A rider who stripped off in November rainfall to jump in the altogether said she hopes her efforts will raise awareness of the importance of wearing a safety helmet.
Georgie Grace, who team-chases and follows bloodhounds, came across a post about the Naked Challenge campaign set up by former model and international rider Elizabeth Charleston, who is also a brain injury awareness campaigner.
Georgie thought it a good point of Elizabeth’s that as a leisure rather than organised competition activity, hunting has no regulations on safety helmets, so less secure hats are often worn.
“I put up a post saying if I got more than 100 likes, I’d do it on [my mare] Blue,” she told H&H. “Normally, if I share a post, it might get four or five likes.
“This got three or four, then it was 20, and I was thinking ‘Oh no’, I never thought it would actually get enough! But it did, and it was November, and it was raining.”
Credit: Georgie Grace
Georgie brought Blue in and clipped her.
“There were no jumps out so I had to make one,” she said. “I was just concerned that a delivery driver would turn up and I’d have to sign for a parcel, or that I’d give some poor dog-walker a heart attack!
“I warmed up in a coat, which helped, but it was so cold and she takes ages to warm up – and she loves jumping, so she took off round the field a couple of times, but it was all good fun.”
Georgie, who added that she did also have socks on inside her boots, said the feedback to her pictures has been very positive – and she hopes hunting people especially will take note.
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“I know someone who had a bad accident – his horse kicked his hunting hat off his head and he’s still suffering the effects – but he still hunts in the same sort of hat,” she said.
“Even handling horses – I’m a veterinary physio student and they do everything properly, with hats and gloves, and I wasn’t sure at first. But since I’ve had a three-year-old, I’ve been doing everything with hat and gloves on, and a couple of times he’s dumped me and I’ve thought ‘that would have hurt otherwise’!
“It takes a second to put a hat on – and it keeps you warm in winter.”
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