THE first Area 16 ladies’ side saddle hunt, held at the picturesque setting of Werrington estate, was a great success, and is hoped to continue for years to come.

Six riders took part in the event, where they met, rode and jumped around the estate on Saturday, February 4.

Member of the Area 16 Side Saddle group, Christa Davis, told the Post that she hopes this will become an annual event, after the high praise it received over the weekend.

She said: “Hopefully this will be an annual thing. This is the first one we have done, but I’m really hoping it will become a yearly event.

“Everybody had a lovely time, and everyone said it was in a lovely setting, on the Werrington estate.”

All six ladies that took part are members of the Area 16 Side Saddle group.

Christa continued: “Side saddle riding is a very expensive sport, and it’s nice to keep the tradition going. Years ago, it was tradition for the side saddle ladies to hunt.

“You don’t see a lot of people doing it (side saddle riding) anymore, except up country — they have a few groups. I thought, we have a good area — 16 — we’ve got a few members, and the Werrington estate is in a beautiful setting. So I thought it would be nice to carry the tradition on.”

Christa added: “Thank you very much to everyone. Everybody looked wonderful, and made it a very enjoyable event. Let’s hope we can carry this on for years to come.”