Foxglove
RATCATCHER after Cheltenham - that is the custom here. This means that the last few Meets of the season are attended by riders clad in tweed, rather than the black or red coats that are traditional from the Opening Meet until Cheltenham Races.
It is smart and workmanlike, and I consider it fitting that these small touches are observed even nowadays.
Attending the last Meet of the season, it was good to catch up with old friends. Hounds were in their traditional garb too, their houndly colours always correct, and designed for visibility over distance, much as the types of dog I keep are coated in camouflage colours for a different job.
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Hide AdYou can lose sight of my kind of dog in most types of countryside, but hounds need to be seen easily, and there can be few more beautiful sights than the pack travelling across winter grass, bunched closely on a burning scent.
For full feature see West Sussex Gazette March 25