Hunting in Ireland Day 2

This was the end of our second hunt with County Roscommon. The hounds had accounted for their fox and we were headed home. Our fieldmaster, Oliver had had a fall and called for someone else to blow for hounds. We think maybe broken ribs! Anyway, this guy, on the chestnut, finished the hunt and brought the hounds home. A local hunter told me that Roscommon has become very popular and hunters from all over come every Sunday to hunt with them. I met not only a fellow from Wicklow, named Mick!, who drove 3 hours each way, but also Johnny Geogaghan, from The Blazers who rented the "American Bitch Pack" horses 15 years ago! I reminded him of our trip in 2000 and that we had bought two horses ( Christy's Beckham and Rodney). He remembered us and asked how they were. Whiskey, the wonderful mare that Isabel and I rode is retired but still alive. We are going to go with him on Thursday with the Blazers. Today was walls and fairly stony ground. No "swimming" thankfully. We had skirted a slough or lake ?? the first day and literally my horse's feet left the ground and I was swimming momentarily. Ponies in a field that we passed escaped, and came with the hunt, proceeding to swim across the lake, looking like Chincoteaque ponies. It was an incredible picture with swans, riders up to the boot tops and the hounds tetering on rocks to try and stay out of the water.