North Staffordshire, Staffs
IT has long been suspected that great horsemen have a streak of madness in them and the latest Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) Racing to Hunting Challenge final, hosted by the North Staffordshire, proved it. The winner was sporting a broken foot and the runnerup a broken collarbone, but both skipped around the hedges and rails without the slightest hesitation.
The four finalists - two had to pull out at the last moment made a smart picture in their green RoR saddlecloths against the mellow red brick of the farmyard where we met, hosted by senior master Ann Hartley. She, too, was defying injury, not long back in the saddle after breaking her knee in an innocuous but nasty accident at the end of last season.
"I dropped my phone after taking pictures of a trespassing dog walker," she explained. "When I got on a bank to get back on, my horse joined me on the bank and my foot slipped."
Returning to her family farm three decades ago, Ann was invited into the mastership.
"I keep trying to wriggle out of it," she laughed, "but they won't let me!"
With longevity of service increasingly rare, I doubt they ever will.
The rest of the mastership is equally strong. Rick Hampton was described as Ann's guardian angel - "he is always there when I need him" - and Jonathon Jarrett has deep familial connections with the area. His brother, Rob, has hunted the hounds for four years and, despite the potential for brotherly rivalry, it's a successful arrangement, with a kind of shorthand between them.
Rob looks after the breeding of this old English pack and has already found success on the flags, with Pudding 20, a "little rascal", the brood bitch winner at Peterborough, the first North Staffordshire for 70 years.
"I've been trying to get them a bit more athletic," he explained. "They were getting a bit heavy in the shoulder."
Denne historien er fra November 30, 2023-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
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Denne historien er fra November 30, 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'
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'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
