Mary Lay
Claire Painter makes sandwich cases, belts and other leather goods by hand.
cases — but for radios rather than sandwiches. “No one ever used to have radio cases,” Painter says. “So you have to cover it in leather and make it look traditional. And as each new style of radio comes, you have to design a new case for it.” Painter still makes the oldfashioned sandwich cases, too, but also offers to build a custom-sized case around whatever today’s rider keeps in it, from cell phones to horse treats. “When they start hunting, usually the first thing people get is the drinks case,” she says. “Then they decide to keep hunting, and they realize they need a sandwich box or a radio case or wire-cutters. So it’s nice if you make the drinks case so they can attach it to either side of the saddle, so they can 22 | Covertside
move it as they start adding things to the saddle. People carry more today on their saddles than they used to.” For foxhunters, traditional style is always in fashion, Painter observes, and so is comfortable but hard-wearing leather. “You’ve got to use very sturdy leather that will hold up,” she says, noting that hunting leather must survive rain, sleet, mud, and, let’s face it, poor tack-cleaning habits. “And you’ve got to stick to some of the old rules of stitching. Hunt stuff isn’t throw-away stuff; people keep it forever and expect it to last. So when you stitch it, I still hand-stitch it, and I still wax the thread, which protects the thread and makes it last longer.” Hunting orders keep Painter busy all year; in addition to
hunt field supplies, she also makes hound leashes for the summer season. Whatever the season, foxhunters tend to go for understated and straightforward, rather than trendy, options. “Keeping the design very simple and very user-friendly is the important thing,” Painter says, adding that hunts themselves often inspire new details to fit their particular needs. When one huntsman wanted to stop a radio from bouncing on her horse’s shoulder, she worked with Claire to design a twostrap case that attached to both saddle and breastplate. Sometimes design changes are driven by economy. To accommodate riders with more than one horse, Painter has adapted an old
bridle style she remembered, the Irish dealing bridle. It has an unobtrusive buckle at the poll that allows one hunt bridle to easily fit multiple horses. “It’s just like what the hunts do,” she says. “You want to encourage as many good, enthusiastic members as you can. You try to do something that is going to be lovely and within their means.” SCENT
Brian Kiely’s art is perfumery, but of a very particular kind. As the huntsman for the Myopia Hunt’s drag pack in Massachusetts, Kiely must mix up a delicate blend that would be in fashion only among hounds. A successful drag scent, Kiely says, is about both the hounds and the field.