CONSIDERING a couch to 5km this winter? Cold, wet mornings, damp, dark evenings, doesn’t sound too appealing. Bear this thought in mind as we pull our hunters in from their summer’s grass and gear them up for the hunting season ahead. Like us, they too may likely have aches and pains when regaining their fitness after their well-deserved break.

Considerably tougher than bearing the roads for a 5km jog, following hounds across country is slightly more unpredictable and the going just that bit deeper. So how can we ensure our horses are ready to hunt and support them throughout what we hope is a cracking season ahead?