Sue Simmons MH, MFH
Website: www.simmal.co.uk
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Notes 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!"
Been to see a million farmers, we’ve put up some 68 hunt jumps, our first puppy show and our first hound shows of the new mastership are behind us, so here goes – our first seasons hunting.
Earlier this month, we marked the real post 1 May start of the new ‘team’ with a full turnout of the new executive at my house for the bi-monthly meeting. We established the list of everything we have achieved since 1 May. We are very proud of our new kennels roof, our re-surfaced lane to kennels, and rewired electrics - to mention but a few achievements.
Also, being ‘New-Holcombe’ as I see it, we had at the meeting the three directors of our Holcombe Hunt Ltd, who also function as hunt secretary, hunt treasurer - plus me as sole master; our wire chairman, our huntsman, and our social secretary (aka Flying Ass) in attendance at the meeting.
The main item on the agenda however was, of course, the season ahead. But due to its importance, another separate special meeting was warranted with our wire chairman Mark and his team. I am not too fond of an overkill of meetings but hunt country covers so much detail, it cannot be organized on a wing and a prayer.
Our key people, each who organize their own areas, know when stock is out or in, if farms have changed hands, or land has been re-let elsewhere. They also know the suitability of meets for newcomers to hunting, and this all has to be planned into the Meet Card for Newcomers Week officially (date to be confirmed).
We also got underway last Sunday with the pre-season equine and rider warm-up outings of cross country rides. We’ve had two rides so far, well supported, fun and informal, yet with a strong purpose for me to see how the horses are going and what state of fitness the riders are in after summering out!
A few riders have had ‘involuntary dismounts’, a few horses are now ‘up for sale’ and several riders are looking for new mounts! I can’t keep up with all of their early season conundrums. Nonetheless, I am glad these early rides give members a chance to get themselves organized with their mounts before they launch themselves into my supervision on the hunting field!
We have also planned the real business of ‘hunt staff only’ early morning meets to get young hounds out as much as possible before we introduce the mounted field. During their time at kennels, the young hounds have seen sheep in their pen and the ‘hunt goat’ all in preparation for their hunting lives to come. There is so much involved, and we must get it all right.
August, has been an interesting month, not least because for the first time since May, I have begun to get under the skin of the pack. I have also begun to appreciate the issues surrounding hound bloodlines, quality, and hunting ability of our hounds. You could say “ignorance was bliss” and I would agree it has been certainly that way until now.
Now I have a thirst for the stud books, hound show results, and I’m quickly developing a general obsession with all things hound breeding. Our huntsman Steven has become accustomed to phone texts reading “again a sleepless night” as I have discovered another promising bloodline we have in our kennels. I suppose I am not surprised by my new found obsession, given that I can name the ancestry of my horses back several generations to Nijinsky & Nearco. I was always fascinated with the Thoroughbred Stud Books as a child, so this is just a change in direction.
We had lots of support from our Members at the Puppy Show, Hounds Shows and Hound Parades, and Holcombe must take pride in furthering its pack at all these events. My job is to give the Members what they want. It seems that those masters and huntsmen who have been dedicated to the breeding of a quality pack instinctively know what “pairings” will yield reward, and produce a litter of higher standard. For me, however, it is the beginning of a challenging journey, if we are to make improvements to our pack.
I am naturally very excited about every aspect of the coming season, but not without some trepidation. Last season’s first hunt ride was punctuated by a pony, who, having spooked at some rustling maize - took a nosedive into the adjacent deep, sludgy and gaping dyke - with its junior rider still on board, yelling at the top of her voice. The pony obviously thought there was some giant monster lurking in the grass from which it had to escape. Eventually we got both pony & rider out of the (huge) dyke unharmed. We calmed down the young girl, and managed to pacify the worried parents.
So who knows, this season may kick off with a mini-drama? The Hunt Wire Meeting is complete, and we now have the makings of the Meet Card all the way to New Years Day and just about ready to go to into print. That is ambitious given the “weather factor”- but this is “New Holcombe” and what is better than a challenge ahead?
Two of my own three hunters are up, fit and working well. The other has a mystery lameness that we can’t just fathom.
But in the words of the American musician Meat Loaf - "Two out of Three Ain't Bad!"
Sue Simmons
MH. MFH Holcombe Hunt