Sarah Todd: Week of sad farewells to much-loved real old characters

Sadly, we have had to have him put down. We knew he was old and that it would have to happen one day but it still knocked me (in particular) for six. Perhaps the hardest thing was worrying about telling the children, but they have been, touch wood, remarkably resilient.

Our daughter even – very wisely – commenting that he wouldn't be happy if he could never again canter up a stubble field. In his younger days Darius had been a whiz at gymkhana games, competing on three winning Prince Philip Cup teams.

He'd also jumped in the main ring at the Great Yorkshire Show in the inter-hunt relay competition, played polo and done goodness knows what else.

Life with us must have been akin to retirement after such an active life. Most of the time he remembered his new job was looking after younger children, but every so often – like up stubble fields – he'd forget and show the old turn of speed that had won him so many rosettes. Darius's young owners are bravely still taking their hens to Countryside Live; we'll just keep out of the way of the class he would have been in.

They say these things happen in threes and hopefully the interim death of a hen will count as number two, as a very dear friend of mine also

passed away this week. Bill Wilkinson was a photographer of the old school. He'd worked for the national newspapers and shot many front covers for the likes of Horse & Hound, The Field and Country Life. Like Darius, he loved having a job to do.

We met when I was the editor of Yorkshire Life magazine. There wasn't a town, river, castle or black-tie ball that he hadn't been to – "you take the names, I can't concentrate with all these posh women".

Hanging in the kitchen is one of my favourite photographs taken by Bill.

It's of Ginger McCain and Red Rum on the day after his third Grand National win. Red Rum had just been given a polo and has his lips curled back, as if laughing.

Ginger McCain, who apparently only let Bill into the stables, is pulling an almost identical face, grinning from ear to ear.

Bill would smile at being remembered in the same breath as an old pony. But it's quite appropriate. Two finer old characters you couldn't want to meet. They both also, in their day, appreciated a pretty filly.

CW 23/10/10