I HAD heard nothing but good reports about the new hunting arrangements in West Waterford and when the opportunity arose, I was more than anxious to see for myself.

As if all that was not enough, the meet was being hosted by West Waterford master Tim Beecher at his famed showjumping yard at Loughnatousa, near Tallow, home of the annual horse fair. Tallow is real horse country with numerous point-to-points nearby including meetings at Boulta, Ballynoe and Tallow and as many packs of hounds. The Conna Harriers are kennelled nearby just over the Cork border.

Tim, now retired from the saddle, was the first of his family to concentrate on horses. He spent some years in Australia where he raced, competed in rodeos, broke horses and showjumped. When he came home to take up the reins at the family farm at Loughnatousa, it was horses all the way and, in addition to breeding many exceptional horses, he bred an extraordinary family of horsemen and women. Standing out among the many exceptional horses he has produced must be Loughnatousa WB who won the Hickstead Derby in 2012 ridden by his son Paul. They still have his full-sister, who is a broodmare. Paul wasn’t able to join in early on as he was schooling horses for the upcoming Sunshine Tour in Spain where he was taking a team of 12.

Tim’s joint-master is the legendary hunting figure Ben Hardaway of the Midland Hunt in Georgia, USA. No longer a young man, Ben has not been over this season. His connection with West Waterford started during the mastership of Elsie Morgan when Ben came on a hound breeding mission and fell in love with Elsie’s white hounds (and perhaps with Elsie herself!). These hounds became the foundation stock for his pack in Georgia, which went on to be looked on as America’s premier pack.

Time moves on and, at the end of last season, the West Waterford masters and committee invited the neighbouring United Foxhounds from Middleton to hunt the country for the current season.

They hunt one day a week in their home country in East Cork and the second day is hunted in West Waterford with West Waterford whips and field-master. Subscribers of both packs can now hunt a much extended country from the borders of Cork city as far as Ardmore in Co. Waterford.

Huntsman Sonny O’Donnell certainly looked the part in dashing scarlet riding a hogged chesnut who looked as if he could cross any kind of country. He was hunting 16 and a half couple on Old English, as level and even a pack as you could find. Sonny is one of a group of young huntsmen around Ireland who are going to carry the torch for the next generation. Among that group of outstanding young huntsmen are Sonny’s near home neighbour Gavin Shorten (Tipperary), Fergus Stokes (Limerick), Mark Ollard (Scarteen), Niall Dunne (Waterford), Declan Moran (Clare) and Jerry Withers (Duhallow).

Sonny’s whippers-in on the day, all amateur, were James Henly from nearby Tallow, John Morrissey and the veteran Ned Moran from Dungourney near Midleton. Ned started his hunting career with the Naas Harriers when they were hunted by Paddy Powell, a close kinsman of Irish Field editor, Leo who has a blacktype pedigree in all matters connected to the world of the horse. Ned, at 83, must hold the record as the oldest active member of hunt staff in these islands. Later he described his early days with the Naas Harriers with the two former champion jockeys Paddy Powell and Pat Taaffe of Arkle fame up front and making the country. He first moved to Cork in the 1960s to work on the building of Cork Airport. He now builds arenas and all-weather gallops and would regularly drive a bulldozer for eight or 10 hours a day. Being a whipper-in is no honorary position. At the meet I saw him stick his foot in the iron, ignoring nearby mounting blocks and swinging effortlessly into the plate.

Nearby trainer Liam Burke was there on My Murphy showing him hounds and giving him a freshen up for his run the following day in Gowran’s Thyestes Chase. He had won it the previous year but on this occasion was unplaced, with the race being won by the Henry De Bromhead-trained Champagne West, ridden by young DJ Mullins.

The Beecher family were well represented with Tadgh and Louise, a daughter of Col Pat and Bets Coleman from Duhallow, both out on typical Loughnatousa horses, loads of quality and performance to match. Tim’s daughter Fiona is married in to that remarkable family of showjumpers, the Whitakers in Yorkshire who, between them, have won everything worth winning all over the world. Her other brother, Mark, is a National Hunt jockey in America and has won the Maryland Hunt Cup not once but twice, first in 2013 on Professor Maxwell, to be followed up two years later on Raymond’s Choice.

There was more than adequate parking in Loughnatousa for both hunt staff and followers. Many familiar faces appeared, notably Philip Desmond who, having hunted numerous packs in the South East over the years, is now field-master to combined United and West Waterford. I had a word with Steven Griffin whom I met last year from a meet in Ballynoe. He is an engineer who specialises in equestrian and racing projects producing infrastructure for many leading racecourses and stud farms.

FOXES GALORE

But enough of coffee housing - it was time for hounds to move off and the first draw was to hand in O’Brien’s glen which bounds Loughnatousa. This wooded glen has loads of cover and is dotted with hunt jumps so while hounds were drawing, the field were popping over these made fences which ranged from novice to open. The place was jumping with foxes and the pack divided with the half that remained with the huntsman enjoying a good stint of woodland hunting. They briefly ran towards the stable yard meeting a really decent sleeper-faced double bank. As hunt staff appeared at speed, Ned Morrissey led the fray, asked his chesnut to stand off and was halfway to the next fence in a flash. Our pilot returned after a few fields and was marked to ground.

In the meantime, the rest of the pack with John Morrissey hunted almost to Tallow village where they marked their fox to ground on the outskirts. All the while we had excellent and knowledgeable guides with Mary Daunt, who I met the last time I hunted with the United, now sadly on foot as her horse is out of action and United fencer Neil Murphy from Killea, who works with Dairygold food division in Mogeeley.

As hounds were being gathered, it gave an opportunity to see Beecher’s stable complex where Paul, having schooled his Sunshine Tour horses, was getting his grey ready to join in. This quality five-year-old was being plaited up for Paul by his girlfriend Seryna Van Coolen from Holland, whose family have settled in Ireland. His huge intercontinental horse lorry which, with trailer, can take 12 jumpers was being prepared for their Iberian adventure. As well as performance horses, they would have a herd of a dozen or so broodmares.

Hounds drew on towards the Midleton road and it wasn’t too long before the second season bitch, Sabre by Duhallow Sober, spoke and had a fox afoot. He crossed the main road to Ronan’s plantation and some more woodland hunting. It must have been familiar territory for Dolorous O’Donovan, who was out on a nice dun. She works in the forestry sector and, when not hunting, drives a forwarder which is used to transport harvested timber to the nearest road. Her brother, John Joyce, was also out. He runs a horse yard as well as being an equine chiropractor. The family were further represented by young Patrick Joyce who is making a name for himself as an up and coming showjumper.

Hounds did a good circle over some nice free-draining country towards Lyre Bridge before swinging back towards O’Brien’s glen where he was eventually marked to ground.

The arrangement between these neighbouring packs seems to be working well and, with some goodwill all round, could become a template for many packs who see their country diminishing due to development and modern farming.

FACTFILE

Joint-masters Tim Beecher, Ben Hardaway

Chairman: Michael Browne

Honorary Secretary: Captain Neill Forde

Huntsman: Sonny O’Donnell

Whipper-ins: Ned Moran, James Henly, John Morrissey

HISTORY

West Waterford, in its present format, was founded just over 100 years ago by Michael O’Brien, at the start of the first world war. This pack replaced many private packs, especially that of the Holroyd-Smith family of Ballintray near Youghal.

West Waterford could be said to have entered its golden age with the arrival of Elsie and Tom Morgan, who were masters and hunted hounds from 1952 until 1986.