The horse of my heart

H&H’s hunting editor Catherine Austen bids a fond farewell to her trusty hunting partner of more than a decade

- Emma Earnshaw

MOLLY AUSTEN, whose expressive ears adorn this page, went to heaven yesterday.

It’s strange, knowing she isn’t here anymore. She wanders through my thoughts, and I can still feel the velvet of her nose and see the softness of her eyes when I fed her a bagful of carrots and apples for the last time early that morning. If I breathe in, I can still catch the familiar smell of her.

It was perfectly planned and peacefully carried out, with the assistance of two very kind friends and the wonderful kennel staff of our hunt. I shall miss her enormously, and the past couple of weeks have been difficult.

I am quite sure, however, that putting her down in her own field on a beautiful, sunny June morning after a two-month holiday stuffing her face with lush grass alongside her best friend, Roy, was the right thing to do.