SPRING COUNTRYSIDE SHOW SPECIAL
interview by Laura Hitchcock
One man, his horse, his birds and the spirit of freedom Moving crowds to tears is all in a day’s work for Jonathan Marshall, the horseback falconer starring at the new Spring Countryside Show
Talking to Jonathan Marshall is unexpected. From a look at his website, my impression was of the ultimate showman persona; shinily clichéd, with a confidence bordering just on this side of arrogance. I did not expect a quiet, unassuming northerner on the
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phone – with an irrepressible sense of humour, the deepest love for his horses and falcons threading through every word, and entirely dismissive of his own importance: “the fella in the middle of the arena telling the story is irrelevant”
An accidental career Jonathan Marshall’s love affair with horses began in early childhood – at 78, his mother still has horses, one of whom is 38 years old. At the age of eight, Jonathan discovered falconry and the birds soon took over his attention. Eventually he realised that he could combine his two passions – falconry was traditionally a horseback method of hunting. “I never set out to be a horseback falconer – I mean, who does? - but in ’86 I made it my professional career. Though I quickly realised if I was going to make it a show, I needed the right horses. It’s not quite so spectacular if I’m on a donkey!” So Jonathan chose to work with
