Monday, February 25, 2008

Horses for courses

My friend has become joint Master of her Hunt and is having a smart new coat with special buttons made in her honour. She does not currently have a horse of her own and has to borrow or rent one for their outings. The other week she was offered a horse from the King's Troop. It was black, had a thick neck and was full of muscle, being used to pulling cannons behind it. She was rather unsure about the ability of the animal to ride with the hunt but was assured by a Sergeant-Major that it would be absolutely fine. On asking the horse's usual position in the Troop, he was rather bashful at first but finally admitted that this one always led the charge. And so it did. Off at a gallop, head up, nostrils flaring, you could almost hear it shouting, "Charge!" My friend was nervous. She pulled on the reins. These military horses are well trained, as you would expect. The horse screeched to an abrupt halt. My friend was relieved not to be thrown over its head. She called it a day.

10 Comments:

Blogger kinglear said...

Hence the expression ... in the pink.

9:27 am  
Blogger Unknown said...

I don't understand the hunt. Now I am no fan of the fox - and they are vermin here too, and any excuse for a party will do but I still think I am missing something ....

Maybe it is because I am not English or a horsewoman :-) Any ideas?

1:41 pm  
Blogger Whispering Walls said...

Morning KL
Hi MG - I don't hunt myself but I suppose it's the thrill of the chase, the countryside, the dressing up and, the only part in which I partake, the cherry brandy and sloe gin.

1:52 pm  
Blogger Eurodog said...

I love the hounds. They look friendly but they are no pets; they are working dogs.
I am not English either nor a horse person but I like the ritual and like you, WW, I go for the social side. In Cornwall the hunt goes out on New Year's day and meets outside the pub. Sausage rolls and mince pies and mulled wine. The Master of the Hunt goes for stonger stuff.

2:05 pm  
Blogger Whispering Walls said...

Ah ED - how could I have forgotten to mention the lovely hounds?!

3:27 pm  
Blogger Ellee Seymour said...

She is obviously going to need to invest in one or come to some other arrangements if she is going to be Master of the Hunt. What an honour for her, their outfits look splendid.

4:40 pm  
Blogger Mutterings and Meanderings said...

Mountaingirl, you go for the exhilaration of galloping over fields as part of a big group, leaping fences you would baulk at in cold blood, getting dressed up, drinking (in our case) Percy Specials and coming home and thinking what a bond you have with your horse, how it boosts your trust in them and theirs in you. It is not about blood lust.

Wish thre Grey Mare was as easy to stop out hunting!!!

10:04 pm  
Blogger Whispering Walls said...

Bravo M&M - I knew you'd have some interesting comments on the subject. What's in a Percy Special?

8:41 am  
Blogger Mutterings and Meanderings said...

A Percy Special is a mixture of whisky and cherry brandy which warms the parts other drinks cannot reach!

8:48 pm  
Blogger Whispering Walls said...

That does sound good...

8:24 am  

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