Stidolphs Farm
3rd March

Hounds met at Stidolphs Farm, by kind permission of Mr and Mrs Lee. It was a remarkably fine day, given the wet weather during the week. However, the going, if anything, had dried out to make it heavy and sticky, which would make it a hard day for the horses.

Hounds were taken down Eggpie Lane before being laid on directly towards the main railway line. They swung parallel with the line, hunting fast through the shore and across the river, to take their quarry just below Elses Farm.

The hounds caught the quarry early, missing out part of the hunt. But fieldmaster David Thompson, once certain that the hounds had finished the hunt, doubled back and led the field over the four or five large hedges which had been missed, driving on in fine form with Master Roger Manning close on his tail.

For the second hunt hounds set off towards Sevenoaks Weald. They circled the field below the houses and, turning alongside the road, they skirted Rob Stacks Wood and onto the hunter trial course. They hunted well down to the stream, where they checked before turning back to take their quarry in front of the large crowd opposite Stidolphs Farm.

This hunt started with a drop hedge, and then a fairly long run through the water meadows to the next hedge, where the deep going caused numerous fallers, notably Steve Leang (the muddy shoulder on the right below) whose horse pecked on landing, leaving Steve with souvenir mud, and his horse with grass round his ears as he attempted a fine interpretation of a headstand, along with Andrew Keats and several visitors.

For the next hunt, hounds were taken through Sevenoaks Weald and laid on just beyond the church. They hunted up Hubbards Hill and back down again, crossing the stream they hunted up to Dale Farm and swung round to take their quarry just below the school. This hunt started with a couple of hedges, the second of which, a large hedge with a big drop, was cleared in fine style by David, but both Roger Manning and Jo Carr almost took the side exit as their horses negotiated the tricky landing!

Hounds were then taken to Bowzell's Road, where they hunted across the field to New House Farm. They went through the wood, while the field jumped a large holly hedge and turned a sharp right in the farm yard. Here fieldmaster David came a cropper when his horse slipped on the concrete of the farm yard, and he took his horse home at the end of the line. Hounds hunted on along the field to Hall's Green, where they took their quarry.

For the fifth hunt, we set off down the toll ride and through the woods. Hounds swung down into Cappings Gill with the horses hard pressed to stay with them. With the hounds nearly out of earshot, they crossed the road at South Wood and hunted through the large cornfield to take their quarry in the river at the bottom of Eggpie Lane.

An extremely hard day for the horses with the wet ground drying out and, as usual in these conditions, the hounds really flew.

Quarry captain for the day was Pierce, who ran with two friends and regulars Adrian and Robbie.

PS Despite Pauline Carson's advice in her Field Report on the Rickney Meet, essentially to keep behind a horse with a long tail as that acted as a mud guard, she finished the day almost as muddy as Steve, without any unscheduled dismounts!