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
Gemirande provides 24-carat magic
Venetia Williams sparkles again in the December Gold Cup and jockey brothers dead-heat
‘Happy hunting, everyone'
“The season for talks, dinners and parties has finally arrived for Tessa Waugh, whose distress about the snags of middle age fades away with some rousing festive spirits
'Monaco deserved this victory
Seemingly destined always to play the bridesmaid’s role, Harrie Smolders’ great partner Monaco finally tops an incidentpacked Rolex grand prix
'It had to end sometime'
The closure of beloved Hampshire saddlery Calcutt Sons is a loss to the hunting and wider equestrian worlds, as Octavia Pollock reports
'You couldn't want for more
The Ludlow's peaceful country makes for a day in \"hunting paradise\"
The greatest gift of all
Christmas is fast approaching and while we all like a bit of tinsel, the festive season is also a perfect time for giving to a horse charity. Niki Hinman finds out some of the options
Winter him well
A horse's winter routine can differ dramatically from his summer structure but what’s the knock-on effect? Ellie Hughes asks vets how to optimise routine management for the season
Neat feet
Excellent hoof care is a year-round concern but the winter months present their own problems. Richard Stephenson MRCVS explains the seasonal challenges afoot and how to stay one step ahead
In bygone days
Modern vets have much scientific knowledge behind them, but what about their forebears? Kieran O’Brien MRCVS opens up the world of Victorian vets in London
'When I joined the Pony Club it was just two boys and 48 girls'
Pepsi Kohler on being delightfully outnumbered by girls in the Pony Club, a leg-up from a royal and the H&H advert that changed his life
