I’m so glad you all had such a wonderful weekend. I’m sorry to have missed it, but my 10 yr olds football team made it to the championship game (which of course was Sat). They won and finished the season 10-0!! I was glad to see all of his games this year and cheer him on…
Now if I can just figure out if I can swing the spring…
It was great to see everyone! Although I didn’t get out to hunt with the group on Saturday (I went out with my home hunt), I was able to attend the dinner in Warrenton, dinner at WateryGlen’s place, and hunting with the Ashland Bassetts. What a nice bunch of people.
OneGreyPony, I’m with you on the whole teary eyed experience. Not much gets me more than the sights and sounds of hunting. (I’m the blonde who sat at Sonny’s Mom’s left at the Black Bear Bistro).
Hunter’s Rest-- I think you deserve a medal for introducing so many people to foxhunting. You rock. (and what the heck is my new horse’s name? 
)
Cammie–thanks soooo much for schooling Woody today. Have fun tomorrow!
It was a pleasure to meet you all! Keep in touch, come on down, up, or over, and get out hunting!
I really can’t add anything to OneGreyPony’s excellent telling of the November Hunting Princesses outing. Hunter’s Rest does indeed make it an amazing experience, and her superb horses allow one to relax, enjoy, and yes, improve one’s riding. I’m always a timid rider, but once the field begins to move, and the initial butterflies float away, you do indeed, as OGP says, grab mane and ride on, and soon you realize that your nervousness has left, along with the butterflies, and you’re grinning ear to ear with the absolute joy of hunting.
I am sorry that it wasn’t a better day for the hounds to work, but it was a glorious day to be out. And we got to see lots of the hounds…it’s just that they weren’t working a line, they were trying to find their way back.
Sunday we had a lovely working hack, in which Hunter’s Rest put the remaining hunting princesses to work over some fences. Kudos to HR’s student, to Cammie, and to 00Pisces for showing us how it’s done! Yours truly managed to close a couple of gates…Yippee!..and fluffed her little log jump, rolling over my saintly horse’s neck…but for once in my life, landing on my feet. Said saintly horse then took me successfully over the fence.
The best part of the weekend, honestly, was learning from HR that I’m out of shape. Out of shape I cant fix!! Anything that can be fixed with hard work is doable.
I’m so grateful to our VA friends for their warm hospitality and for inducting me into the foxhunting world.
By the way, Mr. Hinderella is just fine. A quick blast of cortisone took care of the allergic reaction. What he reacted to what is still a mystery. But I’m quite proud of my non-horsey spouse. He chatted with his ER nurse, discovered that she was an eventer relocated from NM (I’m pleased that he knows what an eventer does), he discovered she’s dying to try hunting, and he got her email to pass along the Kool-Aid !
Thanks, this is so much fun to read, and OGP gets a star for writing 2 pages. I really felt like I was riding with you.:yes:
I’m on early morning puppy duty and am playing catch up. What a terrific post, OGP! I’m so glad everyone had a good time. Not the best conditions but hey-that’s hunting. We did get some views of cottontail on Sunday.
It was great to catch up with all of you, and to meet the newcomers. Y’all were a really fun bunch of people. Please come hunting again. And again. And again…
Glad Mr. Hinderella is ok!
Many, many thanks to Hunter’s Rest for hosting a fantastic weekend again.
Very nice to see everyone I knew from previous trips, and I greatly enjoyed meeting the new riders that came out.
JSwan, so glad I got to stop in and see you and the horses, and that you were able to come out with us on Saturday. Tell Peanut to be nice to poor Atticus! 
Timely Impulse- Woody is absolutely a sweetheart, and very promising to boot. Thanks so much for letting me ride him. I think that he would really enjoy visiting me in California, so by all means feel free to ship him out for the winter. You’ll be busy with your new OTTB after all. 
Hope everyone has a lovely winter, and I look forward to meeting again in the Spring.
OGP nailed it pretty well. I had a blast. Hunter’s Rest was so encouraging. I was able to bring my own horse, Finnegan. He did very well. I was quite proud of him.
Everyone was so welcoming and helpful. I heartily recommend to anybody that has a dream of foxhunting to come to a CoTH hunting princess weekend. Lots of good food, good drinks, good stories, good videos, good scenery, good horses, good friends and good times. I am sure I missed a few goods (and really a few of those goods should be greats but that doesn’t flow as well).
I plan on going to the next hunter princess weekend.
And I learned that I should bring my tweed coat to wear to the breakfast afterward. I didn’t know that before. I learn so much every time, and not just about the hunt itself!
I was envious of all of the beautiful hats (yours was perfectly delightful, Hinderella) and the tweed coats. I don’t believe I own one…hmmm…plotting
[QUOTE=Hinderella;5962539]
And I learned that I should bring my tweed coat to wear to the breakfast afterward. I didn’t know that before. I learn so much every time, and not just about the hunt itself![/QUOTE]
I was wondering.
OGP- I think we both need to buy a nice tweed one at the Middleburg Tack Exchange during our next trip.
I definately need a better hat. The Las Vegas ballcap just doesn’t quite cut it.
Definitely Sonny’sMom…putting it on the list.
Well, I was hatless, much to my chagrin. My husband had asked me whether I wanted to pack a ballcap, but since I had stuffed my suitcase so full of everything I thought I needed but not nearly what I really needed, I decided that would have made my luggage too overpacked. What a silly thought.
Hat, tweed coat, trailer, truck…I am composing quite a shopping list
I had never put on a special hat after hunting before, I was inspired by Hunter’s Rest and her signature topper.
The best place to buy a hat is at one of the many races. Wateryglen even has a favorite hat that she “visits” regularly. I’m a sucker for hats! This is actually the first time I’ve gone to VA without buying a new hat, or anything else. I was quite pleased with myself for showing some restraint The truth of the matter is that I didn’t leave myself any time for shopping this time.
Tweed coats often turn up on eBay, try searching for “hacking” in equestrian. That’s where I’ve found mine.
I, too, have to buy a trailer. I have a dream trailer, but I have a lot of saving to do for that!
We change our coat, wipe down our boots, and take our spurs off.
It’s done to avoid dirtying the host’s home, or catching spurs on fabric or furniture.
If you don’t have a tweed you can just wear a windbreaker or whatever is clean.
I’m not brave enough to don a fashionable hat so I stick to ball caps. :lol:
Sometimes used clothing stores will have a tweedy coat you can have altered to fit if it doesn’t already.
JSwan,
thanks for clearing that up re hunt breakfast attire. I was wondering, too. It was great to meet you and Opie. Both of you looked mahhvaluuusssss.
Hinderella-nice to meet you, too. I saw a 6 horse center load Eby trailer a couple years ago that I still dream about. It was in the Dover store parking lot in Lexington across from the horse center. Mucho dinero…:eek: Sigh.
It is so rainy and nasty and windy here. I’m glad our weekend was much better weather-wise.
Wooooooooooooooo HPs Wwoooooooooooo :D:D:D
I told WG I miss her endless coffee and wood stove. :yes:
Some hunts (Hillsboro in Tennessee, where I grew up, for instance) don’t swap to tweeds (well, they didn’t when I was there 100 years ago). Other hunts (ODH, other Va. hunts) do. Any old tweed will do - not necc. your hacking jacket - a tweedy suit coat, or even a pretty cardigan just looks very nice.
Hat. For certain. : ) Mine lives in my truck for just such an occasion.
I am THRILLED to know the meaning behind the tradition. You have zero idea how happy that makes me. Or maybe you do - but regardless, thank you JSwan, for taking the moment to let us know.
Did I mention that I’m an etiquette junkie? No seriously…my book of Emily Post is well worn and though I don’t always follow it well, I love to learn about it and am attempting however futile it may be (and trust me, it’s more futile than not) to teach my boys which fork is appropo.
Actually, despite the fact that it is a personal…erm…obsession for me, I love and respect tradition and learning the meaning behind all of “the rules”. It’s one of the things that drew me to the hunter ring years ago, and one of the things that has me completely and positively magnetized to hunting.
I haven’t been to the races in several years - not since the Preakness year when Big Brown was racing…what was that, 07? 08? It’s been awhile. I did buy quite a lovely hat for that occasion but it was quite plain as my sundress was fancy enough and it required a plain hat that was easily packable and crushable. I wish I lived closer to a track. Or a hunt. Or both. Or anything horsey for that matter. But my husband just committed to 10 years with his employer. sigh We could have a long distance relationship, couldn’t we? Somehow I doubt he’d go for that.
Manydogs, did you drive up? How far was that for you?
OGP-
I did drive up-took me a little over 5 hours with a stop at McD’s for iced tea in Waynesboro and gas at the Sheetz.
I did 81/64 to Charlottesville, then 29 to Warrenton. I usually stay about 5 miles within the speed limit.
Managed NOT to stop at Crawford Saddlery either way.
:: dabs corner of eye with boa, hunkers down to read The Fox in the Cupboard and tries not to, as the kids used to say, be hatin ::
OGP, next time we’re both going, I’d be happy to swing by & pick you up. I come down from CT, taking 287 to 78 to 81. On a good trip, it’s 7 1/2 hours, other times, it’s 9. Once you’re on the road, there’s not much you can do about it
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
