Legend Big Buck's still in the hunt

I had never been to a hunt meet before, let alone photographed one, but the opportunity to catch up with Big Buck’s at the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale hunt was something not to be missed.

The greatest staying hurdler in history is now in the care of hunters Lucy Tucker and Mike Felton, and I turn up on a foggy morning at Bill and Jane Hopkins’ palatial Compton Castle near Wincanton.

With the horses and hounds arriving for 11am, hunt supporters are busy preparing a feast. Sausages and bacon are on the barbecue and glasses of port and whisky are being poured as the traditional ‘stirrup cup’ for the riders before they set off on their mounts.