Hunting Mark Todd out with the Grafton, Fitzwilliam and Tiverton Staghounds
Eventing’s most famous face, Mark Todd, is persuaded to join the fun and friendly Grafton for the day
WHEN I was first asked to go out for a day’s hunting for H&H, I was a little dubious, for several reasons. One, I have had two of the worst falls of my riding career while out hunting; two, I hate riding in the cold and wet and ending up standing on top of a wind-blown hill in freezing rain; and three, I ride all year long and do I really need to do this sort of thing for my out-of-season relaxation? As usual, I was easily persuaded and, with the promise of a fun day out with the Grafton on a Saturday with fellow eventer and joint-master Tam Leeming and her husband Tom, I duly accepted.
The adventure began with an invitation to a dinner party at the Leemings’ house the night before hunting; I knew this could be slightly dangerous
as parties at the Leemings are renowned for being wild affairs.
Many members of the hunt and local farmers were invited for drinks, and I met senior master Charles Smyth-Osbourne and joint-masters Henry Chapman, who was to be the field master the following day, and Claire Bonner.
There was also Grafton huntsman Mick Wills and his partner Pippa Taylor, who was very kindly lending me her two-star event horse Chellano, known as Harry. I must admit that I was somewhat perturbed when, on telling people I would be riding “Pippa’s grey horse” the next day, they would pull faces and comment, “Oh, that should be exciting!”
The evening went well and Tam duly served up a great meal, although she was somewhat disappointed that her attempt at Nigella Lawson’s 24-hour roasted pork didn’t match up to her expectations. No one noticed and we had a great evening, managing to get to bed in a reasonable state.
‘I was slightly dubious and didn’t want to be the fool who got in the
way and received an earful’
A PROMISING DAY
ONE of my fears evaporated next morning when the sun rose with the promise of a fine day. After a delicious breakfast cooked by Tom, we set off to the meet, which was at Henry Chapman and his wife Sophie’s Woodford Hill Farm. I was very soon aware that Henry was keen to get on with the job, and wasn’t too happy to be standing round while we chatted and downed the customary glass of port.
On the way to the meet, we had passed hunting enthusiast and world-renowned planetary geoscientist David Rothery who, along with Sylvia Busby and Jill Jones, had been out since 8.30am laying the trail for the day.
As hounds moved off, I was instructed to “get up the front behind the master and stay there”. Harry proved very keen to be there, too, as we made our way to the first draw. We were to be hunting over a piece of country that had only just been opened up after an absence of 30-odd years, so everyone was very excited about the prospects for the day.
For me, not being a true hunting enthusiast — although I have hunted sporadically for many years — one of the greatest pleasures is that one gets to see the countryside from a completely different aspect. Not having spent much time in the Northamptonshire area, I was delighted at the beauty of this part of England.
It is a magical time of year with the rich autumnal colours still hanging on the trees and beautiful rolling countryside which, on this clear and sunny day, you could see for miles. I was quite happy when we came to a halt and I could just take in this amazing panorama.
However, the Grafton were on a mission that we were going to have a good day. Huntsman Mick kept us moving along at a good pace and field master Henry made sure we had plenty of action
over fences as we tried to keep the hounds in sight. I was greatly relieved when we came to our first fence and Harry pinged it like a good ’un! I could relax and enjoy my day.
The great thing about hunting is that you meet people from all walks of life, who have a passion for the countryside, riding horses of all different shapes and sizes. Everyone was very friendly and I was mightily relieved to discover that they were also very polite when it came to jumping fences, where they would wait in an orderly fashion — unlike some hunts, where it resembles the Charge of the Light Brigade.
IN ON THE ACTION
IT seemed like we hardly drew breath for the first couple of hours, but with the very warm temperatures and a slight breeze, the hounds weren’t finding it easy to pick up a trail.
Unfortunately, Harry lost a front shoe at some point. Luckily, we were mostly on grassland and when we did have to go on the roads, there was at least a decent verge to ride on. Harry was not to be put off and blithely carried on. I still find it very strange trotting flat out, or even cantering, down tarmac roads!
I had put on my thermal vest in the morning, but was beginning to regret it by the time we stopped for second horses as the day had got progressively warmer. Thankfully, Pippa had had the forethought to phone her groom, who produced a strap-on boot for Harry’s hoof; a godsend, as we had a decent hack along the road as we set off again.
Undoubtedly, the highlight of the day was when I was asked to go up front with Mick and the hounds, to be right in the action. I was again slightly dubious about that, as Mick has a reputation for not suffering fools gladly. I didn’t want to be the fool who got in the way and received an earful.
Watching hounds working and seeing how Mick controlled and encouraged them to get on with their job was a fascinating insight into the “sharp end” of hunting.
However, by about 3.30pm, I felt as if I had undergone a marathon and that Harry had probably had enough, too, although he was still keen, so a few of us decided to head home. Tam, Tom, Pippa and I recounted what a fantastic day we had had from many angles and, as we rode back with the sun just setting, hacking across beautiful, open countryside, it was pretty magical.
A huge thank you to everyone at the Grafton for making me feel so welcome and for providing me with a day that I will long remember.