Claire Wright
Claire Wright has a Day with the Ryeford Bassets
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
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continue to practice with artificial lines along the river banks in the anticipation that the Hunting Act 04 will be repealed in due course.
Hunting rabbits is Exempt Hunting
I can’t remember who told me that hunting was the best fun you can have with your clothes on. All I can say is he must have had the Ryeford Chase in mind at the time.
Ryeford Bassets
Over a hundred people were estimated to have joined the meet in the yard of Stone Lodge near the village of Tilton-On-The-Hill in the Cottesmore country to follow huntsman, Nick Valentine and his 26 ½ couple of Griffon Vendeen bassets. Followers from many local hunts were well represented, including one who had travelled all the way from Kent, such is the reputation of this pack.
The Ryeford Chase Griffon Vendeen
A private pack of bassets based on the French Griffon Vendeen type hounds, although the Master has been breeding these hounds for 35 years and now has his own strain.
- Master: Nick Valentine
- Whips: Jamie Gibson & Gary Allen
- Kennelled at: Ross on Wye
- Hunt country: extending to much of the UK
- Field (followers): when at home can be just the staff, but on visits can be over 100
Ryford Bassets
It was impossible to contain a grin as these game little hounds were unboxed and we all set off up the road to the first draw. With 88 people following on their feet behind the hounds it made quite a spectacle. Hounds first put in to some rough woodland and were soon speaking on their quarry, poor scenting conditions were hampering progress so we moved onto a former railway embankment, which was now overgrown with brambles and whose steep banks proved ideal habitat for rabbits. There was a holloa from the road within seconds and hounds were on the line, before it went to ground. Undeterred hounds continued to draw and were soon rewarded with their first kill of the afternoon.
Numbers amongst the field were already dwindling somewhat as we scrambled back down from the embankment, over the barbed wire fence, before squeezing our way inelegantly through the hedge onto the road only to find the remainder of the field had gone for the gate and track option – so much for picking someone who looked like they had local knowledge. This caused great amusement to our friend who had opted to stay on the road, as first one person emerged from the hawthorn, followed by several more. Our enthusiasm undimmed we pushed on into the next grass field which we needed to cross to reach the fourth draw.
It was becomingly patently clear who the hardcore followers of foot packs were as those who more usually follow hounds on horseback wheezed along behind us! The steep climb up the hill to get a view from the high ground, seemed like a good idea at the time – but this is not like beagling as the quarry tends to run in straight lines so we soon abandoned this strategy and instead tried to keep on the same level as the hounds. We had lost even more of the field by the time we drew round the site of a former motte and bailey castle, which was a real pity as hounds were working well. There was a slight moment of panic when delayed by a scramble across a stream and up a near vertical bank we had lost sight of hounds, unable to even hear one speaking. We had just stopped to formulate an action plan as to how we would either find hounds again or alternatively find our way back to the meet on unfamiliar territory, when hounds came flying back and having slithered down another vertical bank we were back in touch with the action, this time vowing to keep as close as we could to the pack.
At this juncture Nick stopped for a head count of the pack and the followers – noting that the field had now diminished to a hardcore group of 8 people on foot with the hunt staff. After a quick refreshment stop at a handy water trough for the hounds we cracked on for the last of the draws around the area known locally as Lover’s Walk, which again provided some good sport.
Having hunted all the available pieces of covert in area of country that had been cleared Nick blew for home. The final bag in poor scenting conditions being a brace and a half of bunnies. We hacked back up the road to where we had started the afternoon. Hounds were boxed up ready for the drive back to Herefordshire and we headed to the barbecue for some much needed sustenance.
Only to find that the members of the field who weren’t able to take the pace had returned hours before us and scoffed all the burgers! Luckily they had managed to save us some of the scrummy locally reared sausages, which we tucked into with gusto.
For anyone who hasn’t yet managed a day with this pack of hounds, then you really ought to seize the opportunity, because it truly is the most fun you can have with your clothes still on!
The day's cap was taken to raise funds for the Cottesmore Hunt.
Claire Wright