Sue Simmons MH, MFH
Links:
Holcombe Puppy Show
Tales from a New Master
Sue Simmons
Susan Simmons is married to John who is managing director of the family business Simmal Ltd. John's sports are shooting and fishing, particularly on the Spey, Tweed and Esk.
Educated at Manchester University (BSc Hons in Computational Linguistics & Modern Languages), Sue qualified as a chartered accountant in London, and is now finance director of the family business based at Preston.
Sue has hunted 18 years with Holcombe (between work & kids); and took over sole mastership on May 1 2009 when Arnold Greenhalgh retired.
Sue has competed at both the Royal International and Horse of the Year Show Working Hunter Finals. Placed 4th at RIHS 2008 HW Worker Championship.
Sue is a very keen skier, and says her life is: "Always very busy!"
It’s now October and the tally of Holcombe hunt jumps built under the direction of new wire chairman Mark Radcliffe is almost numbering 100. We have started pre-season hunting with hounds, and it seems we have come a long way in just a few recent weeks. Especially after a summer full of unforeseen jobs, and the new world (to me) of hound showing.
Pre-season hunting is back to the world of the familiar: it’s like putting the slippers on. However, under my new sole-mastership - and while I hasten to add that I am NOT a control freak - doing it all the way I want it done does give a lot of satisfaction by ending hunting mornings relaxed and content: because you yourself have organized it, and conversely, if there are problems - they are of your own doing.
All our puppies have been out, and some have been a little shy of jumping. While many understand the time needed to enter young hounds, there are equally many of the ‘modern field’ who see the beginning of the season as the start of galloping and jumping days. All about horses and fun, rather than being a quiet chance for the huntsman to settle his pack: watching and learning their strengths and foibles.
Herein lies the conundrum for the new master. We cannot run a hunt without finance, and we don’t get finance without giving customer satisfaction. We have had some quicker jumping Saturdays, and some quieter Wednesdays, so I do feel there has been something for everyone, even at this early stage.
Our first Saturday with hounds was a tremendous success on a fine East Lancashire moorland. Hounds hunted well, the puppies were all out, and my son’s young pups too! Hunt coffers were bulging from subs taken, so my Hunt Sec Kath had a huge smile on her face.
As a new master, I have also had the nerve racking experience of organizing my own area meet for the first time. This has been embryonic for the whole of summer in a piece of country (where I now live) from which our hunt had been - in part - banned some 20 years ago. In other sections we were prevented from going due to the terribly wet conditions of many recent years.
Our hunt country is organized by the master and wire chairman, with KEY delegates in each area of the country. The KEY person then physically sees their area farmers, sites new jumps, gets gates open and sorts out all permissions for access. The wire chairman then co-ordinates with his key people, and we get a meet card. Each meet is targeted for two hunt meets per season. So by virtue of where I live, I now have several high profile meets as the key person, plus all the rest under my overall jurisdiction as master. This system does work, but can fail where a key person gives up doing country, and the country is let go.
Sue Simmons MH, MFH out autumn hunting 2009 | Photo: rachel_yorkshire@hotmail.co.uk
I have lost count of my on-going visits to farmers, introducing myself as new master and key person, and establishing whether the hunt is still welcome. With great surprise, not one farmer so far has turned me away. The worst encounter has turned itself around to be the best.
I cold-called a local farm one sunny day and met a very tall gentleman farmer who told me: “Holcombe was banned 20 years ago because they broke my gates, trashed my re-seed and let my heifers out”. Needless to say, I was somewhat on the back foot. Half an hour later, the conversation ended with the farmer agreeing to let us have ‘an experiment’ and that we could have access to his land again. Now some months later when I re-visit to ask can I do something - he usually just says: “aye, get on with it”, with no more ado. He has even given me the names of other surrounding landowners, and pointed out the non-farming residents who might just cause me a problem.
We have since, had a successful meet over his land, and he has mentioned that if it is wet in November we will just have to stick to the edges. You can imagine how I feel about that. His land is flagship cattle country, green fields, plenty of good tracks, hedges and good fencing. We have sited many a hunt jump, and I have spied (and already executed) some hedge hopping highlights. The hounds love it, and the field are proud again that ‘their hunt’ can go...
An invite to see new country from a keen Holcombe subscriber turned out to simulate a white-knuckle ride on the Wall of Death. A friend of the family, our new subscriber has been to the top levels with his string of BSJA show jumping horses, but is now enjoying a renaissance into hunting, and is out with us every meet.
We set off like the “Man from Snowy River” through woods, brooks and little valleys. Then some good canters on any - and every - blade of grass we could find, to eventually arrive in a quarry used for Moto X. By this time my usual stylish riding had morphed into: 'stay on at whatever cost'. I’d been dodging low hawthorn branches with the fear of losing an eye to a thorn, as we bustled along single tracks - through woodland, me on a big 17 hand mare with a happy snaffle mouth...
The last challenge was up an almost vertical Moto-X slope with the dry advice given that I might have to: “kick to get to the top”. By this stage it was hands free on the reins and let Dolly (the mare) go. We made it, and I came home buzzing on adrenalin after fast riding for nearly three hours - and unusually for me, not a jump in sight. The very next day’s hunting, the field got the tail end of it as we had long gallops all over every bit of stubble we had available at the meet. Of course they loved it. But I will have a good long think whether introducing the full Wall of Death ride to that meet country - really is perhaps the best idea.
I also have to report we’ve had a chance to see if the Holcombe communication office is running like a well tuned engine. At a recent meet, a phone call from a local resident to the local police alleged that: “a full-blown illegal fox hunt was occurring, and they are all in red coats”: (not so, only the huntsman was in scarlet, everyone else was in ratcatcher.
The local police called their Wildlife Officer, who I had already met with during summer. The Wildlife Officer called my ‘hunt officer’ who confirmed we were trail hunting within the law. The log was completed, together with our own log - including the photograph of the trail layer, laying a scent. These are all extra systems and procedures - on top of what IS a full time job, but it helps maintain our sport under the ban and is well worth the effort.
Walking hunt country one evening just before twilight, I found myself ten feet away from a barn owl sat on a fence, which alighted as I drew nearer. Then across the same field a huge dog fox ambled sedately the length of the top of a castellated stone wall; and to cap it all - a hare got up from under my feet. I felt like I was in the magic world of Harry Potter, such is the beauty of the English Countryside.
Finally, I hope everyone else’s seasons are getting underway, and the nerves and anticipations - whether they be about hounds, starting young horses, or about having sufficient good country to maintain hunts’ viability - are all falling into place. I am glad to report Holcombe is very much “for’ard on”.
Sue Simmons
MH. MFH Holcombe Hunt