In the second part of our series focusing on a Westcountry huntsman and his horses, Annabel Groom finds out about his love of the Thoroughbred.

"The best horse for the hunting field is a Thoroughbred", says huntsman Ian Pearse, who loves the breed for its speed, stamina and temperament.

Of the nine horses stabled at the South Devon Hunt's Kennels in Pulsford, more than half are ex-race horses, some of which retired after a successful career on the track, some who never made the grade and had an uncertain future ahead of them.

"They wouldn't be right for everyone but they suit us down to the ground. They are so agile on the moor and they just keep going," says Ian, who is in his ninth season as huntsman and master.

"Life is about racing to them and naturally they hate being headed which is why they are the best horse for our job – they just love to be up front."

Most of them can be bought for a reasonable price, some are even free, which is a plus point for any hunt running on a budget. "We can't afford to buy £10,000 horses," Ian adds.

In some cases, the huntsman says, he is saving their lives. "We've had a few who were heading to Potters Abattoir because they were no good for racing or didn't settle into their new homes, so for us it's nice to have a good Thoroughbred who wants a job."

He points out that hunting gives a horse, from any discipline, a good psychological grounding and often can bring a problem horse around.

"They just slot into the job so well. A horse loves work and that is what we can give them," says Ian. "We just work the problems out of them."

His yard is made up of geldings – bar one chestnut mare that came from a local racing stable. "She continuously resisted and would reverse up and rear to get rid of her jockey. She definitely wasn't a safe ride but when I saw her I thought she would suit me and be right for the job."

The rest is history and the mare was recently lent to a 55-year-old lady as a second horse and she had a "wonderful ride". "I'd let anyone ride her now," Ian added.

Another interesting inmate is the French Thoroughbred, Odal D'Airy who came from top trainer Philip Hobbs' racing yard. His assistant trainer, Johnson White reported him as being a "complete tearaway and very hard to hold". His owner wanted to find him a new home and Ian's name came up.

No-one was sure how the gelding would react to hunting but he quickly switched off and is now one of the best hunt horses in the yard, alongside Ian's favourite, Bold Leap, who at the age of 19 "still has a heart the size of a 45 gallon drum".

New arrivals to the yard ideally come in the spring or early summer so that Ian can start working them with the hounds straight away.

"We throw them in at the deep end doing six weeks' road work which is good for their legs and working with the hounds gives them an idea of what their new job will be."

All his horses hunt twice a week but some may do just a half day. "It depends on the country we are in and so sometimes I have a two-horse day."

He explains: "It's different for us compared to a member of the field. We have no choice but to carry on – we can't stop if we are tired but we have to plan it carefully so as not to damage the horse. It can be a delicate balance sometimes."

Granite and gorse poisoning are issues for horses hunting in South Devon country. "If they graze themselves on granite or prick themselves on gorse they can get an infection but they do slowly build immunity to it," says Ian, who is a fan of old fashion poulticing as treatment.

The farrier (John Clements) is one of the most important visitors to the Kennels and is the first person Ian goes to if they have a foot problem. "For the work they do they've got to have a good hoof and we have to keep their shoes up to scratch," says Ian, who has his horses shod every three to four weeks.

On a big hunting day he says they can wear out half a set of shoes.

"Also if we lose a shoe, we can't just go home so having good feet is one of the most important factors for us and generally the Thoroughbred does."

When it comes to feeding, the yard motto is "feed hard, work hard". All the horses at Pulsford are fed straights – three full to the brim buckets a day. The core products being sugar beet shreds, bran, chaff, rolled barley, rolled oats, boiled linseed, peas, flaked maize and a little bit of salt to stop them tying up, says Ian. They are also fed ad lib haylage – "as much as they can possibly eat".

From the moment they are plaited, they know they are going hunting.

"All our horses love to hunt. Despite going out 40 to 50 days a year, they still look forward to going."

Most are on the lorry by 9.45am and don't return home until 6-7pm where they are washed straight away, dried, checked for cuts or bruises, rugged and bandaged and then fed.

Their hunting "best" tack is cleaned that night. The horses all have their own bridles, but will share general purpose saddles.

Exercising on non-hunting days is back to road work, riding one, leading two – there is no schooling in sand schools.

Everyone at the kennels has a good working relationship but the most touching has to be between the horses and hounds.

"They adore each other," says Ian. "The hounds stand up with their feet against the horse's flanks to say hello and I'll often see them trot across the field alone with a horse."

He adds: "The strangest thing I ever saw was when a huntsman fell off and was left behind as the horse continued followed by the hounds."

That of course won't happen to the master of the South Devon due to the "special" relationship he has with Bold Leap. "If I ever have to get off I can leave him loose and he will stand for me."