HUNTS up and down the country have a busy summer ahead. Hounds and staff have made a quantum leap from hunting mode to the summer season of hound shows: equally disciplined but diametrically different in nature.
These shows used to be the realm of hound aficionados and cognoscenti, but now they are much more relaxed affairs, where anyone interested in supporting their own hunt can feel at home.
The South of England Hound Show at Ardingly, West Sussex in early June (9–10 June 2023) is the first of the year and it is still part of the main agricultural event.
This is a showpiece for the southern packs and has built a reputation for friendliness and informality thanks to longstanding chairman Gary Lee and his wife Fee, who acts as show secretary. Each hunt has considerable local support and those hunts that win may be tempted to show again later in the summer.
The Wales and Border Counties Hound Show at Builth Wells comes at the end of June (29 June 2023) and is a veritable hunting jamboree where all types of hounds are shown on the same day.
Many of the fashionable foxhound packs turn up, usually with the green coats of the Duke of Beaufort’s and the Heythrop at the fore, but the main event is the Welsh ring where handlers hold their woolly charges on the flags to be scrutinised in minute detail.
Last year the Teme Valley huntsman David Savage had the honour of winning both the Welsh and Fellhound championships, but this year it will be interesting to see if the pack’s new English huntsman Jamie Whittle can have the same mesmeric effect on his hounds.
Denne historien er fra June 08, 2023-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
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Denne historien er fra June 08, 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
