YOU WON’T notice them at first, those suspiciously well-plaited ponies at the Meet, the mothers unfathomably laid back and the bonnie child on board just a bit, well, bonnie. But as things start to unravel in your camp, it will dawn on you that those tearless, warm, gung-ho smalls have at their fingertips the most coveted of things: a sporting nanny (SN). And here is a breed of nanny that really does know best.
Take Pea Wallace’s childhood Mary Poppins, Jo, who on autumn hunting mornings would savvily lay out kit on the Aga for her charges to slide into half awake, before setting off with school uniform and a box of Frosties preloaded in the car. “She definitely played a part in my love for country life, animals and sports,” says Wallace, now in her forties. She recalls the time that having delivered the children to school post-hunting, Jo got a call from her teacher to say that six-year-old Wallace was slumped at her desk (the Ribena had been unknowingly switched for port).
But this blip was a small price to pay for helping ignite a lifelong love affair with fieldsports. “Between her and mum, they really instilled how to make the most of life and ‘getting on with it’, an invaluable lesson that has put me in good stead. Jo juggled school runs, riding, cooking, grooming for my mum who was competing, shopping, taking us hunting, swimming. There wasn’t anything she couldn’t do.”
Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av The Field.
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
Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av The Field.
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
Going over old ground
Forget modern tractors and minimum tillage - there is something glorious about the sight of farmer, horse and vintage plough in perfect harmony
Return of the natives
There is nothing as satisfying as creating a magical miniature woodland or conservation hedgerow using our native trees - and now is the best time to start.
Tagging the Cornish tunny
Enormous Atlantic bluefin tuna are once again making waves in UK waters almost a century after their showstopping appearance in the North Sea
In it for the long haul
It may have fallen out of favour at the elite level but long-format three-day eventing is still proving popular with grassroots riders
Unpicking the story of hunt buttons
These treasured tokens are bestowed only upon those who go above and beyond in service of their hunt but the rules around them can be complex
A place of tradition in the heart of town
Cordings has helped shape the sartorial landscape of Britain for 185 years, with its classic country tailoring a firm staple of many sporting wardrobes
Don't play it by ear
Hearing loss can have a devastating impact on day-to-day life, making ear protection a non-negotiable piece of field kit
Back to base-ics
Britain's famously unpredictable climate can make staying comfortable in the field a challenge but the right under layers can be a game changer
Stand and deliver
A good stance provides the platform for shotgun marksmanship and is fundamental to consistent success in the field or breaking clays
Heaven is a High Four
A team of guns enjoy a day of the finest sport Devon has to offer, courtesy of the GWCT and a quartet of generous shoot owners