Staff College Drag Hunt
Hunt Button
A great deal of work goes into running the Staff College Drag Hunt; not just preparing for hunting days, but also to run the organisation throughout the whole year. For this, we rely upon a number of people volunteering their valuable time.
Lots of people offer assistance for various hunt activities for which we are very grateful, but among those there are people who consistently go above and beyond to support the drag hunt time after time. They can be relied upon to maintain their active support through thick and thin; when there is no glory to be gained, no crowd to please, when an event is still weeks away, when everybody else is yet to turn up...or has already gone home!
The Masters award the Hunt Button in formal recognition of such loyalty and selfless commitment by those who contribute to the huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes.
Additionally, when choosing who to award the Hunt Button to, the Masters consider those who conduct themselves in an exemplary manner on a drag hunting day. Those who have earned their Hunt Button will always be correctly attired and well turned out. They will be someone who the Masters can call upon to assist following an incident or when a 'safe pair of hands' is required. They will always know how to behave, will be supportive of other riders, and will set a strong example to others in the field: they are someone who others can look to and aspire to emulate. They are representatives of our drag hunt, whether hunting at home with us or visiting other packs.
Those who have been awarded their Hunt Button wear a green collar on their hunt coat, whilst their buttons are adorned with the insignia of Staff College Drag Hunt. Gentlemen who have been awarded their Hunt Button wear mahogany topped boots and ladies patent tops if they wish. So if you are new to drag hunting then you should be able to easily spot these people in case you have any questions or require any assistance!
Hunt Button Awards 2022/23 Season
Huge congratulations to the following people who were awarded their Hunt Button by the Joint Masters:
Georgette and Duncan Green
These two have hunted with Staff College Drag Hunt for many year and always have the biggest smiles on their faces and looking like they are having the best time!
They have done a huge amount for the Hunt including walking puppies...twice (!), running guided rides to fund-raise, assisting the Masters on hunting days by collecting loose horses, looking after nervous riders and clearing up farmyards of horse poo (plus other such glamorous jobs!). Georgette sits on the HSC and Duncan has provided all the beautiful printed place settings and menus for our events over the years. The huge enthusiasm they always bring to anything the hunt is doing or organising has not gone unnoticed and they are an integral part of the Staff College Drag Hunt team.
Sophie Gregory
Sophie is one of our fabulous Hunt Secretaries. This job is a thankless task. Hours and hours of work goes on behind the scenes booking people into Meets, organising payments of cap and wire money and providing advice and information to riders. Sophie manages to do all this whilst looking after a new baby and one of our Joint Masters, Dan. On a hunting day, Sophie stands at the gate to meet and greet riders in all weathers and, if not riding, provides invaluable ground support to the Masters. A hunt cannot function without good Hunt Secretaries ...and Sophie is worth her weight in gold!
Dawn Fenton
Dawn is a long-standing committee member of our wonderful HSC. She is the Treasurer, running the HSC bank account and the email inbox. She is instrumental in the organisation and management of all the HSC funding raising activities e.g. the Hunt Ball, hedge clinics and guided rides. She is also a valuable member of the team on a hunting day, laying the line and providing support to the Masters. She gives up a huge amount of her free time to ensure the hunt is successful and is someone that we just couldn't do without!
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Kathy Tuggey
Kathy has been an avid supporter of hunting her whole life and was recruited to Staff College Drag Hunt 10 years ago when she met Barry Seifert! Kathy follows the hunt on foot every week and bakes delicious cakes for our hunt teas. She supports the Hunt Secretaries by taking over the booking in of riders on a hunting day when the Secretaries need to get on their horses and in recent times has become a member of the HSC committee with a special interest in organising the hound sponsorship, hunt Christmas card sales and the annual drag hunt calendar.
Jason Shirley-Mansell
Jason is one of our military subscribers and is a doctor for his day job. As such, the Masters can rely on him on a drag hunting day if there are any fallers or injuries that need medical attention. He also gives up a lot of his spare time coming out fence building and assisting the Masters to prepare the country for Meets. When required, he has foregone riding on a drag hunting day and put on a pair of running shorts instead when the Masters needed someone to lay the line!
