Hunting on Horseback

FEW HINGS ARE as pleasurable for me as traversing game country on a good horse. The amount of territory you can er in silence and without tiring, the carefree relaxation of it, the enhanced view, all go toward a most satisfying and rewarding experience. Yet it seems few sportsmen today consider hunting on horseback – probably because few had the opportunity to learn to ride. I was fortunate in this way – though I never had any riding lessons.

A most satisfying and rewarding experience

I began when I was seven or eight; I spent my school holidays on a farm on which my uncle rode a horse named Shamrock on his daily rounds. He’d return to the farmhouse for lunch each day, and during that hour, he’d let my cousins and me ride Shamrock. Initially I just sat on the horse while my cousin led him around by the reins, but soon I was “steering” him myself. Then I would go for longer rides.

What I didn’t know, was that whenever my uncle got onto the district road on his return to the farmhouse, he would gallop the horse for that final stretch to exercise him. During