At the Portman, joint-master and huntsman Hugo Busby always had a plan, as “we never liked to miss a day over the festive period”. Below right: the choir for Beaufort’s popular carol service consists of hunt staff and “experienced choristers”
IT is a Christmas Eve meet at the Curre and Llangibby and 70 mounted riders are
gathered, sipping mulled wine and waiting for the hounds to arrive. It will not be their own pack, who have the cough, but the Duke of Beaufort’s doghounds, hunted by kennel huntsman Tony Holdsworth, who have kindly agreed to save the day. He has roped me in as an amateur whipper-in.
What beheld us as we hacked to the meet was a fantastic sight of Welsh festive cheer. Ponies were adorned with tinsel and reindeer antlers and several grown-ups had gone the whole hog. At one stage, I was overtaken by a Virgin Mary with a baby Jesus on a lead-rein. It all added to the season of goodwill and did nothing to distract us from a fine day’s sport.
Nor do the Beaufort neglect festivities at home. For the past 12 years, the hunt’s Christmas carol service at St Michael and All Angels, Great Badminton, has been run by hunt stalwart Lisabeth Glass and her musical surgeon husband Dickie with proceeds this year, more than £600, going to the church restoration fund.
The choir of 16, made up of senior hunt staff and experienced choristers, are decked out in pleated white surplices tailor-made by Lis Glass. More than 200 congregants attend, drawn from the hunting, farming and local community, with a strong Pony Club involvement that draws in their parents as well.
Denne historien er fra December 29, 2023-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
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Denne historien er fra December 29, 2023-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
'Sorry, but I wasn't feeling it'
Fresh from the opening meet, Tessa Waugh hasn't quite yet been bitten by the hunting bug. Without the crisp autumnal air and cheek-pinching cold she hoped for, it's a sluggish start
New pair pull off a win
A former European Championships pony is on form with his new rider, while elsewhere former showjumpers and eventers take ribbons
Lording it over the rest
Horses who have returned from injury, a second generation homebred and a long format specialist score on the final weekend of the British season
Smith hits flying form
A \"her way or no way\" mare helps Zoe Smith to an impressive ribbon haul and a rider beats his own boss to the top spot
Jankorado hits the jackpot
Paul Sims is triumphant despite his interrupted jump-off preparation and a borrowed horse comes up trumps
Peanut
From \"dangerous, scary\" to hedge-hopping brilliance, hunting has been the making of this unstable but very lovable equine character
She's a corker
Communication, says long-standing and highly respected Belvoir master Lady Sarah McCorquodale, is the key to all, as Catherine Austen discovers
Access all areas Cavalier Centre
The Cavalier Centre is a fully accessible, state-of-the-art equestrian centre designed to improve lives through horse-based activities. Ellie May Forrester pays a visit
'Use it or lose it'
Not everyone wants to reach for the pipe and slippers at a certain age. Becky Murray speaks to some veteran horse-and-rider combos for their secrets of human and equine longevity
A new way forward
Worm control in horses is vital, but established methods will not remain effective for much longer. Tim Mair FRCVS explains why and how we need to change
