Hiring out your most faithful hunter would not appeal to everyone. So, it is important to establish a few ground rules to ensure the arrangements can be satisfactory for both yourself and the person who may hire your horse.

Carefully consider the horses you are going to make available for hire and before taking a booking, assess exactly who you are catering for and what their requirements are.

There is an element of trust involved with both parties and you will have to rely on each other to fully explain the position with regard to the rider’s ability and the performance of the horse. Make it clear from the beginning whether your horse is suitable for novices and/or experienced riders and be realistic about his capabilities and scope.

Your horse may need a different bit for male or female riders so ensure they are used to a variety as well as carrying heavier weights. It is vital to know how much riding and hunting experience the person hiring your horse has. Ask questions to ensure you are comfortable they are responsible enough to ride your horse and take references from people they have hunted with previously if necessary.

Even the most experienced rider won’t necessarily want to pay you for the pleasure of schooling your horse out hunting so make sure that the horse you are offering for hire is well-educated and mannerly. The type of hunt country your horse is accustomed to can determine which packs you wish to cover.

It may be that your horse can jump hunt rails all day out of 6in deep mud but isn’t keen on jumping hedges or ditches.

If you decide to hire only to those coming out with the local pack where you are familiar with the hunt country, you will know if your horse is suitable for particular meets.

Contact the secretary

If you are willing to take your horse to other packs where you may not know the country, it is advisable to contact the hunt secretary beforehand.

Some hunts have regular hireling providers and may not be aware that you offer this service so it is wise to make contact with local packs. Referrals from hunt secretaries can be a major source of business too.

It is essential to discuss with each hunt who will make the necessary arrangements for the visitors — the hunt may prefer to deal directly with you so you can just confirm names or numbers and pay their cap, or it may wish to deal directly with the individuals concerned.

It is not uncommon for people hiring horses to subsequently subscribe to a pack following a particularly good day. By taking out potentially new subscribers, most packs will be very appreciative and make you and your visitors very welcome.

“It is so beneficial to have a local hunter hireling provider, not only for visitors but also for local farmers and subscribers if their own horse happens to be out of action,” says Phillippa White, secretary of the Grafton.

“We welcome visitors and try to offer them guidance if required, however generally they are briefed beforehand or sent out with somebody more experienced.”

Some packs may have a policy that newcomers and the less experienced should be accompanied. If you have two hunters, you may only be able to hire out one horse at a time and then ride alongside the hirer, to ensure you are responsible for their introduction to the hunting field.

When things go wrong

It is essential to establish what happens in an emergency and when your horse needs to be returned. When sending your horse off at the meet, make sure you have exchanged telephone numbers and have emergency contact details too.

Some people routinely insure their horses but the viability of that depends on the number of horses covered and the level of insurance required. Owners with one or two horses are generally considered more likely to insure for vet fees and permanent incapacity, while those with numerous horses can find the costs too high and are willing to accept the risks.

If taking out insurance, make sure insurance companies are aware you will be hiring out a horse to ensure this does not invalidate any future claims.

There are many types of insurance cover for businesses and proper advice should be sought with regards to individual requirements. However, it is vital that you have a significant level of third party liability cover, as is recommended to all horse owners.

Some hireling companies request that those hiring also have their own personal accident insurance cover while others require a waiver to be completed. These are usually to confirm that the rider accepts that hunting is a high-risk sport and effectively taking responsibility for their own actions.

Essential considerations

1. What time is reasonable for the horse to be returned?

Most hireling providers will want their horse returned by 2.30pm or within an hour after second horses.

2. How much can I charge?

In the region of £200-250 for a half-day is the going rate, with some additional charges for fuel depending on distances. Some can also provide second horses at a full-day rate of £375-£400. In addition, the hirer will need to pay their cap to the hunt so must be aware of that.

3. How often can my horse go out?

A fit hunter should be able to manage five days a fortnight, depending on each day’s strenuosity. This should be assessed on an individual basis.

This article was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (23 October 2014)

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Having spent the 1970s living in USA, upon my return to the UK and foxhunting I thought how best to share the excitement I enjoyed so much with visitors.

In the early 1980s you still had to be invited to “ride to hounds” before you could appear at a meet and there was the additional problem that a man would be happier to lend his wife to a friend than his best hunter!

My father, Derek Pritchard, was chairman at the time of the Pytchley. I had come up through the Pytchley Pony Club, having hunted there and with all the neighbouring packs throughout my childhood, so I had lots of contacts in the hunting fraternity. When I suggested having overseas visitors to stay and to take them hunting on horses I had trained, the idea was welcomed with caution and a certain amount of scepticism.

The main reason I was allowed to bring “foreigners” hunting — i.e. anyone who lived outside that particular hunt country — was that I always accompanied my guests and I had to be responsible for their turnout, horses, and hunting manners. That was sometimes quite a tall order.

Memorable moments

Once with the VWH I had to ask permission from the master to hunt in my Australian floppy hat because I had lent my bowler to one of my clients from Florida.

Another time I refused to take two race-riders from Pennsylvania — who were on a whistle-stop fox-hunting tour of the UK — to a lawn meet at Guilsborough because they turned up in their kit from the day before’s particularly wet and muddy day hunting with the Quorn. We followed on after the hunt had been out and about for about 20mins, but they were still obvious from their mud-spattered clothes on immaculately clean horses. I wasn’t going to let them insult our hosts at the meet.

Once, with the Bicester, I had a collection of French hunting guests who hadn’t told me they intended to hunt complete with swords and horns. They were invited to show off their musical talents at the meet, but had to do so on their feet after my horses reversed at a rapid rate from the front of the field to the back.

Then there was the Swiss gentleman, out with the Fernie, who got off for a piddle when we were stopped in a narrow lane without bothering to find a suitable bush or tree. The conversation of the field hesitated only for a moment before everyone looked in the other direction and continued talking at a slightly increased volume.

Other memorable moments include: having a group of people from California out with the Beaufort, four of whom fell off before we got to the meet; being asked if I had a spare tampax while changing horses with the Belvoir; telling a lady from Spain she could pee in the back of the box only to have her come out some three minutes later saying she “couldn’t find it”; jumping under a JCB over a construction ditch on a closed road with the Warwickshire; and out with the Cheshire, jumping a wrought-iron gate into parkland, from a trot, off a cobbled canal bridge — all my horses did it!

I’ve jumped the central reservation fences of both the M40 and the A14 — during their construction, obviously, hunted in November over unharvested fallen wheat in Yorkshire, in March drawing flowering oil-seed rape with the Bicester and had the huntsman opening gates for my two Portuguese guests and myself as the only ones left out with the North Cotswold one day.

Wonderful people and incredible horses

My record is six consecutive days hunting with six different packs of hounds on six different horses — it wasn’t planned, it just happened that way.

Along the way I have met lots of wonderful people, hunted with more than 90 packs of hounds and had some incredible horses of whom I am tremendously proud. People ask me why I do it — it’s certainly not for the money!

After the ban, I lost my foreign clients as they all think they can drag hunt back home, so why should they travel all this way to do the same thing. However, to my great surprise there is a home market who still want to follow hounds, so I have continued after only a slight blip.

The world has changed and now hunts welcome guests to help with diminishing revenues, other people have started to hire out horses and UK clients don’t need the “nannying services” I used to provide.

My hireling horses are my friends who I allow other people to ride in return for the necessary expenses to keep them fit, well and suitably turned out.

Nowadays I try to get additional income by running cross-country clinics during the non-hunting months, and otherwise life goes on running a difficult business in difficult times. But I still meet lots of lovely people, visit some wonderful places, and ride some fabulous horses!

To find out more about running a hunter hireling service, turn to p14 of H&H magazine, 23 October 2014

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Last year’s Quorn opening meet attracted a British post-war record of 40 ladies riding side saddle. This season, organiser Emma Brown (pictured) is hoping for an even bigger turnout.

“We have had a huge response and are hoping to beat the 50 side saddle riders who attended the Meath meet in Ireland in January,” said Emma.

Side saddle “dashers” Martha Sitwell and Becca Holland and event rider Fiona Davidson are expected to attend, plus a host of first-timers. Riders will enjoy tackling some of the cream of the Quorn’s Leicestershire country.

Both jumping and non-jumping ladies — and foot-followers — are welcome at the opening meet which takes place on Friday, 25 October and the cocktail party afterwards.

Some side saddle hirelings are still available.

For more information contact Emma Brown directly, tel: 07771 984823 or email emmacb6969@yahoo.com

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Hunter hirelings are hot property this season, with those stables offering rides with popular packs able to fill their saddles twice over.

“I’m putting out 20-odd horses each Saturday. I have a waiting list of eight for this one and the phone’s been ringing constantly. It’s been a good season,” said Oxfordshire-based Karen Bamford.

She provides hirelings predominantly for the Bicester with Whaddon Chase and Warwickshire.

And it’s been a similar case for Jill Carenza, whose horses go to the Beaufort, Warwickshire and Heythrop.

“We had a very busy Christmas and lots of new people this season – adults and children,” said Jill.

“I could certainly have filled more saddles and will try to increase my number of horses for next season.”

And Lesley Douglas, whose horses hunt with the Duke of Buccleuch’s, says it’s been her best season yet.

Mrs Carenza believes the phenomenon can, in part be blamed on the credit crunch.

Newcomers’ days and varied subscription rates have put hunting within reach of riders who would not previously have considered it.

But the expense of keeping a horse means that many of these new riders are turning to hirelings.

And the downturn is also causing existing hunt followers to turn to hiring.

Groups like the London Riding Club – which arranges equestrian activities for experienced riders living in the capital – have been a boon for Karen Bamford.

“I could fill half my saddles again some Saturdays with the Bicester,” said Karen.

Yards offering hunter hirelings have decreased in recent years, which may be another reason why those that do are so busy.

And Mrs Douglas credits a mild Scottish winter for her best season in 10 years of providing hirelings for the Buccleuch.

“People expected bad weather so wanted to get hunting in at the early part of the season, and it’s never got much worse than a bit of frost up here since,” she said.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (23 February 2012)

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A man who has been offering hunt hirelings in the Cheshire area for 30 years is to retire and sell all his horses and equipment.

The sale of Roger Rimmer’s 35 horses and numerous other items will take place on 5 September at his Kenton Wood stables in Formby.

Mr Rimmer, whose horses hunt with the Wynnstay (Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn’s) and Cheshire Forest, told H&H: “I’m 63 so I’ve decided to retire and go out and do some hunting myself.”

Joint-master of the Cheshire Forest, Peter Heaton, told H&H: “Roger’s a real character and has been hunting with us for 30-odd years. He’s an asset to the hunt and his horses seem to go very well.”

And Sir Jonathan Clark, joint-master of the Wynnstay said: “He has provided a fantastic service to the hunt and all sorts of people who have stayed with us have gone out on his hirelings.”

Alastair Brown of Wright Manley auctioneers is handling the dispersal sale, which includes 35 “hand-picked Irish horses”, tack, two horse boxes and a cold-water hydrotherapy spa.

Mr Brown said the catalogue is still to be drawn up but it should attract a lot of interest.

He said: “It’s quite unusual to have a dispersal sale of this sort. There will be vet on hand on the day to check the horses over for customers and a cross-country course where they can try them.

“The lots will be unreserved as they are there to be sold.”

H&H hunting correspondent Rory Knight-Bruce has used Mr Rimmer’s horses a number of times.

“It’s a great shame that he is retiring,” he said. “His hunter yard at Formby is amazing — an ancient coaching lodge and stables right by the beach.”

For details of the sale contact Wright Manley, tel: 01829 262100 or www.wrightmanley.co.uk

This article was first published in Horse & Hound (23 July, ’09)

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A riding school proprietor has come up with an innovative way to boost her business: offering hunt hirelings for children.

Deni Harper-Adams, of Worcester and Twyning riding schools, told H&H: “I hunted from the age of two on the back of a very rotund Shetland pony.

“When I left the yard to go hunting at the start of this season with my friend’s son in tow, I was being asked by both children and parents whether I took other children with me,” she explained.

The first day that Ms Harper-Adams took children out on hirelings — with the Croome and West Warwickshire earlier this month — she had 13 mounted with another eight following in cars.

“We had to turn down four children, and make three trips to get the ponies there,” she said.

The children — aged from seven to 14 — stayed with Ms Harper-Adams the night before, watched DVDs on hunting and were talked through hunting etiquette.

“It’s very important to me that the children didn’t cut anyone up, always faced hounds and offered to open gates,” she said.

Joint-master Robin Palmer was field mastering on the first day Ms Harper-Adams took children out.

He told H&H they were a welcome addition to the field — and helped swell numbers.

“It’s very nice to have a lot of new young children. They are our future,” he said. “Another joint-master commented on how well behaved and in control they were.”

Ms Harper-Adams’s hunting days start at £100, and any child wishing to take part would need to undertake a course of lessons first. Tel: 01905 371524.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (29 January, ’09)

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