The heroes of old
A puissance pioneer
MY mother Peggy Hooper (née Battrick) was fortunate to go to work for Lady Wright in 1963, aged 16, at Durley House in Savernake Forest.
The work involved teaching children whose parents sent them for riding lessons and dealing with full hunter liveries.
Lady Wright was joint-master of the Savernake Forest Buckhounds; she had previously been master of the Tedworth Foxhounds, so hunting was a busy season with all the hunter liveries. She was very hot on etiquette and was not afraid to tell anyone off for not having their gloves on.
My mum always talks about the privilege of being able to ride Lady Wright’s horse Coppermint, whom she bred and was her hunter. Coppermint was exceptionally well schooled – considering Lady Wright didn’t believe in dressage!
Lady Wright held the record for jumping 7ft 4in astride, before Anneli Drummond-Hay broke her record.
Jessica Hooper
A royally hard act to follow
DICK STILLWELL’S yard is one of my happiest memories of my early eventing days. The torture that he used to put us through – from being blindfolded when jumping because we were “fiddling”; the pole
