Paddy

The charming Irish ‘gentleman’ who reads the country better than any rider

- Martha Terry

FOR my first — and only — Irish hunting escapade as a reporter for H&H, I was petrified and under-qualified in equal measure. And I was heading out with the South Tyrone, an outfit renowned for its kamikaze skills. Step in Paddy, an affable chestnut known by seemingly most of Ireland, who proved his immeasurable worth as my armchair and guardian angel until dusk fell.

“He’s had everyone riding him and would look after a child or give an experienced rider a lot of fun,” says regular rider Tori Mills, whose father Alexander owns the 21-year-old and has so generously lent him to myriad guests. “He’s particularly good at getting ‘damsels in distress’ to enjoy themselves over scary fences — he’s like a charming old gentleman.