One day hedgelaying competition 2009

Saturday 28th November 2009
Held on Highgate Lane, Plungar
For £215 in prizes in two classes

Form Object

Photos from Tom Kingston

Rob Thompston won the Open hedgelaying class for the second year running. This was out of a strong field of ten competitors producing a very high standard of work on a fair hedge. The best Belvoir competitor was Chris Smith who came third.
The novice class was won by Paul Crothers on a more challenging hedge. Geoff Key, our judge, did an excellent job taking into account the many factors that contribute to a well laid hedge.

The full results are as follows:

Open Class

• 1st Rob Thompston
• 2nd David Smith
• 3rd Christopher Smith – Best Belvoir Country competitor
• 4th Andrew Holding
• 5th Andrew Crow

Novice Class

• 1st Paul Crothers
• 2nd John Exton
• 3rd Paul Martin
• 4th Chris Stokes

The competition was held on land owned and farmed by Mr D Kirk, Mr G Kirk and Mr R Pell to whom we are most grateful. Thanks to the competition we have opened up country for hunting with hedges to be jumped on three sides of the field.
At the end of the day competitors met those who had been hunting for a great tea at The Anchor Inn kindly laid on by Kevin and Marco and the prizes were given out.
The day would not have been possible without the help and support of a considerable number of individuals and companies. Thanks are due to Andrew Miller who helped find the hedges for this year's competition, Conrad Underwood and Paul Palmer for their efforts both before the day as well as on the day and Roger Chatterton for stewarding the competition.
In addition, the following companies and individuals sponsored the competition. Please support these local businesses where possible.

• Melton Mowbray NFU
• Long Clawson Dairy
• Bentons Estate Agency
• Escritt Barrell Golding Estate Agents
• Regent Services, Waltham
• Melton Mowbray Market
• Chine House Vets
• Bagforce
• W Spence and Son
• Paul Palmer Hedgelaying
• Gonalston Farm Shop
• Mr J Inglesant, Mrs J Loxton, Mr A Kaskit, Mr P Stephens, Mrs A Kingston, Mr A Miller, Mr S Burton, Mr R Chatterton

Form Object

Photos from Tom Kingston

2009 On-farm hedgelaying championship presentation - Garthorpe Photo by Matt Barnard See Belvoir Photography gallery for more

On-farm hedge-laying 2009

The 2nd Belvoir Hunt On farm hedgelaying competition has been run with the prize-giving taking place at the point-to-point at Garthorpe (see photo below right).

What do the judges look for in a good hedge?

Is the hedge stock proof? - The original purpose of hedges was to enclose stock. A hedge needs to be laid low to the ground to ensure that a solid barrier without gaps grows over time.

Is there any dead wood in the hedge?

To the untrained eye, a newly laid hedge may look very neat and solid, but if dead wood is used to fill up gaps and make the hedge uniform and solid, in one years time, the dead wood will fall to the ground, living gaps for stock to push through and enable riders to avoid jumping the hedge!

Amount of work gone into the hedge?

A thick, old, overgrown, hedge will require much more work to lay than a new hedge planted 10 years ago.

Is the hedge useful to the hunt?

Does the hedge open up new country for the hunt.

Results

Conrad Underwood and Stan Burton judged a total of 12 hedges.
1st. Martin Copley and Paul Barkes with a hedge owned by Keith Hubbard (see photos)
2nd Paul Hubbard with a hedge owned by John and Doone Chatfeild-Roberts(see photos)
An additional couple of photos show the challenge of laying a hedge out of a steep dyke as well as the amount of effort required. The hedge was laid by Mick Doubleday.

The aims of the competition are to promote the traditional art of hedgelaying, conservation and the opening up of country to make it more accessible to the hunt.
In addition, an on-farm competition is run, judged in the spring. Any farmer or landowner within the Belvoir country may enter a hedge. The hedge must have been laid within the last year and be a minimum of sixty yards in length.
For more details or to enter either of these competitions, please contact Tom Kingston on 01664 464144.

Why are hedges laid?

Laying hedges is just one of the techniques in managing hedgerows. Other techniques include "trimming" and "coppicing" (cutting off at ground level to encourage the hedge to regenerate). Left unmanaged, a hedgerow will continue to grow upwards and outwards and will eventually become a line of trees.
Where farmers keep cattle or sheep, a good hedge is essential, for although barbed wire fences can easily be erected, they do not provide shelter like a hedge. Hedges are also important for our wildlife and for their scenic value. A well-managed hedgerow is thick and bushy, an impenetrable barrier to sheep and cattle and a haven for wildlife.
Cattle will lean against a hedge and make gaps, whilst sheep push through the base; hedge laying prevents this. The cut stems, which are bent over at an angle, prevent the sheep pushing through the stakes driven into the hedge and the binding along the top makes the fence strong to resist the weight of cattle.
Laying the hedge also tidies it up and encourages the shrubs to regenerate keeping the hedge bushy and healthy. Once a hedge has been laid, regular trimming will keep it in good order for up to fifty years when it may be appropriate to lay the hedge again, or even coppice it.

Why are there different styles?

There are different styles of hedge laying in different parts of the UK. Each style has been developed over many years to cope with the climate of the area, different farming practices and the type of trees and shrubs that grow in the hedge. There are more than thirty styles recorded in the UK plus others in France, Germany and Holland.