Lessons

As well as being a huge amount of fun hound exercise has been a series of lessons for MONSTER and I.

I have improved my seat, and she has learnt not to hoon off all the time. She has finally twigged that there will be plenty of opportunities for cantering and galloping so she needn't take each one as if it's her last. Which is A Good Thing, as in the first couple of outings her noseband rubbed her chin raw, and she is now being ridden without.

Our last outing was a breakfast meet at Kennels, followed by some fun in the woods. Both of us tackled our first brush spread and our first bullfinch. Not quite sure that MONSTER has got the idea that you can jump through them rather than over them but I'm sure we'll get there. At least I stayed on.

At the end of the meet I rode down the village high street back to the wagon carrying a bacon sandwich for the RIDER. I can imagine the irate letters to the Daily Mail right now from drivers upset that they are no longer allowed to use their mobile phone while supposedly in charge of a vehicle, yet there I was carrying a cooked breakfast in one hand, loose reins in the other.

In preparation for hunting proper MONSTER and I have had a lesson in jumping at which it was revealed that I have been a lazy bugger trying to save my back and it is my fault that MONSTER tows and leans into corners. Rather amazingly I never fell off and only ended up on her neck once.

In other news we have made it onto the front page of the Hunt website already. We're easy to spot amongst the bays and chestnuts.