AS you drive from the village and through the distinctive Badminton gates, the drive rises gently, cushioned each side by a wide and immaculate grass verge. Yew and evergreen holm oaks guide the way into ancient parkland over the brow, where the famous lake lies.
Just before you reach the park, on the right is the beautiful stable yard. Directly opposite is the Duke of Beaufort’s hunt kennels. The first impression is how normal these kennels are, despite their setting. This is a working environment like every other kennels in the country. However, history runs deeper here.
Hounds have been kennelled at Badminton since 1640. Since then they have remained the private pack of the Dukes of Beaufort. The 10th Duke was so synonymous with foxhunting he was known as Master and his car’s number plate MFH1. One specific Beaufort female line can be traced back over 60 generations to 1743. This makes the foxhound the most chronicled animal in the world; the Arabian horse comes a close second.
Today there are 25 couple of dog hounds, 35 couple of bitches and 20 couple of pups preparing to enter next season. These are big, strong hounds that, as a pack, resonate a demeanor appropriate to their surroundings.
Hounds meet four days a week: the dog hounds hunt Mondays and Thursdays and the bitches Wednesdays and Saturdays.
AN EXCEPTIONAL TEAM IN PRESTIGIOUS ROLES
DUE to the scale of this operation it takes an exceptional team of staff to turn out hounds to the exemplary benchmark the Beaufort is feted with within the hunting community.
Nick Hopkins is in charge as kennel-huntsman. His is one of the most prestigious roles within hunt service. Both he and amateur huntsman Matt Ramsden, who spent five seasons hunting the Bedale, moved to the Duke of Beaufort’s in 2016.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 27, 2020-Ausgabe von Horse & Hound.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 27, 2020-Ausgabe von Horse & Hound.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Jappeloup
A small horse who looked like two halves put together’, Jappeloup nonetheless proved to have a big heart and a huge talent”.
Collett takes two
A bumper fixture hosts 12 intermediate and open intermediate sections, as Paris contenders blow away the cobwebs
Capitalise on buyers' remorse
Equestrian properties might be in short supply, but prices are back to normal after the Covid frenzy as the capital lures buyers again
Games making
Equestrianism will be in the thick of the action in Paris, but the logistics of hosting Olympics in the heart of an iconic city are a challenge. Kate Johnson asks organisers, riders and grooms for their memories of urban Olympic sites
On the bench
Being picked as the \"fourth man\" to support a three-man Olympic team, ready to step in at any moment in the competition, requires a resilient and unflinchingly sportsmanlike mindset.
A brush with the Games
Want to know what really goes into preparing an Olympic campaign? Bethany Stone speaks to top industry grooms with star-studded CVs for the scoop
One moment in time
The Olympics is the zenith of an athlete's career but precious few scale those giddy heights. Sue Polley asks four British Olympians about their most memorable experiences
'Pride? I just felt relief
Blyth Tait on jumping barn roofs, \"freezing\" in the Atlanta heat and the day his eight-year-old prodigy won Olympic gold
Mental health advocate
Harry Dunlop retired from training in 2022, having held his licence for 16 years. He founded the Trainer Support Network in 2023
Hugo Simon
The six-time Olympian tells Bernard Bale about his \"extraterrestrial\" string of horses, changing nationality and his success at the boycotted Games