BOXING DAY MEET

BGA member and Hunting Groom Ambassador Laura White explains why she loves the Boxing Day Meet.

With more than a quarter of a million people turning out to show their support around the country* the Boxing Day Meet is by far the most popular date in the hunting calendar.

On one of the biggest days of the year for hunting, more than 300 packs in the UK hold their traditional Boxing Day Meets in towns, pubs or in areas where large numbers of people can congregate safely to see the spectacle and be part of the atmosphere.

Ours is held at Worcester Lodge on the Badminton Estate. It’s an amazing setting, full of history and steeped in tradition. It always attracts a large turnout of followers who come to see the horses and hounds. I love the Boxing Day Meet.
We’re pretty busy all over Christmas and the Meet means an early start on the yard around 5.30am on Boxing Day morning as we tend to have the whole yard out.

As the Meet is at the top of our village there is no need to box there. This is quite special as seeing the horses hacking out of the yard fit and looking as immaculate as I can get them gives my team and I a real sense of pride.

For me the Boxing Day Meet is what I always class as the half-way point of the season. I look forward to getting the Christmas rush out the way and the days getting longer.

I particularly enjoy going to the meet on foot especially for the atmosphere, but once hounds have moved off its not really any different to a busy Wednesday or Saturday for us. It’s a bit of a rush to get the second string of horses ready, which I take in the lorry to the nearby hunt kennels where we all change horses around 1.30/2pm.
Once this is done it’s back to the yard with first lot of horses who went out. We unplait, untack, give them plenty of warm drinking water, wash them off, check for thorns and wounds, bandage and rug them up warm and once there settled the next job is to clean all the tack and get ready for the second string of hunters to come back and start the process again.

Once all horses are home safe and tucked up happy in there stables we'll enjoy a glass of wine whilst were finishing the last lot of tack and start dreaming of more daylight hours.

By attending the Meet on foot you can be part of the great atmosphere. Everyone is in the Christmas spirit there’s always lots of people. It’s lovely to see the kids happily fussing with the hounds and every one from different aspects of life coming together to enjoy such an old tradition.

It’s a place where everyone feels welcome. Whether you’re a local who's been out to the Meets regularly or someone who just wants some fresh air and to see a tradition of a different equestrian way of life, it’s something different to do with the family. It really is quite special.

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*Figures taken from http://www.countryside-alliance.org/no-excuse-not-hunt-boxing-day/