Suzie Clemas-Howard
View a slideshow of the Tivyside - TMV | Tivyside April 2009
View the Tivyside April newsletter - Tivyside Newsletter April 2009| PDF
Suzie Interviews Tivyside Hunting Stalwart Mrs Liz Rooney
Suzie with Bracken
Cilwendeg near Boncath in Pemrokeshire is home to the Tivyside hunt Point-to-Point and the course is also shared by the Llandeilo Farmers for their annual Point-to-Point.
In January this year it became apparent we would not be able to run either meeting on the site, as it had come under DEFRA’S Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) movement restriction. Although the cattle grazing the land had tested negative for the disease, they formed part of a larger herd which had positive reactors, grazing on other land in the area.
DEFRA’s restrictions meant that for the following 60 days no stock movement could take place. This meant the point to point could not run on the 14th March, and the major concern being that we would not be able to run our Point to Point at all. The committees of various hunts put their heads together, and with the generosity of various landowners and committees, new venues were negotiated. The South Pembrokeshire Hunt kindly allowed us (Tivyside) the use of their course on the 19th April, some six days after their own had run.
So many elements come together to make large events like this a success: the sponsors, the owners, jockeys, and as always the coming together of so many members of the hunt to ensure everything runs smoothly. But the driving force behind our Point to Point is the PT-to-PT secretary Mrs Liz Rooney, whose persistence and boundless energy meant we had a successful day, with beautiful weather and some excellent sport.
I recently called in to see Liz at home, a smallholding nestling in the North Pembrokeshire hills where she and her husband Tony (the Hunt Chairman) moved to from Salisbury, in 1988. At that time, Tony was working in Saudi Arabia, and with the decision made to move to Wales, it was Liz who did the house hunting and made an offer on the property without Tony having seen it. Evidently, she made the right decision as they still live there, 30 years later, and it is lovingly referred to as the zoo by their family.
Liz and Tony have two children Emma and John, who both work hard helping to look after the array of animals they share their lives with. On my arrival I witnessed lawn mowing Rooney style, which consisted of two rather ancient but very contented grey horses grazing across the front lawn: an effective and far less labour intensive method than the more traditional lawn mower.
The Rooney smallholding houses seven horses, two ponies and a New Forest mare, who at 32, is retired and a companion to a friend’s horse; a flock of sheep consisting of 32 ewes, 46 lambs; pigs - a boar, two sows and their litters; poultry - five geese, five ducks; plus nine rabbits, 11 cats and four dogs. Such is their passion for their animals it would come as no surprise if one had to politely ask one of the ponies to “shove over” on the settee, to enable one to sit down.
Liz and Tony
As a child, Liz was greatly influenced by her grandmother who was a keen hunts woman, and from this relationship gained her love of horses at quite a young age. Liz didn’t hunt at that time, but she loved to ride and follow the hunt country when she hacked out.
Her grandmother was a stickler for hunt etiquette and instilled in Liz the traditional values. Her earliest memory of riding was at the age of six when she had gone to visit an old friend of her mothers. She was being encouraged to jump over small fences which she wasn’t too keen to do: the result was an unceremonious fall into a ditch full of stinging nettles.
Never to be deterred, Liz continued in the saddle and spent many happy hours riding a pony by the name of Piccolo belonging to the son of her grandmother’s neighbour Mrs Inga Duxbury. This grand old lady had, in1970, produced a quadrille in Spanish style which had performed at Wembley.
After their move to Wales, Liz was visited by Mrs Elizabeth Ferrand who, having moved to the area herself in 1981, took it upon herself to deliver a Tivyside hunt meet card to the Rooney’s.
…at 93, she would no sooner miss a day out hunting than she would stop breathing…
Mrs Ferrand’s involvement with hunting goes back to her childhood when at the age of six, she started riding and her earliest memories of hunting was a groom appearing at the front door with two ponies - one for her, and one for her sister. Mrs Ferrand was immediately enamoured with riding, although her sister too enjoyed it. But it never became the passion for her - that it did for Mrs Ferrand who, at 93 would no sooner miss a day out hunting than she would stop breathing.
…to her hunting is life - and life is hunting…
Throughout her life, Mrs Ferrand has hunted with the Heythrop, the Old Surrey and Burstow, and the Surrey Union. To her, hunting is life - and life is hunting, with some of her earliest memories being of the hunt crossing their land, and her running through the woods to see if she could catch sight of the hounds.
As a child she recalls visiting her Uncle who hunted with the Heythrop, and being allowed to ride - what seemed to her at the time - an enormous horse, which she wasn’t able to do at home. Mrs Ferrand was present at the first-ever Pony Club rally in Nutfield Surrey, organised by Fordell Phillips.
At 16, she attended the Peters Stow Court Ladies Riding Academy near Hereford, having refused to be sent to Paris to be ‘finished’. It was there she obtained her riding qualifications, and learnt all there was to know about riding and equine care.
She loved to ride side saddle, but didn’t do so in the hunting field. Her life has always involved horses in one way or another, and at one time, when she kept two hunters stabled with Jim O’Donoghue, she would break-in the racehorses he bought over from Ireland.
Just prior to World War Two, she worked with Glenda Spooner, breaking driving ponies that had to be sold on due to the impending war. They considered a horse to be suitable for sale if it could be driven from Gatwick (close to the airport) with Mrs Ferrand standing in a milk cart, to Reigate where she lived at the time, and back again the following morning.
Mrs Ferrand is loved and respected by all who know her, and refer to her knowledge on hunting matters. And members always make double the effort to be well turned out on meet days, out of respect (and in some fear) of being chastised by Mrs Ferrand if there is even a small speck of dirt on their tack. (Grown men have been seen to tremble if they know they are not up to scratch, but never have they made the same mistake twice.)
Liz became friendly with Carolyn Morgan, a stalwart of the Tivyside Hunt, and was dragged along to her first hunt meet at The Lamb Inn, Hermon, in the 88/89 season, for what turned out to be a life changing days hunting.
When Liz started hunting she was riding Siri, and continued to do so until he was into his 20’s. He was still competing in Inter hunt relays until he was 19. At 24 he sustained a tendon injury which meant retirement from the hunting field. Yet after two years on the sidelines, he came perfectly sound again and returned to the hunting field - finally retiring for good at 29.
Another favourite horse of Liz’s is Sparky a cob x TB, beautiful to look at and a joy to ride out. Liz does not ride as often as she used to but Sparky is frequently seen being ridden out by her husband Tony, a common sight when out hunting on the Preseli Mountains, some of Tony’s favourite hunting country.Liz looks slightly guilty as she laughingly recalls one moment when riding behind Tony she saw him fall from his horse - and next, the horse fall on top of him, and they both began sinking into the bog beneath them. After much frantic activity, both were dragged soaking and muddy from the bog: a timely reminder of the dangers of hunting on the Preseli Mountains.
Tony also loaned one of his horses, Mustard a cob x I/D x Shire to the hunt and he was ridden for seven seasons by the huntsman ( Dai Barber), until he suffered stress laminitis and was retired.
As Liz got to know various people within the Tivyside Hunt she became friendly with Pat Fordham, the then Hon Secretary, who is reputed to have lured Liz (with bribes of copious amounts of wine) to start helping out with the country fair at Pantyderi and also the secretarial duties of the Hunt: a role that suited her down to the ground with her logical and well organised mind.
Over time Pat became less involved with the country fair at Pantyderi , and the Hunt so more and more of the work fell to Liz. Pat inevitably resigned her position and Liz was elected to be Hunt Secretary in the 90/91 AGM: some 17 years ago.
Liz’s knowledge of hunt members, the farmers, and the country was and is unsurpassed. She thoroughly enjoyed the contact with farmers and friendships were made that still endure today, although sadly many of the originals have passed on.
She remains the font of wisdom everyone refers to when queries arise, and is only too happy to help with everything that goes on within the hunt. She has seen three huntsmen, three Chairmen, and countless committee members come and go.
Mrs Ferrand with the Hounds
Her passion for the hunt meant she maintained close contact with the local farmers; clearing the country on numerous occasions, and delivering the hunt meet cards, in order to keep in touch and share a welcome cup of tea.
Liz obviously doesn’t feel she is busy enough as she also organises our extremely popular Hunt Ball, attended each year by the great and the good from a very large area. It’s a real testament to her amazing organisational skills and endless patience.
When Liz retired as Hunt Secretary she took on the mantle of Point to Point secretary and now works tirelessly to ensure our Point to Point runs flawlessly. She persuades, bribes, cajoles people into sponsoring the meeting, and sees that everything comes together on the day.
She’s ably helped by other hunt members, but especially Libby Carey who accepts responsibility for ensuring that everyone is fed and watered, and the million and one other things that Liz is responsible for each year. I limply asked Liz when she would start working towards next year’s Point to Point; she smiled indulgently and told me the work had started two days after our last event.
It must be pointed out that this year, without the help and co-operation of the South Pembrokeshire Hunt, the Tivyside Hunt would not have been able to run their Point to Point, and for that we must express our deepest gratitude to them.
I left Liz’s ‘zoo’ after a great couple of hours, a smile on my face and a much greater understanding of the trials and tribulations which face a Hunt secretary, and a Point to Point secretary: the infectious laughter of her son John ringing in my ears, and Liz calling to her daughter Emma: ‘the cats need feeding’ .
Suzie Clemas-Howard