Claire Wright
Along the River Bank
As with all British minkhounds, the Eastern Counties continue to practice with artificial lines along the river banks in the anticipation that the Hunting Act 04 will be repealed in due course.
Claire Wright © Alastair Wharton
Claire Wright is a 26 year old trainee land agent who lives, works and hunts in Cambridgeshire. She whips-in to the Eastern Counties Minkhounds, and also hunts with the Fitzwilliam (Milton) on a bike, or goes beagling with the Trinity Foot & South Herts. Claire is Cambridgeshire County Chairman for the Countryside Alliance.
Is it home time yet? Hounds on Static Stand at Holkham Hall
July has been another incredibly busy month for masters, staff and hounds. In fact the month seems to have passed by in a bit of a blur of hunting, shows and occasionally popping into the office to do some proper work (in fact my boss remarked that he wondered if I had gone part-time).
We were honoured to be asked to bring 3½ couple of hounds to Belvoir Castle for the display and parade at the CLA Gamefair. There was then mass panic as we read further into the letter: “Hunt staff will be required to wear kennel coats and bowlers while on the static display”.
Now there are very few people who look good in a bowler hat. I had been carefully observing at puppy shows how to wear such an item, some appeared to perch it on their bonces, while others rammed it so far down over their ears that they looked like they were expecting gale force winds.
I’ll be honest, I am not one of these people who look good in hats. It was just unfortunate that when I tried my kit on in preparation for the big day I managed to look like a cross between the Homepride man and a cheap cabaret act. I can’t say that having the local MFH and two of my friends burst into fits of giggles when they saw me did much for my self-confidence. It will almost be a relief to change back into my ‘smurf blue’ hunt kit for the final parade.
The end result is that I have a mountain of kit to load into the car, which would do a family of 10 proud. I used to be able to travel light before I needed to take kennel coats, bowlers, hunting whips, breeks, dog biscuits and a 101 other items that a second whipper-in can’t possibly leave home without.
Anyhoo, enough about me twittering on about fashion, this isn’t Vogue magazine. Lets turn our attention to the hunting, which is why most of you have opened this e-zine.
I have to confess that the month did not get off to a good start. I was determined to lift the jinx that has dogged me every time we draw the Cripsey Brook. It has never been a lucky draw for me since I electrocuted myself 10 minutes into the draw last season.
Being an obedient type, as soon as the huntsman told me to cross to the opposite bank, I was poised and ready to do as I was bade. It seemed like a good idea to use a tree root as a step down into the water, but I lost my footing and there was a resounding splash. I ended up submerged in the water from head to toe, my hat floating off downstream. Still, if you can’t take a joke then you shouldn’t be whipping in! I am just grateful the terrier men were so busy rolling around on the bank laughing that they didn’t manage to get a picture.
Still, the only way was up, and touch wood things have been going much better these past weeks. Hounds have been working well and we have been enjoying large numbers of supporters following us. One of my favourite meets is on the River Chelmer and not just because we finish the day in a rather nice hostelry. It is a lovely draw, and eventually works its way to a ford in a neighbouring village.
Normally we push on for the end at this stage, but there was a treat in store. One of our followers had taken his van up there and revealed a huge picnic and drinks for the followers, while the hounds lounged on the grass and tried their luck in getting a nibble of the goodies on offer. This pause in proceedings led to an impromptu meet and greet as several village families came to investigate the hairy hounds that had turned up.
“The past week has been hectic even by my standards of frenetic activity. Thursday was spent pounding the streets of Norwich North with the Fitzwilliam supporters doing our bit for the Vote-Ok campaign.”
It was a relief on Saturday to get back onto my favourite river, The Chelmer and pound the grassy banks instead. This time tackling the unfinished bridge with no dramas, and avoiding the hidden ditch. They do say there is no rest for the wicked, and feeling rather jaded after 6 hours on the river I could easily have stayed under the duvet and pretended I wasn’t due at Holkham Gamefair.
But as a pack we like to do our bit in attending shows and promoting the mink hounds as the foot pack of choice. After we had paraded in our best kit, the lure of the water was just too strong and we took the pack for a wander across the estate. I just hope the Viscount Coke didn’t notice there were 13 mink hounds and our huntsman paddling in the ornamental lake…
Naturally I couldn’t possibly miss the Festival of Hunting. Even though the mink hounds don’t get to show at Peterborough there is always the chance to glean a few tips from the experts. Although I think I may have annoyed a few people in the Foxhound arena by muttering ‘now that is a proper looking hound’, whenever any broken coated hounds entered the arena. Peterborough is also a brilliant chance to catch up with people that you haven’t seen for ages and it was a marvellous opportunity to get the news from neighbouring packs.
So, I’m signing off from my ramblings now as the Editor is nagging about where my copy is and I have to head off to Belvoir for what I hope will be another grand adventure with the mink hounds. For any readers who are making the same journey, feel free to come and say hello, but please don’t laugh at my bowler hat…
Claire Wright