Englefield 22nd October 2007

Mild and grey at the meet,slowly but surely the day got wetter and wetter and wetter! At the end, my hands looked as though they had been in the swimming pool far too long and my coat was still dripping two hours after I got home! But it was an enjoyable day nonetheless. Quite a large field turned out, ranging from point to pointers to small ponies and all obviously had great fun. I'm currently riding a completely soured show jumper and it doesn't take a horse whisperer to see what a ball he is having!
There is something very special about hacking across the deer park infront of Englefield House with a large herd of deer on show and on past the estate church, beautifully decorated with white flowers (hopefully a wedding, not a funeral). The first line came in two halves, the first with plenty of jumping, most small enough for the small ponies, and the second with a gallop along a grassy track. Several were out of control, myself included! The second line took in undulating ground, part stubble and part slippery grass - just as well the brakes were getting better! - and some more challenging fences that caught out a few, point to pointers included. In increasing rain, nobody really knew where the third line went as hounds appeared to have run heel but in retrospect, couldn't have and where we took them on, there was no scent. Nor was the sock at what we all believed to be the end of the line! But we jumped a couple of good hedges before losing the plot.
Not surprisingly, there was a fairly rapid exodus from the park with one grateful punter being rescued from a sticky end, apparently up to his axel in mud, by the ever resourceful Robin, using a chain and his horse box in reverse.