Fast, furious and fun

Hard fought, hotly contested and quite often hilarious, inter-hunt relays are a highlight of the summer show season. However, when it comes to winning, speed is only part of the equation

- Tessa Waugh

IF YOU hear a drum roll of hooves and some lusty cheering this summer, you may well have stumbled across an inter-hunt relay. These crowd-pleasing competitions take place at agricultural shows, horse trials and more recently The Game Fair, with the inter-hunt relay at the Festival of Hounds in July widely seen as the pinnacle of the season. The essence of the competition is a timed scamper around a course of jumps and obstacles. Sometimes there are mirror-image courses and teams compete head-to-head, passing the baton (usually a hunting whip) between team members after each run. The second round culminates in the two fastest teams racing again in a hotly contested final. An amusing commentary, skilful horsemanship and friendly but fierce competition between hunts adds to the fun.

Joint Master of the Albrighton & Woodland Mark Gilbert is a flagbearer for this niche sport. He’s in his fifties and recently returned to relaying after a break. “I'm a Master and try to lead by example,” he says, before adding “or put people off. Inter-hunt relays are perceived as a loony, gung-ho thing to do but they're not.” Gilbert describes the event as a “gymkhana obstacle course” where as well as jumping you might meet a bridge or move a beanbag from one post to another. “We used to have a shot of something alcoholic halfway through,” he reveals, “but those days are gone.”