I was out with Bull Run Saturday and little bits of snow were falling here and there. Later on we saw IT approaching from the west. Really dark sky, and hills disappearing as the white wall marched toward us. When it hit we were enveloped in huge flakes. It was late in the day, so we decided to bag it and thirty riders galloped through the white out back to the trailers. A long gallop, and when we got there the entire fronts of our bodies and faces were crusted over with a heavy layer of snow. At a gallop it felt like getting pelted with glass shards. Definitely not a post card quality day.
I was back at the barn for about 30 minutes, cleaning tack as the black cloud rolled up on us. Pretty dramatic. Glad I was off the road and had tucked my guy into his blankie when it hit. Good that you made it back w/o incident.
Yes! Old Dominion went out at 10 am from a fixture just southwest of Hunter’s Rest. The lowering pressure made me realize I’d better tighten my girths!! And, indeed, hounds struck just north of Flint Hill, and raced, screaming – absolutely screaming – back past us (me leading the wee third field, just me on Natalie’s racehorse, who needed a blow-out and she wasn’t feeling well so I took him, plus a first-timer (horse) and another veteran on an older hunter). We reveled in the raucous cry and strained to see their quarry - who couldn’t have been 100 yards ahead, but he/she stayed just within the woods-line.
Our new first whip, Ross Saulter, raced past (and I do mean raced) asking if we’d seen it, then our huntsman Gerald Keal, firmly fixed on the disappearing back of Ross!
We turned and gently followed, since I knew well that the first and second fields had gotten cast out when hounds struck (they’d begun a big lazy right-handed loop towards Foxhall when hounds locked on and circled east/left-handed back towards Crest Hill Road and Fogg Mountain.)
We were alone with hounds for a nice bit but then here comes the puffing field and they went on past us. We followed apace, but the first-timer horse (a lovely big thoroughbred 4 year old I got for our master from my tb ‘source’) was chuffed and we slowed to a walk.
Which was fine, b/c we were well cast out at any rate!
The snow, which had been steadily falling when all this started, abated, and honestly, the skies lightened and actually clouds parted as we circled back towards Foxhall looking for hounds, then, eventually, back towards Stone Hill/‘stonehenge’ and the meet where we at last heard them regrouping.
We got to an excellent ‘blow-out’ hill and I sent City scuttling right on up (he barely blew at the top - probably 1/2 mile, steep). We hacked back towards the meet, and every bit of the snow that’d fallen evaporated as we went.
The other 2 turned off to hack back to Foxhall and I went straight, back to the meet. My toes were cold and I saw Major Mark’s snow-cloud gathering in the west!
There was a great tailgate (hot chili!) and much jollity back at the trailers.
The second whip reported that quarry was definitely not a fox, which was pretty durned apparent by the speed and sound.
Wow. Wow, is the only word for it. Galloping behind keen hounds on a bloodhorse in open galloping country. Just. Wow.
: )
MM & HR-
Why, that was a present sent up from SW VA and NE TN! It started down here Friday evening. I had headed to TN mid- afternoon to join TVH on Saturday in their w/t field (my very first hunt :D:D:D). We were all settled in at Walnut Grove Stables when Dene got the call that the hunt was postponed until Sunday/noonish due to the impending weather. Back home I went and the conditions down here Saturday were horrible. I mean Alaska horrible.
When we went down the road to check on our 4 equines, they were sauntering around the upper pasture-much less wind there, go figure.
However, I returned to TN on Sunday and had a blast with TVH-absolutely gorgeous day, snowy mountains on the horizon, and a lovely breakfast. A wonderful 23 (!!) year old TB mare took very good care of me. Bahaha I dismounted at the end and thought I took it easy sliding down to the ground, except I crumpled into the grass-I could only laugh. :winkgrin:
Wow, HR, sounds as though you had a terrific day! You must have had a wonderful time galloping City!
We had no snow at all up here, not enough to look like salt on fries. This is the driest winter I can remember.
HR-“was chuffed and we slowed to a walk.” What does chuffed mean?? I’ve never heard that term before???
Chuffed – happy at the same time puffing, breathing quickly enough that it was very reasonable to slow down/walk/take a break. A lovely happy young horse having a ball but needing a little rest! (like a steam engine/train ‘chuffing’ up a hill and slowing nearly to a stop!)
“Chuffed” is a British term meaning “proud”. As in “I was really chuffed that I was able to survive that particular jump without making a dog’s breakfast of it…”
I love learning new terms, thanks HR & MM. 
