Does your hunt have any kind of protocol regarding the use of cell phones by riders in the hunt field? If so…I’d love to know what it is and how your club has gone about letting members know.
Thanks
We don’t have a protocol. The field master, huntsman, and whips all have cell phones on and they ring. Only rarely have their phones rung from someone other than staff. This has proved helpful in some situations. There are many that ride with phones in the field, always on silent. This is helpful if someone needs to be excused early. They are able to ride back with a phone in case of emergency. I can also see it as being helpful for people to have cell phones if they get hurt. It can allow the fieldmaster or secretary to call the injured persons emergency contact early in an event. We all know each other, but not necessarily all the contact numbers.
We have not had an issue of people in the field accepting calls while hunting. We seem to all be so happy to escape into the world of hunting, even if only for a few hours. Every now and then you will see people checking voicemail and emails at their trailers after a hunt and before breakfast.
A glare.
Cell phones are for emergency use only (in the field)
I think Jawa has a better approach. If people are told ahead of time, they will do what you want. Add it to the before- you- come- out notes. No one wants to knowingly offend.
As the parent of a young child in school, I keep my phone on me, on silent. If I see the number come up from my son’s school, I will check my messages at a check. I leave the house on hunt mornings prior to my son getting up for school, so I don’t always know if he went to school with the snuffles, or on the verge of a cold that my DH did not detect. He is great at getting him up and ready for school, but I do know that their mornings together are a bit more hectic and rushed than when I do the regular morning routine. As yet, I’ve not had to leave early for a sick child, but it gives me peace of mind that I can get to him if I’m needed. If I didn’t have my cell, I wouldn’t be able to hunt on week days and weekends can be hard, because I don’t want to miss his sporting events. There are several of us in my hunt that are in this situation. Having cell phones allows us to escape and enjoy a few hours with some peace of mind.
Jawa, Please…
Sent you a P.M.
I haven’t seen anything in writing with my hunt but it is one of those things where common sense prevails- if you carry it, put it on vibrate or turn it off and during checks you can look to see if something important has come in.
I track all our hunts on my Android phone but the ringer is on silent.
I typically have mine on my belt, turned off, only for use in an emergency (if it happens that there’s cell phone coverage where the emergency occurs, often out west that’s not the case). My opinion is, if you think that any phone call you might get is more important than the hunting, stay home!
I say this as a parent who whipped in when the kids were small, pre-cell phone days. I made arrangements for Dad, neighbors, friends, child caregivers etc, depending on small kids’ potential needs, to cover while I was hunting. As a practical matter, even if I had a cell phone, had I gotten a call, I’m at least a couple of hours away from dealing with the situation if I’m on a horse out hunting- so it’s better for potential emergencies or less important issues to have others on standby anyway.
JMHO!
I don’t know about any policies around here with the hunts but I think common sense prevails. Plus coverage is spotty in many areas and with all the hills so…the only people I’ve ever been aware or seen use them were people who had to be on call like myself…veterinarians and doctors or others with “on call” responsibilities. I think all should keep on vibrate too of course!
I saw a cell phone used twice this past year on the hunt…but it was staff only. once to call an ambulance as a precaution since a rider got knocked out on a fall. Thankfully, he was fine and didn’t have to go to the hospital. The other time was to find one of the whips since he went off to an errant hound and there was no answer from him or hound for a long time…
sometimes I may have my phone, but it’s turned off. I’ve never seen any of our other members with phones either…only flasks:lol:
I carry my cell phone only when I have a child that might need to reach me. It’s turned on vibrate only and zipped in my pocket.
Our hunt territories are not so far from where I live and occasionally my 12 year old might be home alone for a period of time. I want her to be able to reach me.
This works fine except for the time when my pocket unzipped and my phone flew out of my breeches as we jumped a coop.
It survived, I retrieved it and caught up with the field. :eek:
Our hunt wants all staff to be carrying a cell phone, and prefers everyone in the field that has one to be carrying it, but for emergency use only.
Emergency to be construed as: someone has broken some sort of bone (human or equine), serious illness (such as a heart attack or diabetic incident etc) a hound emergency, etc. All staff is also expected to be carrying a radio as well.
NO ONE in the field should be talking on a phone at all during the hunt, even at checks. I suppose we could make an exception for a cardiologist or neurosurgeon who was on emergency call or something but otherwise there is nothing that urgent.
I saw all that about kids in school and so on, there really should be an alternate contact person for such things, and if there is a significant other who is not hunting then they should be called.
As someone else said, this has not yet been a problem in our hunt. If it were, I would imagine it would be treated the same as coffeehousing and so forth.
I do not answer my cell phone while in the hunt field. I do look periodically to see if I have a message from the school. I discreetly check for messages (if from the school I listen, all others are ignored) during the checks and would ask to be excused should the need arise. My DH is available for the sick calls as are several other relatives and friends and the teachers and staff at the school know who to call. I am talking truly about EMERGENCIES that may occur at school, broken bones and such, not just a low grade fever or I feel sick to my stomach kind of illness. And yes, I know these things are rare, but Murphy’s Law…
As yet, 4 years and counting, I have not had to check my messages or leave a hunt early. Knock on wood, I hope I never have too…
Sadly cell phones are like anything good…to much of a good thing isn’t such a good thing. We are working on the problem, but we have had a recent problem with a member chatting on her cell phone during the hunt and now we have to set some guidelines.:no: Thanks for all your thoughts on the subject! I hate making rules but some people just don’t use common sense or common courtesy and need it spelled out.:yes:
MM take a page from the business world and do a memo. I can’t talk on my personal phone during business hours unless its an emergency. I don’t hunt (would love to though.) but can imagine how not only distracting but dangerous a cell phone might be on a hunt.
Dear _____________
As the age of technology has caught up to us we realize being more reachable is a good thing. However due to safety issues of all parties involved in a hunt we require all cellphones to be either turned off or on vibrate for the duration of the hunt. During any breaks in the hunt you are more than welcome to check your messages and talk but we require you not to be on them while in the field. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.
Don’t apologize or threaten just state the policy change and post. They will speculate what the rule breakers will get but as on all hunts the master has the right to excuse any and all.
