02 The Hunt

Before I turned two, a memorable event occurred during an early spring morning cloaked in a light mist. Being in the lower field with my fellow colts, we were suddenly attentive to distant dog cries, signaling the beginning of a hunt as acknowledged by the most senior among us. With curiosity, we all moved to a vantage point, where my mother and an elderly horse of our master’s possession joined in observing the unfolding scene. The ensuing chase of a hare by a pack of hounds, accompanied by men on horseback clad in green, was intense and frenzied, differing from any sound I had heard before. Their pursuit was relentless, the dogs’ vocalizations unique to their kind, as they and their riders vanished and re-emerged, eventually steering towards our meadow.

In a thrilling moment, a desperate hare bolted by, with the hounds in hot pursuit. The encounter culminated tragically for the hare as it failed to escape, succumbing quickly to the hounds before a huntsman intervened. This moment of conquest was received with satisfaction by the huntsmen, a reaction that bewildered me. However, the hunt’s toll was significant; two horses and a rider were grievously injured during the commotion. My mother observed that one man’s injuries were fatal, prompting a colt to comment on the perceived justice of his fate, a sentiment I silently shared, though my mother cautioned against such judgments. She confessed her inability to comprehend the human appetite for hunting, highlighting its often detrimental outcomes for both men and animals alike.

After this incident, the scene turned somber as attention shifted to the injured young man, identified as George Gordon, the squire’s son and a figure of communal pride. The accident mobilized urgent efforts for medical and veterinary assistance, casting a pall over the day’s earlier excitement. This chapter left an indelible mark on me, encapsulating the complexities of human pursuits and the stark, sometimes fatal, realities they impose on all creatures involved.