The Torrington Farmers had the pleasure of our company on Saturday at their meet at Webbery Barton in Alverdiscott. Despite perfect hunting weather (calm, cold conditions – ideal for scent), there’s not a huge amount to report! Huntsman Steve Craddock couldn’t control hounds to save his life, nor was he getting much assistance from kennel huntsman/man-child Jack Rowles, who spent most of the day sat on his horse miles from the hounds, obsessively taking photos of our driver to add to his collection.
Craddock took hounds via various small copses in direction of Haddacott Moor. A fox was sighted by sabs running past several quad bikes and field riders but hounds never picked up on the scent, thanks in part to sabs covering the line with citronella.
Craddock spent a while gathering hounds and then took them across the road in direction of the woods and kale fields adjacent to Garnacott Farm. When hounds drew a blank again the hunt carried on south in direction of Carrier’s Lane End and entered a large plantation woodland, drawing it back north in direction of Lower Twitchen and Hill Farm. Hounds were found in cry but were successfully stopped in their tracks by sabs.
The rest of the afternoon saw hounds hopelessly split between Hill Farm and Huntshaw Cross, with some spilling out onto the busy B3232, while others were terrorising sheep at Twitchen and rampaging through people’s gardens. With no huntsman in sight, the hounds on the road had to be bundled into the back of one of the hunt supporter’s cars and taken back to the rest of the pack.
It took Craddock forever to gather most of the pack and he then didn’t seem in the mood to lose them again, so he headed slowly back towards the meet via Haddacott and the electricity substation. When we left him at the meet as it was getting dark he was still missing a few of his hounds. When it comes to shoddy hound control, Craddock really is hard to beat.
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