The build up to the meet at Stidolphs was quite intense, with Ruth and I spending most of the week before opening new country and building fences with the help of our noble team, Nic, Paul, Martin, Tracy and Simon.

We are very grateful to all the landowners, who were extremely helpful, and more than happy for us to put jumps into all their hedges, in particular Mr Salter and Mr King, Fred and Richard Hamlyn and Colin Bastable. The final spurt took place on the Saturday before when Mr King (with Ruth's help) had finally got the owner of about 30 black and white ponies to move them off the first hunt, and Martin, Simon and Ruth were able to get in and trim the hedges.

After a cold week, the day dawned mild and sunny as we all met at Stidolphs on Egg Pie Lane, by kind invitation of Ray Lee. The field of about 25 riders supped their port and waited in anticipation of a day's hunting on possibly the best going we have ever had at this meet, with its potentially heavy Wealden clay. We were delighted to see some of Mr Lee's liveries out, and Fiona from the Kent & Surrey Bloodhounds.

The first hunt did not go quite according to plan, as some of the ponies had escaped from their field and got mixed up with the hounds. Nic pulled the pack together and rode on through, leaving the field to enjoy jumping some of the hedges, much to the enjoyment of the farmer, Mr King, sitting taking photos in his landrover!

The second hunt took us onto Dale Oast Farm. The hunt took us up near the A21, and on round to one of the largest hedges we have jumped in a while. Nic had trimmed his own bit of hedge further down, which could only be jumped off one stride because of a muck heap - which he jumped well on the day. The rest of us preferred a decent gallop up to the bigger hedge, although there was a brief wait while Robbie tried too sharp an approach the first time - but cleared it with ease on the second attempt (I hope his wife, fellow master Clare, is not reading this as she told him not to jump it - but the pictures show him clearing it with style!). With a big cheer, the field then followed, with much whooping as each cleared it, with no fallers - giving the foot followers on the hill a magnificent view.

We then hunted on through the farm and into the plantation, but some of the hounds picked up a different scent and headed off across some crops - with Robbie in hot pursuit, clearing a five bar gate on the way! At this point I was waiting, having helped whip George open the gate for Sam and himself to follow on through only to look up and see a member of the field, one of Mr Lee's liveries on an excitable grey, galloping at high speed straight across the middle of the field in completely the wrong direction. We yelled at him and finally got his attention, to find that he had been unable to resist jumping a hedge below the farm even though no-one else had gone that way! As he clearly grew up hunting in Ireland it is probably not so surprising!

Eventually the field and the pack were all reunited at the end of the hunt, and we hacked on down to put the hounds onto the Westwood Farm, by kind permission of the Hamlyn family. The hunt took us up to the farm (where, unbeknown to us, Richard was getting the cows in for milking, and suddenly had a herd that wanted to join in the hunt!), and onto the tiger trap which Nic, Martin and Paul had completely rebuilt. Fred Hamlyn loves this particular fence, over a very smelly ditch, as horses generally get stuck there and Fred and his family sit in their garden and listen as the air goes blue! However, the Coakham must have been a disappointment, as the field sailed on through. After a long gallop with some more timber, we came down over the maize stubble to jump a wide hedge on Mr Gamon's Coppings Farm and on up to jump the two hedges on Mrs Boeare's. Some of the field came to grief at the first hedge, and the hounds slightly lost the scent as the field then had to ride over where the quarry had run to get up to the hedges. However, all was soon resolved and we galloped on to the end of the hunt below Coppings Farm.

The fourth and final hunt took us onto Colin Bastable's Leigh Park Farm, another lovely mixed arable and dairy farm, and we had a long, long gallop around the headlands, before getting to the two new hedges which helped take us back towards home. Mr & Mrs King had driven down to the farm and had a excellent time watching as the field took on the hedges. The hounds hunted well, with one potential disaster looming as three deer popped up on the line. But Nic stopped the hounds dead in their tracks, and we quickly hunted on, leaving the deer thwarted in their attempt to disrupt things!

We hunted off Leigh Park Farm back onto land farmed by the Hamlyn family, which took us back to Egg Pie Lane, with two hedges to finish - although the last one was a little smaller by the time Nic had made a big hole in it!

A great time was had by all, and hounds, riders, horses and quarry were tired and well and truly ready for tea.

Jo & Ruth