To start us of I spoke to David - Huntsman of the Clifton on Teme Hunt in Worcestershire. I had the pleasure of meeting David last month when he and his partner Emily visited the Ludlow Hunt, where I happened to be working that day. So without further ado lets get to know David...
I asked David several questions, here are his responses...
What is your best hunting memory? - 'Hunting with the Randors back in 1987, we never ever got back in daylight and had some amazing days hunting. There was a fox in a tree once!'
Why do you like working with the Clifton on Teme Hunt? - 'I like working
at the Clifton on Teme because although the country is small there are no main roads or railway lines, so its lovely to watch the hounds work there'
What is the most extravagant hound name you've worked with? - 'The most extravagant hound name I've had since being in the hunt service was Trollop at the Eton College Beagles. She was named by one of the boys at the College. She was a fabulous hound.'
What is your advice to the next generation of keen hunters? - 'My advice would be is to get the know how the kennels and hounds work because if you are new to hunting, there is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes on that not everyone sees. Also always respect your farmers, without them, we wouldn't be able to go hunting.'
What has been your most embarrassing moment out on the Hunting field? - 'Too many to mention but probably winning the tumblers club at the Ledbury on a horse called Snowy. Also at the Radnors we had the Horse and Hound Magazine taking photos, Mr Ings went around jumping and we came down the side of the drive where the cameras were, Mr Ings jumped this brook , the hounds followed, I was on a horse called Wexford, I jumped the ditch. It was really wet and Wexford slipped resulting in me falling off, getting covered in mud right in front of the cameras...'
Thank you very much to David for answering my questions. I hope the readers enjoyed it, and keep your eyes peeled for our next Huntsman! I wish David all the best for next season and the rest of this challenging year!
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