Hunting enthusiast, farmer’s daughter and point-to-point jockey Phoebe Taylor, whose fiancée Sam Jones is the whipper-in at the Belvoir, has written a poem which considers what hounds in kennels are thinking about the lack of hunting this season due to lockdown. Thank you Phoebe for allowing us to share this brilliant poem!
How can one tell a hound that “Lockdown 3” has come around?
At first in March lockdown one, all our hunting practically done.
And to the hounds we must try to explain, why from hunting we must refrain.
Hounds overheard in the kennels today: “Hope we go hunting soon” they say.
The weather seems fine, not overly warm, but definitely nothing too different from norm.
We’ve hunted in worse weather before, but sometimes wait an hour for the ground to thaw.
The huntsman seems in not too bad a mood, but why we can’t go hunting he doesn’t allude.
The whipper-in is present and correct, we haven’t been hunting so he hasn’t been decked!
The horses they stand in their stables all day, they are having no fun either, we hear them neigh!
Us doghounds we spy on all of the bitches to see if they’re hiding some terrible itches!
When we ask them about it they simply shout: “It’s your fault that none of us can go out!”
They think they heard coughing from our yard and that’s the reason from hunting we’re barred!
So many times we’ve tried to reply, to tell them that’s all a terrible lie.
But being women, they never hear, and begin to cry and let out a tear.
Honestly, we’re driving each other round the bend, if hunting doesn’t start soon the season will end.
I’m not even sure if Christmas has been, so little tinsel this year we have seen.
What happened to this year’s Boxing Day meet, when all of those people turn up on their feet?
For it’s not just all the days hunting we’ve missed, we love being stroked and cuddled and kissed.
Every morning we set off on exercise, which isn’t as much fun in anyone’s eyes.
Why can’t they simply just jump on a horse, so we can all go and draw Poodle Gorse?
But now we come to think of it, maybe it’s not we who are unfit...
The humans they do seem a little bit cross, and more grumpy than usual, especially the boss!
But then a visiting bitch named Iris, she told us about this terrible virus
That’s spreading in humans it sounds very bad, lots of them are dying, which is awfully sad.
And now we are not cross at all, just hope they are all vaccinated before the fall.
Now we know that coronavirus is the reason why, that for now, we cannot cross fields in full cry.
The Hunting Noticeboard ran an interview with our very own Nick Phillips MFH! See the conversation with Aurelia Stephenson in full on The Hunting Noticeboard and also below.
We would like to thank the Hunting Noticeboard for advertising in the Red Book.
The Vale of the White Horse (VWH) held its 150th anniversary meet at the Gloucestershire home of Earl and Countess St Aldwyn. Mickey St Aldwyn, dispensing hospitality with trays of port, was also celebrating his birthday while his brother, the Hon David Hicks Beach, was being congratulated on his engagement to neighbour Kate Henriques. Known as the Very Welcoming Hunt, it is one of the friendliest and most fun packs due to its completely unstuffy and sympathetic Masters, John Phillips, Bill Reid and Norman Thomas.
Read the full article HERE.
Lycetts Festival of Hunting 2019
The V.W.H had a red letter day at Peterborough this week, with Footpad winning the unentered dog hound championship and the amazing Jacob taking the much coveted dog hound championship. We have now won 8 Peterborough Championships which is an amazing achievement!
One of our hounds, VWH Folklore, has become lame on one back leg, so he is currently on a course of hydrotherapy. Thank you Aqua Canine Hydrotherapy at Lechlade K9 Centre, for the treatments.
Photo by Daniel Hague Photography
Congratulations to Martin Wood and his prize-winning melon which won the much coveted Horticultural Cup at the Somerford Show. The VWH hounds paraded in the main ring when many families came along and got a chance to meet the hounds and talk to Philip. We would like to thank the Somerford Show committee for inviting us to parade.
