She pinched herself! “Ouch!” She couldn’t believe it. She was riding on her First Hunt, on the Ooty Downs. Listening to the other riders waxing eloquent after every Hunt, riding to the hounds, she had been on pins and needles awaiting her turn.
Now, here she was in the Pre-dawn mist, in the sylvan rolling hills of the Nilgiris, just outside Ooty. The tall pines shrouded in soft wisps, the forest trails carpeted in years of pine needles, greedily swallowed all sounds of the hoofbeats. Confidently cantering along with the others, fifty in all, she was reminded of all the ‘Western movies’. Jumping over fallen trees, ducking under overhanging branches, shouting a warning to the person following, it was an adrenaline rush like no other.
As they emerged out of the woods, the mist melted in protest as the rising sun showered its golden pink rays, lighting up the blue grey sky. The trail, hardened over thousands of years, yielded to the ‘Khat-a- khat, Khat-a -khat’ of the pack of horses, riding in sync. Clint Eastwood flashed in her mind, as did the melody from ‘The Good, the bad, the ugly’.
Riding hard up the hill, they finally halted, to let the stragglers catch up. And the ‘field’ was rewarded with a magnificent view of the Downs. The valleys below were shaded in swathes, as the sun played hide and seek through the mist, the limpid blue green lakes glistened invitingly, whereas fluffy baby clouds seem entangled in the branches of the tall, tall Pines, at the bottom of the valley… Oh! It is the mist, she corrected herself.
All the riders looked resplendent in their blue blazers and white breeches, tucked into their knee-high leather boots, the green and gold tie giving away they were members of The Ooty Hunt Club. The silence was comforting, punctuated duly with the swishing of tails, soft neighs and murmurs of affection bestowed on the horses. The cold cold breeze helped to cool the flushed faces dripping sweat along with the steaming bodies of the horses.
Now they prepared to move down into the next valley, carefully collecting their reins, holding it tight as no one wanted to injure their steed. Winding down slowly, on the meandering track, they reached the bottom of the verdant hill, where they were swallowed up by the mist rising from lake and the forest floor. They loomed like ghosts melting into nothingness, as all sounds again muffled up on their way to the edge of the lake. The neighing of the odd horse, snorts from a few others were comforting in the sea of silence. Her eyes greedily lapped up the solitary golden ray of sunshine spearing through mist and dense foliage, along with the ethereal beauty of the untouched forests. Moments she would relive time and again.
“ All Okay?” asked her friend and buddy.
“ Absolutely!” she answered trying not to let her joy and amazement escape. Then it happened. “Rare- Gem” her horse loved water and loved to go dunking given half a chance. She was taken unawares, as they were crossing a narrow inlet of the lake. He ‘harrumphed’ with glee and just sat down to enjoy himself. I guess the cold water must have been refreshing for his steaming body after cantering up and down hills, jumping over fallen logs and boulders.
Shrieking she jumped off, only to land in the cold water! Pleading and persuading her horse to rise and cross the water, she looked back to see the horses following them were running amuck. The mist limited the view, but a couple of fellow riders soon fetched up to see how they could help. Thankfully Rare- Gem was happy with his beauty bath and moved on. She tugged the reins, in her dripping gear, sloshing across before she could get back into her saddle!
Laughing, when her friend reminded her that she would have to sign for a carton of beers, having dismounted without the permission of the MFH, she galloped off into the swirling mist as Rare- Gem neighed, reassuring her he knew these ways like the backs of his hoofs.
Just in case you want to read a little bit about The Ooty Hunt Club.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/riding-back-to-the-days-of-the-raj-with-the-ooty-hunt-1.1150837
