Yet another terrific Meet - we are terribly lucky to have such marvellous hosts.

Many thanks to our generous host who provided a splendid meet in a wonderful setting and to the landowners who allowed to hunt trails across their land. One of the joys and greta privileges of following hounds is to be invited to cross some amazing country where there is no public right of access - a privilege for which all of us who delight in hound-work are immensely grateful.

A good-sized field enjoyed a terrific day so thank you also to the trail layers, the Masters and, of course, the hunt staff - professional and amateurs.

Organising a day's trail-hunting is a huge undertaking by the Masters as is the proper running of kennels. The care of hounds and hunt horses as well as the fabric of the establishment is more than a full-time job - it is very much a way of life.

The Stern

• Who came prepared for a bit of "sport fishing"?
• Who lost a garter strap only to find it later?

Photographs

These are just a few of the 136 published images that may be found by clicking HERE.
You may recall that the weather was rather gloomy so the photographs are a little grainy.

 

A Meet so generous it's a wonder we didn't all have a nap!

The C-H family just kept bringing out more and more delicious bites - sausages, sausage rolls, roast potatoes, fish dippers . . . . the delicious bites just kept coming - a huge THANK YOU to our hosts for such a welcome and such generosity.

Thanks, as ever to our landowners and farmers for allowing us to lay trails across their land, letting hounds try to find and follow them and for welcoming the followers, mounted and wheeled.

Having torn themselves away from the veritable feast (thank you again C-Hs) a good sized mounted Wednesday field set off on a mildish day to watch hounds work.

An especial note for Sally who looked elegance itself riding sidesaddle.

And a historical note because your correspondent is interested in such things: there was a Gentleman's Sidesaddle Association that had its heyday just after the Great War. The reason was simply that hunting men, returning from the war having suffered leg amputations, found that the sidesaddle gave them the ability to follow hounds over the most cut-me-down country when their disabilities would have made that impossible riding astride.

It is inconceivable that even these gallant souls could have looked as elegant as our own Sally.

The Stern

• Who, in an attempt to embrace all that is modern coined the term "The Dog Operative" for the Huntsman?
• Who claims that the more skew-whiff the hat the better the day?
• Who announced to their dog, "time for a walk" and then, rather than actually walking, used the extendable lead to "cast" the dog?
• Who was heard to say that hounds were "giving lip"? (Personally, your correspondent was not aware of any impertinence by hounds).

Photographs

As ever these may be enlarged with a click and many more may be found at 

       The Gather's site click HERE

and on this occasion

       Combat Moose's site: click HERE

Good spirits despite . . .

A good sized field turned out to follow hounds across some tricky country. Even those who had to return to the boxes very early on did so with broad smiles on their faces.

With a good number mounted and even more on foot, with supporters ranging in aged from months to many, many years and a beautiful morning we set off to hunt within the law.

Once again your correspondent had, sadly, to leave early and was unable to follow his passion - watching hounds try to own the trail. Nonetheless it is clear that a lot of people, with much support, set out to enjoy a terrific day in the Kentish countryside.

Photographs

These and few more may be found HERE 

A Terrific Meet and a Glorious Marsh Day

There is a tendency for these reports to be somewhat "meteorological' - often reflecting on the wetness/windiness/chill or some other negative. Today we celebrated a glorious, frosty November morning. Frankly November either gives us such mornings or those dank, damp days that chill to the bone - this was the former - in spades!

The meet was generous to a fault and hounds did their very best (which was darn good) to own the trails.

A huge THANK YOU to our hosts for excellent sausage rolls, unwrapped sausages and plentiful Dutch Courage, land owners and farmers for allowing us across their land. There are those who choose to despise landowners and farmers just because they "own" land and the same folk often choose to condemn trail-hunting. Those of us who look and understand see stewards who know that their tenancy, in human scale, is temporary and seek to pass on an historic landscape.

The Stern

• Who may no longer need to practise their pout having sorted out the camera on their new mobile so that it doesn't take selfies?
• Who, by scurrilous and untrue rumour, would have elevated the photographer to the Tumblers' Club?
• Who pointed out that one of the last Meet's photographs was not to their liking? (That is exactly why it was posted)

Photographs

These and many more may be found HERE

The three wise . . . ?