deal of help to many young enthusiasts, like me.

Hounds from the last litters bred by Nigel Peel at the North Cotswold were victorious in both unentered championships, while the Heythrop deservedly retained the bitch championship.

A small peek behind the scenes is always revealing, and our own day was an example of that. One of our unentered bitches came off the lorry looking lame, while another hound caught his toe on the kennel gate. Quick thinking and forward planning on the part of our kennel-huntsman Nick Hopkins solved both problems, but neither augured well.

After party

And so on to the increasingly popular afterparty, where commiseration and jubilation abound in equal measure. I had made a logistical error and was left holding the keys to the car.

Anxious not to spend another 18 months on a bicycle, courtesy of the judicial system, I was thus unable to enjoy the true generosity of Lycetts’ drinks party and various parties back at the lorries.

Should you disagree with a result, it’s advisable not to consult with a judge at this juncture, even if only in the supposedly friendly horn-blowing competition.

The enjoyment of the occasion for all involved is clear to see. Whether it is chewing your nails at the ringside while your home pack’s hound is run off against another or simply stocking up on sloe gin for the season ahead, Peterborough is the “mustn’t miss” day of the summer. But it is only one day.

Or so I told myself on the way home.

Ref Horse & Hound; 25 July 2019

Somehow, no matter how many months there are between the last day’s hunting in the spring to the start of autumn hunting, the new season still manages to quietly creep up and it never gets any easier to be fully prepared.

The fat, unfit and long-maned hunters have been doing roadwork for weeks while you have been patiently watching the crops ripen and hounds have been building up their fitness, first with their hunt staff on bikes before mounted hound exercise took over.

Those with superstitious tendencies may have already got their lucky lightweight breeches out and their favourite hunting numnah washed and clean, however for those who aren’t quite so prepared, Horse & Hound offers a few tips on what to remember ahead of your first day autumn hunting in the next few weeks so you don’t appear late, flustered and unkempt in front of masters and hunt staff — both new and old.

1. Track down your tweed hacking jacket and give it a thorough clean. The tweed may be adept at disguising the mud but it would be great to start the season with good intentions, even if they do slip slightly after weeks of early starts. Fish out any of last season’s mint humbugs that may have stuck to the lining and re-stock with fresh essentials.

2. Remember that autumn hunting mornings can be warm — especially if your horse gets lit up at the start of the season and you’re perhaps not as fit as you might be — so try to track down a short-sleeved shirt with a collar and leave your thermal stock shirt at home. You might want to check the top button is still on it too — nothing worse than stabbing yourself when trying to thread a needle at 4.30am on a hunting morning then blotting blood all over your clean shirt…

3. Find your hunting tie and get it cleaned if you need to — it is bound to still have either horse slobber on it or a bit of crusty egg-yolk from the last Hunt Supporters Club breakfast.

4. Makes sure you’ve visited your cobbler (or got yourself measured up for some new boots) if you find the soles have somehow come adrift from your hunting boots while sitting in the cupboard. Take a good look at the insides too to make sure they don’t need any holes patching up and track down the missing garter strap that had to double as a spur strap when one snapped on a gatepost last season. While on the subject of spurs, you had better find those too and give them a polish, and don’t forget your hunting whip.

5. Relocate your hunting cap, crash cap or headwear of choice and make sure it is comfortable — gentlemen should get a haircut if required and ladies should splash out on a new hairnet rather than wearing two with giant holes in the opposite way around to make sure errant hairs don’t poke out.

6. Make sure you have your horses’ travel wardrobe sorted out too. A lightweight cooler — most probably at the very bottom of the rug pile — will almost definitely be of most use before clipping during early autumn, while a tail bandage or tail guard is a must (unless you want to arrive with the proverbial bog-brush excuse of a tail). You might also want to clean your “hunting bridle” with a stronger bit and noseband combination to ensure you don’t spend the morning having your arms pulled out of their sockets.

7. The condition of horseboxes and other methods of transport should always be of paramount importance and safety checks to ensure that lights are working, the floor and walls are safe and the tyres are properly inflated go without saying. Just remember to take the wheelclamp off and check the handbrake on the trailer hasn’t been pulled up firmly over the summer though — there’s nothing worse than hitching up and pulling forward to find all wheels are locked tight and you’re digging grooves into the area where you’ve parked… laying underneath it before sunrise banging the brake drums with a large spanner to release them in your clean breeches is not ideal.

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8. And finally… don’t forget to have a shorter girth ready for when your horse eventually loses that extra inch or two of summer flesh. Trying to make-do with the long one you’ve been using for weeks could cause embarrassment when you leap off to open a gate then slide ungraciously round when trying to re-mount.

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The summer season marches on relentlessly towards the inevitable start of hunting. Masters and hunt staff yearn for the consistency of the hunting week as the torrent of puppy shows, hound shows, parades and events draw to a close.

Last season was without doubt the most challenging for hunts nationwide. Increased attention from saboteurs employing an increasing array of tactics, pushing criminal and civil law to the limits, made it tough for some hunts to operate. But not one hunt has recoiled — quite the opposite.

The prominence of these extremists is largely due to the neutering of the League Against Cruel Sports and RSPCA. Internal civil wars and bad press have rendered our established opponents weak, but this has created space for the more extreme elements, giving them oxygen to prosper and propagate.

Clever and relentless use of social media certainly gives the impression there are far more saboteurs than actually do run across our fields. Mock army-style videos are designed to impress some but intimidate others — there is no doubt that as many hunting people look at these sites as antis.

But these aren’t all the rent-a-mob sabs of old. They are increasingly organised, technologically armed, legally astute and fit; more verbal and “gobby”, too, trained in baiting hunt supporters and quickly manipulating or staging situations to their advantage.

Not so long ago these motly groups posed more of an irritation and public order threat rather than any serious chance of gaining evidence, often with disingenuous doctoring, of so-called illegal hunting. The wind has changed. Courts seem increasingly willing to accept testimony and evidence from dubious individuals whose raison d’etre is to dismantle and rage against the very establishment that they are using to destroy it.

We need to be savvy

This all presents a darkening picture, but it is worth remembering that only a minority of hunts experience problems from a sab base spread thinly across the country. Notwithstanding the numbers, the trend needs to be halted. Hunts need to be more savvy and prepared. They must rise up from behind the curve, communicate and learn from one another while taking heed of central advice.

Society will eventually wake up to the horrors of fake news and trial by social media — its bubble will burst, hopefully enforced with improved regulatory legislation.

In the meantime, we resist any retreat to a clandestine position. Media may have a subconscious influence but empirical experience is still our best form of promotion — from thanking every car you encounter out hunting to meets in public places; taking the hounds to events to raising money for local causes; speaking about hunting to challenging prejudice. The importance of latent grassroot support in the local community should not be underestimated.

The off-season has given hunts the opportunity to regroup and readdress the balance, shoring up relations with local authorities and bodies. For a number of hunts the tide is turning in their favour against their aggressive harassers. A buoyant hound show season demonstrated that hunting is back on form. Our secretary reports that subscriptions are flowing in and everyone is excited for the season ahead.

Hunting has had to evolve over the past two decades; nothing new there — after all, hunting has faced innumerable challenges before and yet it is more popular than ever. “Hark for-ard, they’re running on.”

Ref Horse & Hound; 8 August 2019

The brand new hunting season is almost upon us, so get prepared and take a look at this selection of hunters for sale on the Horse & Hound website this week.

1. ‘A type very hard to find’

Height: 17.1hh

Gender: gelding

Age: five

Selling points: “Tom is a very quiet five-year-old Irish Sport Horse and a real old fashioned type horse — he is a proper weight carrier. He is a real sweetheart, everybody’s favourite. He is easy to ride, ridden here in a snaffle at all times by novice students. Tom is a big horse but easy to ride, he would be suitable for showing or working hunter. Tom has a lovely floating step and he is easy to ride on the bit. He has a comfortable canter and a good jump — he has jumped up to 1m here with a novice rider. Tom is very honest and he loves cross-country. He jumps water, banks, coffins, ditches etc. He is a type very hard to find! He hacks out alone and in company and he has hunted twice with the Laois Foxhounds and has done charity rides. He has no stable vices.”

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2. ‘Wonderful’

Height: 17.2hh

Gender: gelding

Age: six

Selling points: “This is a heavyweight show hunter with 10.5” bone. He is mannerly kind and good to do and has jumped in a novice workers — he won as a heavyweight and was placed second to a Royal Dublin Horse Show 2019 supreme hunter champion. He has a snaffle mouth, hacks alone and in company and hunted a few days last season. He will make a top class amateur or professional heavyweight hunter or a wonderful family friend and all-rounder.”

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3. ‘Cracking mare’

Height: 16.3hh

Gender: mare

Age: eight

Selling points: “This is a cracking hunting mare. She is straight forward, a serious jumper. She is beautifully bred, stunning to look at and has no vices.”

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4. ‘Brilliant’

Height: 16.3hh

Gender: gelding

Age: 10

Selling points: “This Irish Draught is an ideal gentleman’s middleweight hunter but is also ridden by a lady rider. He has huge presence and a fabulous way of going. He is a brilliant hunter having gone out regularly with the DSSH and the EFH throughout the spring and will be out again in the next few weeks. He has field mastered on several occasions and will go anywhere. He is a good jumper and has also shown. He would do a beautiful dressage test and is a gent to hack alone or in company and ride and lead etc. He is good to box, shoe and in traffic and has no vices. He is a really honest horse that would excel at anything.”

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5. ‘Crosses any country’

Height: 17.1hh

Gender: gelding

Age: seven

Selling points: “Fred has hunted a full season (two days a week) with the Tynedale, both whipping in and in the field. He crosses any country and jumps everything — gates, rails, hedges, ditches etc. He is very well-mannered, stands perfectly and happy to go out on point. Fred is never strong, he has been hunted by a short lady rider and is always in a snaffle. He is more than good enough for a huntsman or field master. Fred has also competed on hunt relay teams, coming second at Belsay Horse Trials. Fred came 10th out of 42 at the Melton Hunt Ride in February, on his and my first attempt at a hunt ride. He would be a fantastic addition to any team chasing team; he would go first, middle or last. He is bold and honest but safe, always trusting and looking after his jockey. Fred has also evented at BE90 (where he has been placed) and BE100, he is honest, brave and always looks after his jockey. He competed in the RoR classes at Northumberland County show in 2018, where he was highly praised by the judges. Fred is great to hack out, alone or in company, riding or leading and is perfect in traffic — nothing fazes him. Fred is a very laid back and easy horse to deal with at home and away. I think a lot of Fred and a good home is a must for him.”

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A retired 20-year-old hunter has found a new lease of life competing at TREC — winning the British level 3 pairs championship in his debut year.

Selle Francais gelding Pous had spent the past 10 seasons whipping in with the Woodland Pytchely, but has made a seamless transition to TREC, winning all four of his competitions with new rider Sarah Vaughan.

Sarah loaned the “bouncy” 15.3hh from her friend Kate Pegrum, who she hunts with.

“Kate has one of my youngsters to break in at the moment and I was having a confidence crisis — she said have Pous on loan, he’ll sort you out,” Sarah explained.

Sarah has been competing at TREC since she was 12 and featured on the British young rider team in 2009 and 2010 but this year with Pous has been her most successful to date.

“He has all the skills to do it because of his hunting background, which has given him the underlying fitness and ability, and he’s so good at it because he has been so well schooled and well ridden by Kate,” Sarah said.

“At TREC you have to cover distances at set speeds and one of the speeds at the British championships was 5kph, rising 1km up a steep 400m track across grouse moors. My mum’s horse [who Sarah pairs with] was ready to throw in the towel but Pous is so ready to get on with stuff from his hunting that he just keeps going.”

“As Pous has shown, you can pick TREC up with any horse and be competitive, it’s so inclusive – whether they are ex-racehorses or gypsy cobs,” she added.

Level 3 is the highest level of pairs it is possible to compete at and consists of three phases — an orienteering ride, the control of paces corridor and the obstacles course, which includes jumps of up to 90cm.

“He jumps brilliantly and in the control of paces section — where you have to canter as slowly as possible and walk as quickly as possible — he scored a maximum 30/30 in two of his competitions. I only know of two or three other horses that have done that in England,” she said.

Sarah added that she was still hoping to hunt Pous a bit over the winter.

Continues below…

32-year-old hunting mare going strong in her 27th season

Queenie's 77-year-old owner regularly takes her out, with her 75-year-old husband and his 26-year-old mare

Try something new in 2019 — TREC

If you’re looking for something new to try with your horse this year, then we’re here to help. Sara Walker

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“He is one of those awesome horses that makes you love what you are doing,” she said.

“Hopefully I will still get a chance to hunt with him a bit this season — he gets cross when he sees hounds go past and he’s not allowed to follow.”

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It’s been a summer with so many highlights. I enjoyed judging the Grove and Rufford, Kimblewick and Puckeridge puppy shows, and it was a pleasure to judge the doghounds at Honiton with Andrew Osborne.

Ardingly seems a long time ago now, my favourite show made all the more special as the showground sits in our hunt country. Thursday is the foxhound show, and the Old Surrey Burstow and West Kent (OSB&WK) normally make up the numbers. This year, however, we won the local championship with Racecard, a hound we have had high hopes for all season.

Hunting is a team game and our kennel-huntsman Tim Staines shows hounds so well, having learnt from Sage Thomson over numerous seasons. He was ably supported by our countryman and kennel-man Ed Moss.

A rare success at Ardingly could not have prepared us for what was to come at Peterborough. I still can’t quite believe it.

In the very first class Racecard won the unentered restricted doghound prize; our first win at Peterborough since our amalgamation in 1999. He is a lovely, correct dog but we never imagined we would win. The crowd were so generous with their applause that it sent a tingle down the spine.

Racecard had a setback the night before the show and it was far from certain that he would even be able to show. Tim Staines and our former huntsman Mark Bycroft worked hard throughout the night to get him right.

Being on a high from our win from the morning meant the bitch classes in the afternoon were just to be enjoyed and we didn’t expect any more miracles. But when there were only four left in the first class and one of them was Racecard’s sister Ragtime, we dared to dream. Picking up the microphone the announcer said “first … (long pause) the Old Surrey Burstow and West Kent’s Ragtime.” Cue more applause and whooping.

By the time Bedtime (mother of Racecard and Ragtime) and her sister Beehive appeared for the couples class we were “in a different place” and we watched on speechless as they won, also going on to be reserve in the open class. They were both walked by Liz Wallice and whelped by her, too.

A special mention for Blackbird, mother of Bedtime and Beehive and grandmother to Racecard and Ragtime — she is exceptional in her work.

It doesn’t get any better than four very knowledgeable judges placing your hounds first at Peterborough. Thank you to all our supporters who made the journey and thank you to all those other packs who seemed genuinely pleased for us.

What a position of strength we have to build upon, and what a legacy we have forged. In 20 seasons from now, some may ask, “Do you remember Peterborough 2019?” And I hope I am still around to say, “Yes I do, the OSB&WK won three classes.”

Standing together

The next six months may bring Brexit, no Brexit, a general election, no general election. The only certainty is that our opponents will continue to use high-handed methods to try and stop us hunting within the law in the south-east.

Every community linked with our own must stand together and fight for the right to continue to do what we love and what we believe in. Those involved in shooting, fishing and farming must all see beyond any doubt that a minority of people are running the agenda and have all our communities firmly on their radar.

Ref Horse & Hound; 12 September 2019

It might be a month until the opening meet, but autumn hunting is well underway and hounds, hunt staff and followers all over the country are in the thick of one of the busiest times of the hunting year. Here’s what you need to know about autumn hunting…

1. It happens early. Very early. Get used to setting your alarm for 5am — and if you ‘snooze’, you lose.

2. It’s awesome. Fewer people, closer to the hounds, gorgeous misty mornings. Of course it plays a serious role in educating hounds, horses and humans, but really we love it because it’s the best bit of the season.

3. You can actually do a day’s work as well afterwards. You might not be that productive, but you can sit in the office and fiddle with a spreadsheet, surreptitiously yawning. Much coffee is needed.

4. Quite often, your hunting clothes appear to have shrunk over the summer. It’s not them, it’s you.

5. But we love tweed. So much lower maintenance than black or blue, which shows every bit of dirt. And brown boots look great — just remember to change your spur straps to brown as well.

6. And no plaiting, hurrah!

7. We’re not sure about hipflasks. Is damson gin before 8am a bit much?

8. Ooh, breakfast. A bacon and egg roll won’t help with point number four, but after a 5am start and four hours on a horse who thinks this new game is, like, totally exciting, you deserve it.

9. Planning is key. Get everything ready the night before and laid out for the morning. You do not want to be searching for your martingale or hairnet at 5am, waking up everyone else who is not so enamoured by an early start.

Continued below…

8 ways to avoid looking flustered on your first day autumn hunting

Take a look at our top tips on what to remember ahead of your first day autumn hunting in the

Horse & Hound’s top tip: If you have small children to take autumn hunting, there is nothing wrong with sending them to bed wearing their hunting clothes – minus the hat, boots and coat, obviously – the night before to save time.

To ’gram or not to ’gram, that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the tweets and hashtags of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against the internet. And by opposing, end it. It may be the question but like it or not, the all-pervading internet — with all that it entails, good, bad and ugly — is here to stay.

During several puppy show speeches in recent years, I and the congregation have been cautioned to be wary of social media or “avoid it” altogether. This, I would suggest, is not only rather silly, but for anyone under 50, entirely unrealistic. While email is still anathema to some oldies, it is now old hat to most and the various forms of instant messaging have long since taken over.

Mobile phones are, brace yourself, not only for making telephone calls. Indeed, even I have an Instagram account (@belvoirhuntsman) with which I try to demonstrate some of the enjoyment experienced in kennels and while hunting.

I receive queries and questions from people all over the globe and try to answer them all; a time-consuming but, I hope, worthwhile thing. I also have a Twitter account in which I’m inclined to be a little more opinionated

Learn to deal with it

Video is recorded and posted or, in actuality, broadcast live, from wherever and whenever. The BBC and ITN are becoming redundant. One result of this phenomenon, I think, is that the traditional news broadcasts are becoming more sensationalist to compete.

As mentioned in previous dispatches, the Daily Mail’s website MailOnline is a classic example. Carefully edited videos and statements from animal rights extremists are frequently hastily posted verbatim, without any attempt to corroborate facts. I suppose news journalists are struggling to be relevant in an era when everyone has become one.

The point is that social media is unstoppable, so we have to learn to deal with it.

At the coalface — you and me — we need to understand how our actions can be misinterpreted and act accordingly. One can be very easily drawn into discussion, or more likely arguments, with our opponents, but it’s much better to avoid this, to ignore them and move on.

It is your legal right to defend yourself but never forget that you, the courts and the Daily Mail will never see the full video, only the bits that make you look foolish and in the wrong. Having made mistakes myself, I speak from experience. Hunt saboteurs, in their silly paramilitary outfits, already do a fabulous job of making themselves look like criminals and thugs — they require no assistance.

New job anyone?

As advertised in Horse & Hound recently, there are three important full-time vacancies to fill at the Hunting Office, and Simon Hart has stepped down as chairman of the Countryside Alliance to take on a ministerial role.

While age and experience always remain most valuable assets, is it too much to hope that at least one of these openings goes to a youthful candidate experienced in the dark side of media operations?

The prime minister’s “special adviser” Dominic Cummings might be free come Halloween…

Ref Horse & Hound; 19 September 2019

Modern life is full of “inspirational” quotes about the importance of setting goals. Irritating, but probably effective in helping you achieve more. So, what about setting some “hunting goals” this winter? Here are some to get you started.

1. Learn the names of some hounds, and what those hounds look like. This is an easy one to cheat on – listen to the huntsman talking to his hounds one day, remember a couple of names and drop them idly into conversation out hunting on a Saturday. It is highly unlikely that the person next to you will be able to correct you; they will nod fervently and agree that, indeed, Stormer does draw terribly well… But, more seriously, hounds are much the most important ingredient of a hunting day, and taking notice of what they do and when will increase your enjoyment of the day and your knowledge of what is happening.

2. Open some gates – and close them. I, like many others, am guilty of “hanging back” and not being the first person to volunteer to do a gate – mostly because my horse doesn’t make it easy and I am hopeless at getting on from the ground. But we all need to take our turn, so practise – and do the first one of the day and get it out of the way. Do this even if your hunt has a proper gate-shutting rota – one or two “official” gate-shutters can’t be everywhere, all the time.

3. Volunteer to help at a hunt event. Every hunt in the UK needs to fund-raise to keep the show on the road, and all too often it is the same small group of people, time and again, who do the work. Sign up for something – selling raffle tickets, being a fence judge at the point-to-point, parking cars at the Christmas fair, working behind the bar at the farmers’ party… It’s actually great fun, you get to know lots more people and your halo will get ever-shinier.

4. Read a new hunting book. Hunting has such a rich history and culture, and there is a wonderful, varied library to be discovered. For the uninitiated, start with Siegfried Sassoon’s Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man; the more “experienced” will love Lady of the Chase: the Life and Hunting Diaries of Daphne Moore, by Alastair Jackson. And the hardcore hunting person really ought to have read Beckford’s Thoughts on Hunting by now…

5. Make it your personal mission to smile at, wave at and thank every single person you come across on a day’s hunting who is not on a horse. They might be holding a gate open for the field, driving past you in a car or just standing by the side of the road; they might love hunting or hate it. Be friendly – show them we aren’t all the arrogant toffs they might perceive us to be. It really, really matters.

6. Fall off. If you don’t ever hit the deck out hunting, you are either Andrew Nicholson or you aren’t pushing yourself, and it’s always good to stretch the boundaries of your “comfort zone” a little. Get it out of the way early on and you can stop worrying about it. You will immediately be pounced on to pay up to the hunt tumblers’ club – not to do so with a smile is seriously bad form.

Continued below…

Lost your nerve out hunting? Here's how to get it back

Making a comeback to hunting after taking a

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7. Be nice to newbies. If you see someone new out hunting, go and say hello and introduce yourself. Hunting is a community and we want people to join us and enjoy themselves. The very canny master of the pack I hunt with always says loudly to visitors, “Oh, this is the Blankshire, everyone is frightfully unfriendly and no one will talk to you…” Whereupon we all desperately rush forward proffering hipflasks, chatting 10 to the dozen and probably being quite annoying in our attempts not to be unfriendly.

8. Go visiting. Everybody’s hunt country, hounds and ways of doing this are different, and it really adds to your overall knowledge of hunting to experience that. We are so lucky in the UK to have an exceptionally broad variety of hunts to suit everyone’s tastes and pocket. While a “big day” with one of the first XV might have to be your Christmas present, your local beagle pack will probably ask you for a tenner – and you’ll learn more about hounds and hunting in a day than in three seasons with many mounted packs.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

The summer is now behind us, and with the crops harvested, hunting has started. By now everyone will have got going and will be enjoying the sound of hounds early in the morning.

As a huntsman, this is a truly selfish time. You are fully entitled to indulge yourself in your hounds with the knowledge that this is their time and not that of providing entertainment for an expectant field. The hounds need time to settle back into hunting mode. For the young hounds this will be a time of learning; some will relish this new chapter, while for others it will all be a little confusing for a while.

Over the years I have often found that those young hounds that have been such a handful during summer exercise are often the slowest to get going. Those quieter ones that simply do as they are asked just disappear into the pack and get on with it.

Patience is not normally one of my strong points, but when it comes to hounds you have to be patient. Very often hounds which did not enter well the previous year will show why it was worth persevering with them and will be among the best as time goes on.

What a special time this is for the new huntsman as he or she assesses his or her hounds in the hunting field.

Mistakes will be inevitably made and, no doubt, they will be pointed out by the hunt hierarchy. This is not to say the advice should not be gratefully received.

Every huntsman hunts hounds in a slightly different way. This will have something to do with the type of country they are hunting, the country that they have previously been used to or simply who they have been trained by.

It is, though, important to adapt accordingly. The hounds that you take over will not be the same as the ones that you have left behind, so may well need handling in a different way. This is a challenge that the new huntsman should relish. It is far easier to ruin a pack of hounds than to make one.

There should be no pressure for the new huntsman to perform miracles; they should be supported and nurtured and allowed the time to get to know their hounds properly.

Teamwork

We have some fantastic field masters but, with a few twists of fate, we need some new additions to the team. How hard can it be to get someone to take up the challenge?

Firstly, you need someone who crosses the country well and has the horsepower to do so. It is essential they get to know their “patch” as well as they possibly can. Land changes hands regularly, as do farming practices, so there is always something new to learn. This will involve hours of walking the country before a day’s hunting.

A good memory for names, places and people is helpful, alongside a sense of direction. They need to know where they can go and can’t go; this knowledge will be essential for retaining good will and access.

On the day they will be doing their best to entertain the field and stay in touch with the hounds without getting in their way. In time, confidence and understanding will grow between field master and huntsman.

It is not an easy task and all of this must be carried out with a firm but fair command of the field, but with the knowledge that everyone behind them is there to have fun.

Good luck to all those of you who are kind enough to take up the challenge.

Ref Horse & Hound; 10 October 2019

There are few better ways to spend a winter's day than on the hunting field. If you fancy having a go, here’s some simple guidelines to bear in mind so you can enjoy your day as much as possible ahead of this season’s opening meets

1. Ring ahead

If you are planning on going hunting, ring the hunt secretary at least one day prior to the meet to introduce yourself and ensure they will be expecting you. This is also a good opportunity to check where parking for the meet is and how much your cap (the fee you pay for your day’s hunting) will be.

2. Don’t be late

It sounds obvious, but you don’t want to miss out on any of the action, plus it’s polite to be prompt! If you’re not a regular, leave yourself extra time to get your stuff together and get on board so you’re not rushing about getting flustered, which your horse is bound to pick up on.

3. Say good morning

When you arrive at the meet, introduce yourself to the hunt secretary who will also take your cap.

4. Dress appropriately

Ratcatcher (hacking jacket) should be worn if you are autumn hunting (prior to your hunt’s opening meet) and a blue coat (for ladies), black coat (for gentlemen) or a hacking jacket may be worn for hunting during the season. It’s also important that you don’t wear anything that could get caught on trees and cause damage to you or your horse. Your horse doesn’t need to be plaited for autumn hunting, but should be clean and tidy.

5. Right of way

Hunt staff and hounds should be given right of way at all times. Turn your horse to face hounds or hunt staff as they pass.

6. Overtaking

Stay behind the field master at all times, follow them wherever they go and pay attention to any instructions they give, such as riding in single file around a headland to avoid ruining crops and field margins.

7. Don’t be noisy

Hunting is a sociable day out, but when hounds are being cast to find a laid-line, speak quietly so that they can get on with their job without any distractions.

8. Know the lingo

While hunting, you are likely to encounter hidden dangers such as holes. It is courteous to warn those behind you of these by saying “ware hole” or “hole on the left/right”. Likewise if the huntsman, whipper-in or hound needs to pass the field, you should let others know by saying “hunt please”, “whip please” or “hound please”. If you pass through an open gate say “gate please” to warn those behind you that the gate needs shutting by the final follower (this applies where there are no gate-shutters in the field or a helpful foot follower present who has offered to open and close the gate — in which case always say thank you to them).

9. Ribbons

If your horse is prone to kicking make sure it is wearing a red ribbon in its tail and keep to the rear of the field. If your horse is young or new to hunting it is recommended that your horse wears a green ribbon in its tail — this not only ensures the safety of others, but will also make your life easier as fellow followers will endeavour to give you extra space.

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10. Jumping

Don’t approach the jump too closely behind someone else — always try to make sure the horse in front of you has jumped the fence three or four strides before you do. This means that if there is a problem, you have enough time to take appropriate action. Don’t queue-jump when lining up for a fence — it’s a sure fire way of annoying fellow field members! If your horse refuses, don’t immediately pull him left or right away from the fence as another follower might be approaching the fence and you could cut them up and cause an accident — have a look around you before you circle away. Don’t forget, if you don’t want to jump there is nearly always a non-jumping route available.

11. Be courteous

If you come across members of the public while hunting say good morning, always thank traffic as it passes and don’t block the road. When you decide to go home, make sure you say “good night” to the field master even if it’s still morning — this will prevent any confusion as to your sudden disappearance.

12. Have fun!

Most importantly, enjoy your day’s hunting — hopefully it will be the first of many.

If you’re keen to show willing and impress on the hunting field, take a look at these useful tips from Tessa Waugh

• You have far more of a chance of being helpful if you pay attention to what is going on around you. Stop chatting (not all day — we’re allowed a bit of fun) about last night’s party or so and so’s new horse, and look and listen.

• When you come to a closed gate and you see the field master looking around, quickly volunteer to open it. If you have to get off your horse, so much the better. It’s great for your hunting-cred — everyone will file past thanking you and thinking that you’re marvellous.

• Similarly, if you see the huntsman or master and the hounds heading in the direction of a closed gate with no-one to help him, ask the field master if you can go and open it.

• If you hunt with a pack which doesn’t have nominated gate-shutters, try and close a few gates after everyone else has gone through — and not just the nice swingy ones with the latches that you can do from your horse. Get off and do the miserable one off its hinges in a bog. With any luck, someone else will be there to hold your horse.

• Look out for any stock in the fields you are going through. If you see a herd of cattle charging towards an open gate which members of the field are exiting, position your horse between the gate and the cattle to prevent them from escaping. If any stock get out, offer to help get them back in.

• Try to get to know the farmers whose land you are crossing so that when you come across them, perhaps holding a gate open, you can smile and politely pass the time of day, rather than barging through and shouting “gate please” without giving said farmer (whose land you are on) a second glance.

• If one of your fellow field members is struggling with a piece of tack or wanting to get off for any reason, volunteer to hold their horse. Likewise, if you see the master or hunt staff getting off their horse for any reason, offer to go and hold it for them.

Continued below…

A fear of blackthorns — and 24 other signs you're addicted to hunting

If your heart sinks as the days get

12 ways hunting can help your horse

Simon Lawrance, MFH, four-star event rider and UKCC

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• If you see a loose horse, try catching it and taking it back to its rider. It is a massive bore going back, particularly if hounds are running, but the shoe might be on the other foot another day.

• When you are on a road, be aware of any traffic that can’t get through, get out of the way quickly and send the message forward by shouting “car please”. Any communication that encourages better relations between hunting and non-hunting people is a good thing.

For all the latest veterinary advice, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

Never been hunting, but would love to have a go? H&H explains how to get started and answers your questions during hunting’s Newcomers’ Week (19-26 October 2019)

How do I find out where to go?

To find your local hunt, visit www.mfha.org.uk/pack_directory. Then ring the hunt secretary. This applies for any day’s hunting when you are not a subscriber to that particular pack. Ask him or her whether you can come out, where the meet is, where you should park and how much you have to pay. This is called the “cap”. It will vary enormously between hunting countries depending on how old you are and whether you are planning to follow on a horse or on foot. Packs often do good deals for under-25s and people who farm in the hunting country.

Do I need a companion?

If you can persuade a hunting friend with a well-behaved horse to accompany you, great, particularly if your horse hasn’t been out before. But it’s not essential. Tell the hunt secretary this is your first time, or that you are fairly inexperienced on the hunting field. He/she may be able to suggest someone to look after you for the day, and at least will be aware and able to keep an eye on you.

Is my horse suitable?

The answer is that you don’t really know until you get there, but there is no reason why any horse shouldn’t learn to hunt well. Many horses get a little overexcited by being at such a terrific “party”, but can you blame them? Autumn hunting is perfect for horses who haven’t hunted, and for young, green animals because things happen at a more gentle pace. There is often more standing-around time for them to absorb what’s going on. If your horse is used to busy collecting rings and doesn’t mind dogs around his feet, there’s every chance he’ll be fine. Use your brain and stay to the side of the main field so your horse has a chance to look at what’s going on, rather than throwing him straight into the middle of the pack.

Do I need to plait?

Not during autumn hunting, which extends until the opening meet at the beginning of November. After that most people will, out of smartness and courtesy to those whose land they are crossing, but it’s not compulsory. Manes should be neat, tidy and clean, but you shouldn’t get sent home for not plaiting.

What should I wear?

During autumn hunting, a tweed jacket and shirt and tie or coloured stock, pale breeches, clean boots and gaiters/half-chaps or long boots, dark gloves and a hat with a dark cover. In the season proper, with most packs adults tend to wear black or navy coats, but you will see some in tweed too. If you don’t own a tweed coat for autumn hunting, don’t worry about it too much. Girls: hairnets, not flowing locks, please. Make-up is fine, but not Jordan-style, and take off jewellery unless you want to risk tearing your earlobes off on low branches. You may wear a body protector, but preferably under your jacket rather than over it.

What should my horse wear?

If you aren’t sure about your brakes, err on the side of caution or take a stronger bit/martingale in the lorry with you. Numnahs should be dark and follow the shape of the saddle — save that white dressage square for another day. If you know he might kick, put a red ribbon on his tail and stay well out of the way whenever possible. Kicking a horse or a rider is bad enough, but kicking a hound is the worst thing you can do. You will get sent home, so make sure your horse’s head is turned towards hounds, not his backside. A green ribbon denotes a young horse, and if someone puts the back of their hand in the hollow of their back, it means “don’t get too close”.

Should he wear boots?

This is up to you. If you live in wall country, knee boots are de rigeur. Otherwise it’s your choice, and you know what suits your horse. But remember the boots will be on for a lot longer during the course of a hunting day than they would be during a cross-country round, and the risks of rubbing and overheating are greater. You’ll find plenty do and plenty don’t.

Will I have to jump huge hedges?

Of course not. Even if your hunt has a reputation for being a serious jumping pack, you can always go round — and there will be other people taking the roundabout route, too. Only jump what you feel happy with; it’s not a competition.

How fit does my horse need to be?

Very rarely does hunting involve galloping flat-out for very long, and autumn hunting in particular can involve a lot of standing around. Your horse needs to be fit enough to canter up a hill without collapsing, but really doesn’t need to be racehorse-fit. And you can go home whenever you like — don’t feel compelled to stay out for hours if you and your horse are knackered.

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8 ways to avoid looking flustered on your first day autumn hunting

Take a look at our top tips on what to remember ahead of your first day autumn hunting in the

Autumn hunting: H&H's dos and don'ts

Autumn hunting is a gentle introduction for young hounds, new hunt staff, horses and followers to the forthcoming season. Carina

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Golden rules for first-timers

• Find out who the master is and say good morning
• Never overtake the field master, and always listen carefully to his instructions
• Always thank traffic that slows down or stops
• Never block the road
• Don’t park in gateways or driveways unless specifically told you can
• If you hear the shout “huntsman please!” or “whip please!” get out of the way sharpish so they can get through
• Always call them hounds, not dogs
• Always shut gates if you are the last through unless told otherwise, and if the person in front of you shouts “gate, please!” pass it back to the next person
• Do turn your mobile phone off, and talk quietly while standing at the side of a covert — the huntsman will not be pleased to hear you shrieking about what you got up to the night before
• Never ride across the middle of a field of sown corn, even if you see hunt staff doing so
• Do ask questions about what is going on. The more you understand about a day’s hunting, the more you will enjoy it. People will be very happy to answer your queries
• Do find the field master/master/secretary before you go home and say thank you and good night, which is the traditional way to say goodbye — even at 9am