Getting the best out of your beaters

Running a line and managing a beating team is an art. It’s difficult to get right and easy to get wrong. There is a certain amount of pressure on the keeper. While the beaters are no doubt doing their best and, in most cases, know what they are doing, it is the keeper who has to make the difficult decisions and who should be in charge.

When you are in charge, the single most important thing you can ask your beaters to do on a shoot day is to turn up on time. Start times vary and while most shoots get under way at around 9.30am to 10am, it doesn’t always