The Chairman
Phillippa Marshall
Chairman
Phillippa’s uncle, the Hon. Phillip Kindersley, restarted the Mid Surrey Farmers’ Draghounds after the 2nd World War in 1947. Her depth of knowledge and common sense are valued by us all.
The Secretary
Caroline Holliday
Caroline has ridden with the Mid Surrey Farmers Draghounds for over 20 seasons. She has also acheived riding 26 Point-to-Point winners as well as training a number of winners herself. Caroline also team chases with the Boring Gorings on one of her ex-pointers. She is also the secretary of the Hunt Point-to-Point.
Our MDHs
Peter Webb MDH
Peter joined the Mastership in 1989, he is on the Committee of the Masters of Draghounds and Bloodhounds Association, running the Association’s Hound Show at the annual Festival of Hunting. He is currently the Chairman of the South East Point to Point Area.
Fred French MDH
Fred French also hunts hounds and is a consummate horseman and lead rider of the Boring Goring Team Chase Team, he enjoys game shooting and farms 6,000 acres in Kent. His daughter Kate competed with distinction in the Pentathlon at the 2016 Rio Olympics finishing 6th on her first attempt at this level. Fred, with Barry Slater, our linesman, walks and prepares every line before each day’s sport.
Linda Adams MDH
Linda Adams joined the mastership in 2013 and is our Field Master; she has been a long standing stalwart Member who rarely misses a day. Linda competed with the Boring Goring Chase Team over a number of years and has a small farm running keep sheep.
Phillip Hall MDH
Phillip joined the mastership in 2017, having first come out in 2009, and is one of our field masters. He is a keen racing man, having Point-to-Pointed for many years, both as a trainer and jockey, winning 5 South East Jockeys Championships riding over 100 winners. He is also on the Board of Directors at Sandown Park racecourse. The thrill of Dragging appears to have replaced the needed adrenaline he found racing!
Our Linesman
Barry Slater
Linesman
Barry picks up hounds from the kennels and walks or runs each and every line we jump, marking and cutting the fences and laying a trail for our hounds to follow. Barry works for the NFU in Edenbridge Kent and is an extremely fit man – his sport, out of season, is walking in the Himalayas or any other remote area he can access. He is supremely fit!
Our Whips
David Betts
Whip
David farms in the Kent with his Caroline. They concentrate on cereals and turkeys – some of the finest in the South! David also manages two days dragging which are always great fun and well attended. His daughter Claire also rides and is often on hand to help with hounds and keep course at the Point to Point.
Nick Fuller
Whip
Nick and his partner Babs and son Oliver run a farming and contracting business from their farm on the North Downs. They produce haylage, beef from their suckler herd of Pedigree Longhorn Cattle and run a thriving livery yard. At Warren Barn Farm diversification is the name of the game with everything from a small show centre and XC course to managing a tenant with a hang gliding school!!! Nick enjoys whipping in as he takes great pleasure in watching the hounds work and has also competed with Boring Goring Team Chaser.
We are able to call on Garth Gosden and Ricky Johnson to help with hounds and whip in when needed.
Other People Important to Us
Ginni Beard
Photographer
Ginni has been taking photographs of the MSFD for a number of years. Members look forward to gathering around her laptop at tea to see the day’s photos and Ginni generously allows us to upload all her photos onto our website for everyone to see and enjoy. Thanks to Ginni we all have a huge fund of precious ‘bath chair memories’ to look back on.
The Social Secretaries
The very important team work of Caroline Holliday, who runs the Point to Point and the Farmers Dinner and works with Gina Weare, Cynthia Woods and Geraldine Fisher to organise the Hunt Ball and the very popular Summer Charity Ride is a key aspect of the Drag. These ladies work tirelessly to support the Masters and provide such fun and very successful events year in year out.