Route Hunt Boxing Day Meet

On  Boxing day the  Route hunt  met at  the home of Alison & Alan Millar  Killeague, Coleraine.  Despite the wintery conditions there was a turnout of 23 horses and riders  and  some followers on foot. Before setting off refreshments were served, Hunt Master Philip White welcomed everyone to the meet, thanked the Millars for their hospitality  and handed over best turned out  junior and senior   prizes  to Niamh Carr  who was riding  Oliver previously owned by Alison Millar and Martin Mellot of Jazz Horses  respectively.

Hunts man Jonny Butler blew the horn and the hunt set off  into the field at the back of the Millars house.Throughout the day there were plenty of jumps. New ground had been made available for the day and this provided  numerous natural  stone walls of various heights  which pleased everyone.

There was also an optional  5 bar gate which most riders took on and  a tricky drop fence from one field into another which all managed successfully despite some riders feeling anxious about it as it has  caused a few offs in the past. For some this was the last jump of the day as they decided it was best to finish still on board rather than take on the last jump of the day which was a sturdy wall not for the faint hearted.

Apart from one rider who took a tumble when her horse reared, the rest of the field had stayed on board and after a hack back to Millars returned back to their boxes just before the rain came. Despite the chilly temperatures all had enjoyed another good day out  thanks to Gerard McCloskey and Jonny Butler who set up the hunt and to the Millars and all the other landowners and farmers who gave the hunt the use of their land.

The next  hunt is  at 12 noon on Wednesday 31^st December 2014 . The  organisers  hope  to see a good turnout  of members and visitors and welcome anyone who wishes to follow the hunt on foot.

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Category: Hunting, News, Other, Results