Coulton

Charlie Shirley-Beavan’s massive mount with a buck to match and a strong sense of competition, but who is a gentleman on the ground

- Octavia Pollock

MOST people would be put off by a horse with the nickname Pelvis, earned through breaking the pelvises of three unlucky riders, but not Charlie Shirley-Beavan, joint-master and huntsman of the Tynedale.

“He’s had a few owners, but I wouldn’t let him go now,” he says.

Coulton, named after a village in the Middleton country, was owned by Peter Easterby and latterly the huntsman Tom Holt.

“I took my hounds down when Tom was hunting him,” explains Charlie. “I saw him jumping and knew I wanted him, so when Tom retired I made sure he came to me.”

Charlie was under no illusions, having seen how Tom struggled to hold Coulton when his own horse came upsides.