Advice for field masters in their first season

Last summer Heythrop joint-master Nessie Lambert came round to see me and asked if I’d like to do some field mastering for the Heythrop during the coming season. I instantly answered: “Yes.” “How difficult can it be?” I thought.

I came to hunting pretty recently (the past three seasons on a regular basis). Being an event rider, my winters can be slow and bleak, with not many goals on the horizon to keep me motivated. So I started hunting mainly to sort out naughty eventers.

From the beginning, the season had a different feel for me. I was trying to take in a lot; it was not just a case of staying on the lairy four-year-old having his first day autumn hunting!

I started thinking about the position of the field and what I would do if I were field master.

Knowing the country like the back of your hand holds massive value.

But it is something you can’t do in a week. The best field masters in the country have normally hunted there all their lives. So I had a lot to catch up on.

Advice for new field masters

• Say hello to as many people as you can at the meet.
• Keep the field in contact with the hounds as much as possible.
• Know the country. Walk as much as you can and look for sneaky short cuts, big or small.
• When walking the country, get the landowner to take you round where possible, as you can then avoid going to the places where he doesn’t want you.
• Be careful around livestock; make sure you know who is gate-shutting.
• Keep off and to the edge of any newly seeded fields.
• Try and keep a smooth flow to the day.
• Have only one glass of port at the meet!

To read the full feature about field mastering and Mike’s experiences see the current issue of H&H (18 April 2013)

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