The 1.30pm mid-week meeting time and lucky
location found the very best of a foggy, frosty day. The fog never lifted over
the hill in Newbury but Brockhurst was bathed in bright sunshine by the
afternoon. My non-hunting horses acquired frosted edges to their
ears, forelocks
and, most attractively, eyelashes while they worked in the morning, not in
visibility suitable for draghunting. The meet, in the shadow of Brockhurst
School, was cold but once we moved off, had some exercise and found the sun, it
was almost warm!The lines were essentially the same as at the opening meet and experience taught us how not to lose hounds onto the second
line while hacking to the first! The
major difference was that the river was now flowing
and we had four crossings to
make. Hounds hunted well, the going
was generally excellent and all was well
with the world. This is a great meet for everyone. Phoebe had three youngsters
with her, one on a leading rein and they all loved the pre-Christmas treat,
completing all the lines. While at the other end of the spectrum, there are some
great hedges to jump. Out on the third line, what could be better than sharing
the splendour of the late, golden
afternoon light with your
mates, while
galloping behind our black and tans in full cry?