A 73 year old man was killed on Saturday while out hunting with the Beaufort. Farmer David Hall was thrown from his horse and catapulted into a fence, breaking his neck.

An air ambulance attended the scene of the accident and tried to revive Mr Hall but he was already dead.

Hunt secretary Nigel Maidment said:

“As I understand it David took his horse into a fence and it stopped – what we call a really ‘dirty stop’, when the horse goes into a fence as though it is going to jump and doesn’t – and he was catapulted out of the saddle and broke his neck.

He died instantly. The air ambulance came and all credit to them because they did a marvellous job and worked tirelessly to revive him but it was no good.

It was a freak accident. I have been hunting for 30 years and I have only ever seen it once before. He was so in tune with horses it was the last person you would expect it to happen to. It is a huge loss to the community.”

As a mark of respect the hunt was immediately called off and the hounds were returned to the kennels.

Mr Hall from Badminton had hunted with the Beaufort for 65 years.