Hunting Life Inaugural Quorn Hunt Forest Relay, plus Essex hunts to merge
Eager riders enjoy a competitive outing as the Fox Grant Dot Com take top spot in an inaugural relay organised by the Quorn, and the Just For Fun’s experience over sticky going paves their way to victory in the bogey class
IN a season dogged by inclement weather, a new event held by the Quorn — a week later than expected — attracted an eager crowd. Neither a team chase nor a hunter trial, the event devised by Georgina Fielding and Jo Jewell MFH aimed “to showcase the Tuesday country” over James Wilson’s Blackhill Farm, kindly sponsored by Davidsons Homes.
The Forest side of the Tuesday country, presided over by Jo, combines tricky timber with the odd hedge, and the course comprised upright timber fences with some galloping hedges and tight turns.
The event ran as a relay, the first pair passing the batons to the second, with the first three horses over the line to count.
There were 15 teams in the Swashbucklers class and they tackled 25 varied fences standing at 3ft6in. After pathfinders Tally Ho Totties came unstuck at fence four, a timber upright on a tricky line, the Bicester Babes laid down a clean, fast round, brought home by Lucy Holland.
Third to go, Fox Grant Dot Com, fielded a team of three.
“They were backed off a bit by the solid fences and the ground, but you need control and brakes to get the steering right,” said Clare Shuckburgh, first out for the team with Anna Stone.
Yvonne Goss and her Golden Button winner Jaffa went third.
“We hit the first of the arrowheads hard,” Yvonne said. “Our back end was above the front, but he has a wonderful fifth leg. His little feet were held by the ground a bit, but he loves to run and jump, so I let him.”
Jaffa set a lightning third leg, securing the top spot and £300 prize, nearly a minute faster than the next team.
“All credit to the land owner and the organisers,” said Roddy Stanning of Team Rideaway 2 on finishing his run as first pair out. “It’s been a tough season for team chasing and we are very appreciative of everything that happens to let us run.”
Fence four proved difficult, with Roddy and Susannah Andrews both missing it first time round, and Jo Kearns bombing past it once the baton had exchanged hands.
“We lost time on the run-outs at four and I nearly fell off taking too sharp an angle at fence nine,” admitted Susannah. “We’re team chasers, so we took chances, but
the timber was unforgiving.”
The penultimate round of the day from Team Rideaway 3 was fast and furious. But a mangled baton change, as James Sheppard in the handover box misdirected Becky Rollins and Sherlock on their way in, resulted in an altercation with the white flag and a time four seconds down on Rideaway 2.
The Explorers’ bogey-time class over a 2ft 9in 20-fence course was won by Just For Fun.
“We all hunt with the Meynell, so our horses are used to a bit of sticky going,” said Christabel Blunt. “I knew our first pair were a little faster than the second and, although I lost a shoe in the water, we came home well.”
Second-placed Pytchley Chicks managed a competitive round before hoofing it back to the Pytchley point-to-point.
“I can see this turning into a team chase, especially the later [Swashbucklers] section,” said William Fox Grant. “It’s a lovely, lovely course.”
“It’s good to do something different,” said Rupert Onslow, after completing the course.
The mixture of timber and hedges, the relay element and the efficient organisation have firmly put the Quorn’s new Forest Relay on the map.