November is certainly here

A good crowd turned out for this Saturday's meet - a huge thank you, as ever to our hosts, farmers and landowners.

The day had begun with the chipping of ice from the truck just to gain access to "look" the sheep before any thoughts of hunting but even while checking that all the animals were fine, watered and had sufficient grass thoughts did turn to the possibility of the cold air making the trails last close to the ground and the promise of seeing hounds doing the best that they can under the current legislation.

Unfortunately the weather was very November and the crisp start edged to a damp morning and furthermore it was "bonfire night".  While this may fill some hearts with glee, those of us responsible for animals have a different view. If the noise and flashes fail to traumatise then the debris is always a concern - a spent firework in the winter's hay supply is not a happy thought.

In the interest of the dogs (note not the hounds) your correspondent could not stay out for long as preparations had to be made to ensure that the sheep-dogs could be taken to a safe place during the greater excesses of November the fifth.

Nonetheless snatches of hound music brightened a dull morning and the camaraderie was as good as ever.

Calendars

The limited edition of 50 is selling fast. If you would like a copy of the EKHwWS 2017 Calendar - A3 with more than 340 images from last season - please see Nick at any meet - they'll be in the truck while stocks last.

Photographs

Clicking on an image will enlarge it and the resulting image may be freely shared on social media as long as the watermark (copyright statement) is left intact.

Many more may be viewed HERE but please, please do not screen-shot the images and share them.

A proper Hunting Morn

A jolly mid-week crew met on the morning of the first frost of this autumn. Clear skies, crisp frost in places high on the Downs and bright sun set the scene for a super day.

William Ogilvie, perhaps the poet of the chase, came to mind this morning:

Come, horsemen all, from every field
And taste this rare delight,
And see what English pastures yield
To those whose hearts beat right!

Come, haste and quaff the stirrup-cup!
Turn down the empty glass!
The horn is blown, the hunt is up,
And here's our English grass!

The generosity of our Masters ensured that spirits were stiffened with a stirrup cup while hot sausages and roast potatoes, in a quantity that gave away an Irish connection warmed us all - thank you.

Photographs

These and many more may be viewed HERE

A message from our photographers:

We would like to remind viewers that the images are copyrighted. We are happy for people to share watermarked images from this page and those that we post on Facebook via social media.We are very happy if people choose to buy prints or JPEGS from our websites.We are not at all happy when people screen shot images, crop off the watermark and then share them as if they are their own. Removing the watermark does not remove the copyright status and we would hate to have to put a watermark across the whole image. 

We really don't want to have to do this!

 

 

To Open the Season

Wow and thrice times wow! More than 50 mounted set off this morning with ages ranging across nearly 70 years - just terrific!

Despite a health complication at the very start (we wish "M" well) a fantastic Meet was hosted with huge generosity - thank you.

The temperature rose quickly through the day lifting the scent of trails high above hounds' noses. Nonetheless a terrific day was had by all.

A huge "well done" to the youngest members of our mounted field who were still out a the end of the day and an equally large "well done" to the oldest who were still mounted at the end of the day.

Speaking of "mounted" - the Tumblers' Dinner should be well attended.

The Stern

Who gave up their horse for a youngster whose mount threw a shoe?
Who was rubbing their ribs at the tea?
Who carries water to drink?

Photographs

These and many more may be found HERE

Now that's a hip-flask!

A large turnout on a beautiful morning

As it is half-term for many, a good number of Pony Clubbers was to be expected which is great as they are an intrinsic part of the future of hunting. Less expected but nonetheless welcome was a good showing of new "grown-ups".

Parking was at a premium but somehow everyone managed to squeeze in (and out at the end of the morning) and the mounted and wheeled field set off into the brilliant autumn sunshine to enjoy following hounds.

Hunt Calendar

We will be producing an East Kent Hunt with West Street 2017 Calendar much on the lines of last year's successful production. Each calendar sold will raise a little money for the hunt with an expected price of £15 (we will confirm once our costs have been finalised) - a snip when you consider that there will be many more than 200 photographs from last season. Last year we produced and sold 50 with one or two people disappointed when stocks ran out.

If you would like to "pre-book" a calendar (they should be available for collection at meets by the end of November) please e-mail calendars@ekhwws.com with your contact details and a note of the number that you would like to buy.

The Stern

Who was the Grand Old Duke of York?

Photographs

A click will enlarge an image and a click HERE will open the whole gallery from yesterday in a new window or tab.