A mother-of-two is making waves on Instagram with pictures of her idyllic life in the countryside, with horses and ponies that she even lets into her house.
Callie Coles, 33, from Dorset, wife of the South Dorset hunt master Toby Coles, 34, and an avid hunter herself, shares her passion with her children Jesse, nine, and Merlin, two, and they live in a six-bedroom, four-bathroom country manor.
The huntswoman, who is a keen horse rider, documents her life on Instagram for her 15,900 followers, sharing pictures of her picturesque rides across the countryside, her fearless jumps above metre-high hedges, and her ponies, which are treated like house pets and even roam around the home.
Hunting is an important part of the Coles’ everyday life, but Callie is adamant they don’t hunt foxes, but partake in ‘trail hunting’ – where the hounds are not tracking down an animal itself, but a scent laid by humans across a chosen route.
Callie, who first created the Instagram page as a ‘memory box’ for her children, told FEMAIL that she was very flattered by her popularity online, but that she had never intended to reach social media fame, calling the whole affair a ‘happy accident.’
Callie Coles, 33, from Dorset, is the wife of the South Dorset hunt master Toby Coles, 34, and an avid hunter herself, shares her passion with her children Jesse, nine, and Merlin, two (seen)
Callie lets her son’s pony into the house on special days and holidays after he’s let himself in once (pictured: Jesse reading a story to Merlin, on the back of his pony Sparky)
The pair have nine hounds, which they take on hunts with them. Callie and Toby hunt twice a week (picture: Toby with the hounds in front of their stately home)
Callie’s pictures perfectly muster the idyllic quiet life of a mother-of-two away from the city bustle. The huntswoman also often captures several snaps of her sons and husband, offering a comprehensive portrait of their family life.
In one picture, Callie is expertly jumping over a hedge, in another, her eldest son reads a story to his younger brother, who’s perched on the back of his pony, ‘Sparky,’ in the middle of the family’s living-room.
‘It all began when Sparky escaped his stable and banged on the boot room door, and we let him in. He’s got no shoes on and they’re hard stone floors so it’s completely harmless,’ Callie told the Telegraph.
The mother-of-two told FEMAIL that the boys loved the pony coming in, and that she only allows him to do so on high days and holidays.
Although her own mother was not interested in the sport, Callie’s great-grandparents were both masters of the hunt and her grandfather won the National
No horsing around! The boys love having the pony come into the house, as they make great dinner guests and birthday companions (pictured)
A keen horse rider since aged seven, Callie kept riding up until eight months into her pregnancy with Merlin (pictured jumping over a hedge)
Callie has taken part in hunting trails since childhood, after receiving her very first pony aged seven.
Her own children are growing up to be as invested in riding horses and ponies as their parents, with youngest Merlin often straddling his pony for up to six hours – not too surprising when one hears that Callie rode her steed, Warrior, up until eight months into her pregnancy with Merlin.
The youngster ‘has no fear,’ according to his mother, and spent his first months of life watching his older brother Jesse – born of a previous relationship – jump over fences and hedges with Callie.
Toby and Callie (pictured) share the same love of trail hunting. Toby told Tatler one of the reasons he married her was because she was the best woman in the country (in riding)
Unstoppable rider. Callie was pressed to join jumping and dressage shows as a teen, but had her heart set on hunting from the start
The avid rider transmitted her love of trail hunting to her children, even to her youngest, Merlin who already rides his pony
Callie (pictured) got her first pony at seven, rode in school and partook in hunts as a teen, and never stopped
The mother-of-two recalled going hunting on her own at first, and then started riding regularly while away at boarding school at Hanford, where she hunted everyday with the headmaster.
As a teen, her riding skills were so advanced that she was prompted to join show jumping and dressage teams, but Callie had fallen in love with hunting already and never looked back.
In 2016 husband Toby told Tatler that she was ‘the best woman across country – it’s one reason I married her!’
Callie and Toby live at home near Dorchester with their two sons (pictured), nine dogs and Toby’s mother Sally
Callie in bed with her two sons. She explained she created her Instagram as a way to save her pictures so that Jesse and Merlin can find them later
Jesse is not even ten, but he’s already jumping fences and hedges on his horse just like his parents (pictured)
When it comes to some of the stigma still surrounding hunting, Callie, who doesn’t hunt foxes, said the sport is not as elitist as some claim.
She explained: ‘Lots of people think it’s very elitist but it’s absolutely not.’
‘You get future kings hunting alongside waitresses and children – when Toby was 12 he caught Prince Charles’s horse over a big hedge.’
Toby and Callie partake in trail hunting, a practice that is legal under the Hunting Act of 2004, and Toby and Callie take part bi-weekly, Jesse often in tow. The couple live with nine hounds and Toby’s mother Sally.
Callie herself comes from a vast family of keen horsemen and women: her great grandparents were joint masters of the South Cornwall hunt and her grandfather won the National, however, Callie’s own mother was not interested in the sport.
Callie’s husband Toby, 34, is a master of the hunt, which means he is responsible for hunting events in South Dorset (pictured)
Callie took several photographs of pony visits, with her two boys playing around with the animal (pictured)