Bell Manor

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="050285a1erlcgo.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Kangaroo Island Hunt Club</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Kangaroo Island Hunt Club"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id95.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Preliminary Hunt Dumphries "><U>Preliminary Hunt - Dumphries </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id96.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Opening Hunt Bonegilla"><U>Opening Hunt - Bonegilla</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id97.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Agincourt"><U>Agincourt</U></A>   |   <B>Bell Manor</B>   |   <A HREF="id102.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Halfway"><U>Halfway</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id105.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Yadnarie Downs"><U> Yadnarie Downs</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id107.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Harriett Springs"><U>Harriett Springs</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id108.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Burnfield"><U>Burnfield</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id109.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="St Ives South"><U>St Ives South</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="026d2c00dkelyh.gif"> <div> <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Program for 2001"><U>Program 2001</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Bell Manor</I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>By Hoof Beat</B></I></div> <bR> <div> On Sunday, May 20 we arrived at Joanne & Mark Griffiths property "Bell Manor" and were greeted by Mark & his young son Tristan who were just checking<B> </B>out the horses as they arrived.</div> <div> We had a rather delayed start with all riders & horses geared up and champing at the bit but our Master was no where to be seen.</div> <div> Apparently, unable to make it to the working bee, because of other commitements Richard (Master)       needed to quickly check out the hunt course and familiarise himself with the layout.</div> <bR> <div> So after a flying jaunt around the property in a ute, our<B> </B>Master returned and was ready to go, so we had our traditional stirrup cup before the hunt, wishing everyone good hunting,- and off we went.</div> <div>   There we nine horse & rider combinations and seven vehicles that took off across the paddocks.</div> <div> Some of the-riders really must have felt just like a leisurely ride because even though it was only a     relatively small field, the riders were quite spread out.</div> <div> Alex Brown was riding her ponv Ellie for the last time because she has sold her to Ella Dunstan.</div> <div> Ella and sister Evie were there to keep an eye on Elliee, and were giving shouts of encouragement to Alex as she jumped.  They were also getting a few pointers for when they are ready to come hunting with us.</div> <bR> <div> Hunting with us for the first time was Peggy. Heather Alcorn owns her but Karen Hammtt was giving . her a run over the hunt fences. Peggy looked as though she was really enjoying her jumping. </div> <bR> <div>  At the start of the hunt we saw Bob mounting Donny from the back of a ute, but he was not the only one having trouble mounting, Nikki was also finding it difficult getting up on Paul, but one way or another she managed to get on and joined the field.</div> <bR> <div> One of the vehicles was labelled the quarantine vehicle with Tess, Bridget, and their children enclosed in the car with Chicken Pox. We were all glad they did not venture out, I don't think anyone else wanted to catch it.  It was great the girls came along and we look forward to Tess out with us later in the season.</div> <bR> <div> Fairly early on in the hunt, the Master was seen vigorously encouraging<U> </U>his mount over a jump, and after jumping they promptly went back to a trot and were passed by Rodger on Red & Bob on Donny.  This happened several times<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>during the hunt, consequently, Rodger & Bob were fined by Lynne Dohle at the end of the day.</div> <div> Half way through the hunt we stopped for stirrup cup, to refresh the riders and let the horses catch their breath. Even though there was a cool breeze, it was still a bit warm and most of the horses were breathing quite heavily when we stopped.</div> <div> Daph Griffith was enjoying the hunt and several people came up to have a chat with her, she was over  from Gawler visiting Mark & Joanne.</div> <bR> <div> As we continued on there was one rare occasion where the Master's horse did not like the look of a jump and bypassed it. Rodger had no qualms about showing the field over the jump.  After convincing the sheep in each paddock that we were not there to hand out feed we rode on.</div> <bR> <div> As we approached the huge dam with swans & ducks swimming around, I was hoping we were going to stop for a second stirrup cup, but not to be.  Most riders successfully negotiated the double jump<B> </B>going towards the dam.  At the next jump Paul wasn't that keen, and to everyone's surprise Denni & Magic Man showed Nikki & Paul the way over the jump.<B>  </B>Denni was also seen jumping another jump well over her usual height restriction.  Well done Denni, we'll see you jump more & more I'm sure, in the hunts to come.</div> <div> In the second to last paddock there was a large tree which had fallen over and made a perfect jump.  The riders jumped it and continued along the fence line jumping a row of new jumps as they went. They then turned around and jumped them all coming back. Quite a few riders went around one of the jumps which strangely enough was built in one of the many bog holes, this consequently made the jump a lot more difficult than it really should have been.  Maybe we'll shift it one day.</div> <div> As the horses were jumping back, 1 heard that there was a bit of a jumping competition, being judged in  one of the utes, judging horses and riders jumping the big tree jump.  The winners were Bob Engelhardt and his wonderful mount Donny. For a horse that is approaching twenty one years old he does a marvellous job in the hunt field, and he enjoys it so much there is nothing he would rather do.  The bigger the jump, the better Donny jumps it and the more he enjoys it.  Well done Bob.</div> <bR> <div> As we rode & drove through the last paddock, Bob rode up to the side of Val's ute and commented about this being the paddock that is now known as the paddock where Bob 1 got bogged.</div> <bR> <div> We ended the hunt with a great barbeque and chat., Another enjoyable hunt over.  Hopefully we will he as lucky with the weather at the next hunt which is at Robert & -Lynne Coombe's on Sunday 3rd June.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>