Yesterday I took my favourite grey kid Charlie hunting. The meet was on a beautiful estate, one of my favourite meets actually. We got there with plenty of time to spare, so chatted with a few people before pulling horses off the lorry. Charlie hacked down to the meet sweetly, and stood around for me to drink port and mulled wine, yum!
We set off down the drive and down the first field. I was up front with J when we came to the first fence, so him and Rupert took the lead and Charlie popped straight over after. Sharp right turn to jump on an angle out the paddock and down the laneway, again jumped like a pro. We had plenty of galloping and then came down to a row of paddocks to jump through, popped through lovely. Stopped in the middle for a chat and to wait to see where hounds were going. When we set off again I ended up stuck behind a woman on a cob. She would gallop down the field towards a fence and then 5 or 6 strides out haul the cob back into a showjumping canter so you nearly crashed into the back of her! Very quickly overtook her the far side as wasn't getting stuck behind her again, you need to kick on for some of the fences!!
Got back up the front with J and our friend R joined us. Popped over a few timber fences then down the valley towards the hedge of death. R's horse took off flat out past J, wiggled into the hedge and R was hanging off the side! J and Rupert jumped it beautifully after. I'd taken a pull when I saw R wobble coz I thought he was coming off so I wasn't quite as forward as I'd have liked. Charlie jumped up, over the hedge, and just made it over the ditch the far side before slightly stumbling which threw me up his neck. I had made sure to sit up over the hedge as I knew there was a monster ditch the far side, so it properly pitched me forwards. I ended up on his neck, no reins, one stirrup and thought I was a goner. Poor horse I grabbed onto his ears to hold myself on and luckily he threw his head up to keep me on so I could manage to scramble back into the saddle!! Any other horse would have put their head down and thrown in a buck, but not Charlie, he is a saint! So I was on and recovered thank god! R managed to recover himself too but it was close! We pulled up and stopped to watch the rest of the field who braved the hedge. We only killed off 3 people this year, which isn't bad for that hedge! Its the ditch that catches people out!
Once everyone was back on board and alive, we pushed on down the field to pop a couple of ditches and a few tiger traps. Came down the road and into a haylage field. The draghunt have a line round there so we borrowed it for some entertainment! First hedge in the haylage field Charlie jumped like a pro, and the second and the third and the fourth!! Jumped the double of trekhaners over the stream and the big hedge out onto the top of the hill! We then pulled up for hipflasks and had a good laugh.
Then the hounds were off again and I was back in front with J. We turned right through a gate and I watched as J jumped the hedge in front of me. It was only 3ft on take off, but he just kept going down and down and down! So I kicked on, slipped my reins and sat back! Landed safely and then I saw the ditch 4 strides in front of me!! I didn't have time to pick my knitting back up so gave Charlie a massive kick and he leapt straight over the ditch. I then had half a field to sort myself out and jump the next hedge. We then pootled round the fields and lanes for the next 40 minutes before the rounds crossed back on themselves and we ended back up over the haylage fields hedge line again. Jumped them just as well the other direction as the first time!
The hounds were headed towards home now and so we pootled back through the fields, through a bog, yuck, and over some wooden bridges.
When we got back to the lorrys we chucked the horses clothes on and headed for home, filthy dirty but with massive grins. Best day I've had all season! Cannot wait to teamchase Charlie, he is a seriously special horse!
Have a couple of pics to share (buying these ones) and a link to my near miss!
Coming down the drive to the meet
Popping over a little hedge
Hedge of death! Keep clicking next!
http://evespics.co.uk/2013/Kimblewick Hunt Englefield House 9.2.13/HTML/img_4986.htm
We set off down the drive and down the first field. I was up front with J when we came to the first fence, so him and Rupert took the lead and Charlie popped straight over after. Sharp right turn to jump on an angle out the paddock and down the laneway, again jumped like a pro. We had plenty of galloping and then came down to a row of paddocks to jump through, popped through lovely. Stopped in the middle for a chat and to wait to see where hounds were going. When we set off again I ended up stuck behind a woman on a cob. She would gallop down the field towards a fence and then 5 or 6 strides out haul the cob back into a showjumping canter so you nearly crashed into the back of her! Very quickly overtook her the far side as wasn't getting stuck behind her again, you need to kick on for some of the fences!!
Got back up the front with J and our friend R joined us. Popped over a few timber fences then down the valley towards the hedge of death. R's horse took off flat out past J, wiggled into the hedge and R was hanging off the side! J and Rupert jumped it beautifully after. I'd taken a pull when I saw R wobble coz I thought he was coming off so I wasn't quite as forward as I'd have liked. Charlie jumped up, over the hedge, and just made it over the ditch the far side before slightly stumbling which threw me up his neck. I had made sure to sit up over the hedge as I knew there was a monster ditch the far side, so it properly pitched me forwards. I ended up on his neck, no reins, one stirrup and thought I was a goner. Poor horse I grabbed onto his ears to hold myself on and luckily he threw his head up to keep me on so I could manage to scramble back into the saddle!! Any other horse would have put their head down and thrown in a buck, but not Charlie, he is a saint! So I was on and recovered thank god! R managed to recover himself too but it was close! We pulled up and stopped to watch the rest of the field who braved the hedge. We only killed off 3 people this year, which isn't bad for that hedge! Its the ditch that catches people out!
Once everyone was back on board and alive, we pushed on down the field to pop a couple of ditches and a few tiger traps. Came down the road and into a haylage field. The draghunt have a line round there so we borrowed it for some entertainment! First hedge in the haylage field Charlie jumped like a pro, and the second and the third and the fourth!! Jumped the double of trekhaners over the stream and the big hedge out onto the top of the hill! We then pulled up for hipflasks and had a good laugh.
Then the hounds were off again and I was back in front with J. We turned right through a gate and I watched as J jumped the hedge in front of me. It was only 3ft on take off, but he just kept going down and down and down! So I kicked on, slipped my reins and sat back! Landed safely and then I saw the ditch 4 strides in front of me!! I didn't have time to pick my knitting back up so gave Charlie a massive kick and he leapt straight over the ditch. I then had half a field to sort myself out and jump the next hedge. We then pootled round the fields and lanes for the next 40 minutes before the rounds crossed back on themselves and we ended back up over the haylage fields hedge line again. Jumped them just as well the other direction as the first time!
The hounds were headed towards home now and so we pootled back through the fields, through a bog, yuck, and over some wooden bridges.
When we got back to the lorrys we chucked the horses clothes on and headed for home, filthy dirty but with massive grins. Best day I've had all season! Cannot wait to teamchase Charlie, he is a seriously special horse!
Have a couple of pics to share (buying these ones) and a link to my near miss!
Coming down the drive to the meet
Popping over a little hedge
Hedge of death! Keep clicking next!
http://evespics.co.uk/2013/Kimblewick Hunt Englefield House 9.2.13/HTML/img_4986.htm
Wonder the poor thing didn't break a leg. 
