‘All he did done perfectly’

In March 2006, I went looking for a hunter in Ireland. In a yard somewhere in Co. Limerick, I tried out a six-year-old bay and a five-year-old liver chestnut. ‘The bay had the better turn of speed,’ I recorded, ‘but was troublesome in the mouth. The build of the liver chestnut was also better. He jumped well… Apparently he won’t do banks, but that doesn’t matter in Sussex. Di was clear that the liver chestnut was the one.’

Di — Diana Grissell, Master of our hunt and carer of any horse I ride — is always right. So I bought the liver chestnut for £5,500. His Irish owner said, ‘He’s got a good lepp on him.’ One is trained not to believe people — especially Irish people — who try to sell one horses, but in this case the man was underselling.

The horse was registered, depressingly, as Smooth Project, but luckily his stable name was Tommy.