Old horses, who have clocked up several seasons' hunting, are just as agitated to get going. The excitement of the opening meet is not limited to kids on ponies, though.
Whatever it is, this pony is not going to the let the chance of a bit of grub escape him. It could be grass, it could be briars or leaves from an overhanging branch.
For the rest of the day, his pony will seize every opportunity to eat. The jockey on board is thrown forward every time in a sort of gymnastic bow and scrambles to gather up her reins before her mount takes off like Kauto Star in a race for the finish line.Īnother young rider is also being thrown forward onto his pony's neck, but in this case the pony is more intent on snatching a last mouthful of grass than galloping off into the distance. He snatches at the reins and throws his head down to his knees in an effort to get some leeway from his rider. From the moment he shot out of the horsebox, he's been dancing the equine version of Riverdance. There's the small pony who thinks he's been entered for the Grand National, despite his young rider's best efforts to calm him down. The opening meet of the hunting season is fraught with anxiety every year - young horses, old horses and new horses are ridden by newcomers, old hands and everyone in between. Her rider probably should have tied a red ribbon to her tail to warn everyone she's a kicker, but it doesn't take long for the word to spread.Ī murmured warning, "watch out for her", passes from rider to rider, joined by the odd "mind yourself there, this one could kick" from her rider.
And there's nothing small or half-hearted about how she kicks - you'll get both barrels at full force if you dare to come within striking distance of her hindquarters. She's already kicked two horses and is gunning for a third.
It doesn't take long for a two-metre exclusion zone to develop around the mare.