Equestrian Life November 2016 Edition

Horse are allowed to be unplaited, but
should have a nicely pulled mane and
be clean (I know it’s an early start!!).
For ‘real’ hunting a black or navy blue
wool hunt coat (I like navy on ladies, no
polyester please!), cream stock for ladies
and white for gentlemen, velvet hat
same colour as the coat (with a harness
and ribbon sown up), cream breeches for
ladies and white for gentlemen, black
boots. Stock pins should be horizontal not
vertical. Horses plaited and clean. Dark
coloured saddlecloth or dark or sheepskin
numnah. If you are hunting a first timer -
put a green ribbon in its tail to let people
know that the horses’ behaviour may be
unpredictable! If your horse is known to
kick, buck or has bad stringhalt, put a red
ribbon in so people can give you a wide
berth. If you do have a red ribbon horse, it
is also your responsibility to put yourself
in a sensible position out of other peoples’
way. I see a lot slap bang in the middle of
the field that is dangerous.
Etiquette is very important. Introduce
yourself to the master - and call them
‘Master’. Find the cap collector and offer
your cap. Thank anyone introduced as a
land owner or organiser. At the meet if
your horse is a fidget, stand them out of
the way so they don’t cause a disruption.
Listen to any instructions given by the
hunt staff and abide by them! Try not to
be too loud both at the meet and when
stood on point (even if you have had a bit
too much ‘hospitality’!).
Be very polite to any drivers and
pedestrians / followers. We have had to
fight hard to keep hunting so be sure
to give the participants a good name!
Remember hunt staff always have right of
way, as do hounds. If you hear ‘whip please’
get out of the way! If you are not sure how
your horse will cope with hounds, the best
thing to do if one comes near you is to face
your horses head to it. It is a huge crime to
kick a hound so avoid at all costs or your
name will be mud!
When you are going, if you are not sure if
your horse is going to jump, don’t be up
the front! You will cause a pile up behind
you if you stop and be sworn at! The other
advantage of letting a few go first is you will
see if there is a hidden drop or boggy going
on landing and be able to prepare (or go
round!). If you feel that the fences are too
much, there will usually be a few others who
feel the same, so team up and find a way
round. When going on land, if it looks like
there’ s a crop be sure to stick to the edges
and go round causing minimum damage.
If your horse suddenly starts to feel tired
and starts hitting fences, or running on its
forehand, that is the time to call it a night
and go home before you have an accident.
Be sure to say ‘goodnight’ (even if it’s the
middle of the day) to the field master and
find your way back to the boxes without
going onto land that you haven’t already
crossed (the hunt may not be allowed on
all the land in the area). Always remember
to leave gates as you find them - open or
closed.
If we have hacked a long way back and the
horses have dried off we tend to untack,
offer a drink and pop a thermatex on and
give a hay net on the way home. We wash off
with warm water at home (cold on the legs).
If the horses are still hot, we may wash off
at the lorry and rug up well. Hopefully this
has answered a few questions about going
hunting. I would recommend that everyone
tries it at some point in their riding career
and you never know you might get addicted!
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