Wandering around the The Game Fair at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire this weekend (28-30 July 2017) you’d be excused for thinking we were in the midst of a heatwave — panama-clad crowds sat out watching the cricket on a big screen, ice-cream in hand, sunglasses on. Apart from wellies would have been more appropriate attire — it was one of the wettest weekends of the summer.
If ever there was an advert for keeping calm and carrying on, this was it. But what else would you expect from a gathering of the great and good of the British countryside?
Here’s why ‘Glastonbury for the green welly brigade’ made us proud to be British…
1. Hunting took its place amongst a celebration of all field sports — this is after all, the largest and most comprehensive countryside show in Europe
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2. Pint-sized spectators made some new friends at the hound exhibition, where three different types of hounds could be found in the exhibition pens on each day of the show — with a whopping 18 packs being represented in total
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3. Crowds were kept on the edge of their seats during the Shetland Pony Grand National, as the jockeys competed for one of 11 places at the coveted final at The London International Horse Show at Olympia in December. Luckily this small jockey bounced back from an unscheduled dismount…
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4. Puckeridge hounds paraded for the crowds in the Tylers Horse & Country Ring, giving hunting its moment in the spotlight during the weekend
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5. Spot the dog: there was no shortage of canine visitors to the show, providing a live encyclopedia of British breeds — even if they did need a little help getting around. This Patterdale puppy has its transport sorted…
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6. Shoeing got competitive: 48 farriers took part in the new competition, having to replicate a specimen shoe against the clock, being judged on quality and dimensions — with the added pressure of an eagle-eyed crowd watching on
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7. Where else can you wear your red trousers with such pride? (And the same goes for tweed…)
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A graduate from Durham University, Madeleine joined H&H in 2011 and became Features Editor — producing content across the magazine and website, including the popular inside back cover article ‘The horse that made me’ and the weekly ‘The best of my fun…’ interview. She has written on topics as diverse as hay making and headcams, to hot totty in the horse world and circus horses. Madeleine now works as a freelance feature writer for Country Life, The Telegraph, Horse & Hound, cntraveller.com, The Spectator and The Field, as well as writing obituaries for The Times.
