The First Days

Greetings from the UK! Having an amazing time enjoying the historic scenery and meeting so many wonderfully generous people along the way!

This is such a unique opportunity with 15 riders coming together from the US, Ireland and England!

We had a few challenges getting our team members "over the pond", but I was very impressed with how the girls all quickly found a solution and made their way here! Only one team member actually made the original flight that we were all supposed to be on!

Our team members come from all parts of the USA, Annie from Ohio, Emily from the East Coast, Sharlee who's currently residing in South Carolina and Aliina is the farthest from home - Seattle, WA!  Myself from Wisconsin - right in the middle!

Each of us are staying with fabulous host families who are either members of the hunt or Pony Club families. Aliina and I are staying with one of the Masters of Kimblewick Hunt with one Irish team member Aina. Emily and Sharlee are staying in a host home together and Annie is on her own with riders from the UK and Ireland!

Our first full day we got to wake up early to go watch the Point-to-Point horses schooling/breezing at a local race yard. Quite a site to see them load/unload from the lorries and do interval training gallop sets at a local practice track.

We then headed off to the Kimblewick kennels for a detailed tour led by their Huntsman Gerald. Kimblewick has an impressive pack of 60 couple Modern English hounds. "Modern English" hounds are bred to be lighter in the shoulder versus the "boxy" build of the "Old English" style.  The Huntsman and Whipper-In reside in the residence homes on the kennel site which was built in the 1600's.  A bit of bit trivia too - what we in the US call the Kimberwick bit, is actually called the Kimblewick here! It was created by a man who's last name was Kimblewick and lived near the kennel who, the village was named Kimblewick after him and after the amalgamation of hunts in this country and needing a common name, it was fitting to name the hunt after this historic village!

Check out the Kimblewick Hunt website for more info about the club and their territory - www.kimblewickhunt.co.uk   They have a great online store as well!

More posts to come shortly! - First day of Hunting with Kimblewick and a day of visiting Windsor castle!