An English country girl in California: Hounds, heat and a hint of hunting

I passed my driving test as quickly as possible when I turned 17, principally so that I could drive myself to hound exercise with my old pack, the Clifton-on-Teme in Worcestershire, at crack of dawn, without having to drag my parents out of bed. Little did I imagine then, riding out along the along the lanes in cool early morning sunlight, that, 13 years later, I would be doing the same in California, the dust rising from the hounds' pads and the sun baking the valley at 8am.

'Roading' in the Temecula wine country

I joined the Santa Fe Hunt (www.santafehunt.com) for a morning's 'roading' after being introduced to membership secretary and Englishwoman Jane Langridge by hunting doyen Aidan O'Connell, a legend in equestrian circles from his native Ireland to Virginia. Aidan holds his enormously popular hunting clinics in the US, and on hearing my travel plans, put me in touch with the hunting community here. The hunting world is an extremely small one, and the welcome from its people is second to none, whether you're in Co Clare or California!

Jane and Nicky ready for the off

Recently amalgamated with the West Hills Hounds (of which Ronald Reagan was a founding member), the Santa Fe hunts coyote across the vast deserts of Riverside and San Diego counties. Jumps are mainly three-foot 'coops', wooden palisades across wire fences, and the land is often steep, peppered with boulders, bushes and ground-squirrel holes. I imagine that covering it at speed is similar to hunting on Dartmoor or Bodmin moor, and a clever horse that can jink and change legs around to twist around obstacles is ideal. Jane's horses are just the sort - Nicky, her mare, is a seasoned hunter and her offspring, Snickers, named after the Snickersville hunt in Virginia, where Jane hunted for some years, looks set to be a worthy successor. At just four, he gave me a lovely ride, quiet, responsive and keen, unfazed by all the excitement of the hounds, but quite ready to gallop.

The finest view in California - Snickers sees hounds and his ears prick up!

Hound exercise (or 'roading', as they call it), in the Temecula wine country was strange, but familiar. We were on the horses by 8am, yet it was already baking hot at Kingsway Farm. With a light breeze making a welcome appearance, we set off behind Santa Fe joint-master Terry Paine, owner of Kingsway. A superb horseman with an old-fashioned charm, Terry came to hunting relatively late, but soon caught the bug and was a joint-master within a few years. He's a notable breeder, too, with dozens of youngsters around the farm and a couple making serious names for themselves - in particular, Gin & Juice, ridden by Hawley Bennett, who came an impressive 7th at Kentucky and is being aimed at Burghley in the UK in September. His full brother, 5O'Clock Somewhere (notice a theme?) is showing equal talent.

With the hounds' sterns waving cheerfully in front of us, we cantered across sandy fields, trotted up a steep road that afforded tremendous views across the valley, and finished with a splash in a pond back at Kingsway. All four-legged creatures behaved beautifully, and it was a treat to experience California in a way few visitors do.

Terry (left) and Byron cool off the hounds in a rare pond

The hounds were eager but biddable, admirably attuned to every word of the kennel huntsman, Guatemalan Byron Ayala, dapper in a red shirt. A workmanlike mixture of English and American hounds, they include some notable drafts, such as Beaufort Cheerful, who has several offspring tumbling around in the desert-ringed kennels. The hounds have a large sandy area to play in - where their favourite pastime is wedging themselves in one of the water butts. I could see the attraction in temperatures that were edging towards the 90s! Thankfully, the weather is a lot cooler in winter, although meets are held early or late to escape the worst of the heat. Hounds have to be determined, with plenty of stamina, and a turn of speed to keep up with the swift-footed coyotes, and riders must have their wits about them to stay in touch. By all accounts, the Santa Fe is going from strength to strength under Terry and Byron and their team, and I can't wait to come back in the hunting season.