By Isle of Wight Observer
The rain held off just long enough on Sunday, for an Island team to win the second heat of the team relay at the Hampshire Countryside Day held at East Meon near Petersfield.
The format of the competition matched the themes of the Countryside Day – horsemanship, dog handling and fence building. First a quad bike and two runners took off with the aim of getting four rails onto two sets of poles. The baton was then passed to the first of three riders who in turn jumped the two fences and careened around a post. They then galloped back to the dog handler, who led her dog through the jumps and a tunnel. After her sprint back, the baton went back to the quad bike and runners who deftly whacked off the rails, loaded them on the quad trailer and gunned it to the finish line.
Despite team captain, Ryan Lacey’s wonky rail placement, which stopped the chihuahua, a mini-agility dog, at the fences, the team still came home seconds clear of their challengers. Ryan recovered his composure slightly with his sprinting prowess, and said, after his team’s success:
“I wanted us to win this and to see the Isle of Wight come out on top.”
The IW Hounds team found great delight in the boisterous shouting from supporters “Go Isle of Wight” as they raced, neck and neck, against the Staff College Draghounds.
Isle of Wight Observer