I am formally hunting for the first time next weekend ( I have been out cubbing) for opening day hunt. I don’t own a stock tie, although I have an acceptable dark hunt coat, white shirt, etc. I am considering buying a faux stock tie (the type that is already “tied”) since I don’t know how to tie a stock tie and I don’t feel like fooling around with one the morning of my first hunt.
Would wearing one of these faux stock ties be in really poor taste? The hunt isn’t particularly traditional.
I did that all last season, then finally learned to tie a real one this year! I doubt anyone will look closely enough to notice the difference.
It’s a lop sided square knot. Left over right, right over left. Just fiddle with it a bit to get it to look right. You end up keeping one end straight (star with that side shorter) and doing all the work with the longer end.
Yes you could go pre-tied and no one will care, but really it isn’t terribly difficult.
What gypsymare said…it’s really not as difficult as it might seem. If you’ve ever tied a sash on a little girl’s dress you can do it.
If you had said you already owned a pre-tied, I would say to go ahead & use it. But since you’re buying one, buy the real deal. If you need help, I’m sure any number of folks at the hunt would help you out, and asking can be a good way to make a new friend 
Well, I have two answers. 1) (Gasp. Horrors.
) Over time, do learn how to tie one, it’s a pretty useful tool out hunting-- bandage, sling, heck, leash for a hound in a pinch, although baling twine should also be in your pocket, anyway, for 1001 possible uses.
I have bandaged two horses (other people’s) and one person with my stock tie in the hunt field. As someone said above it is just a basic square knot. BY a real one.
Save this to your smart phone, and tie before you leave the house
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p6XZAYO5J8
I never had much luck with the false ones actually being snug enough to not look sloppy so I do prefer the 4 folds. That said, I felt that though perhaps it has fewer uses than a “real” stock, I felt confident it could be used to tie a tourniquet or bandage tie off for a hound if none of the other riders in the field had one.
Cut an old sheet, fold, iron. Easy.
A four fold is much warmer and more useful in an emergency.
[QUOTE=Equibrit;7250500]
A four fold is much warmer and more useful in an emergency.[/QUOTE]
Living and hunting in Texas, warmer isn’t usually an asset!
Thanks for sharing this video. I viewed it several times and it doesn’t look that difficult to do. Unfortunately, videos don’t play on my Blackberry, so I will have to practice at home a few times before I head out. A friend of mine has offered to help as well.
[QUOTE=Beverley;7249858]
I saw that film and laughed my head off when I heard that rasping sound of velcro and saw him whip off that fake tie. Then again, if he needed help 50 people would have been there to offer it.
The rest of us have to fend for ourselves or hope someone will stop and help us instead of galloping off.
But I did think it was pretty funny.
For the OP; just wear what you have and buy and learn to tie a 4 fold as time goes on. It’s not hard and you may well and truly need it one day.
And when you do, a velcro one will be as useless as tits on a bull.
Stock Tie quandary
I am fairly new to the sport too! I LOVE it!!! But I was told that a fake tie was a BIG NO-NO. There are youtube videos to help out with the learning process.
If it is a good fake, how will anyone know?
lms671,
Big no no’s tend to be in the eye of the beholder. What is correct or not always depends on the MFH of the particular hunt.
Truth to tell, the faux tie looks better than a whole lot of bad ‘real’ tie efforts I’ve seen. (And note to Willesdon, indeed if whichever tie used is neat and tidy, no one will notice, they ought to be fixating on the hounds, anyway).
Correct and neat and tidy attire is for me a fun aspect of the sport. The most important part of it is the ‘neat and tidy,’ out of respect for the landowners without whom we’d have no sport and the staff that work so hard 365 days a year to provide good sport. Take the time necessary to get your attire, horse and tack as spruced up and organized as it can be, the day before the meet, and MFHs will be appreciative of your efforts, even if as a newcomer you don’t have the full and ‘completely correct’ kit.
Personally, I do wear a ‘real’ tie but I hate getting water down my neck and the real thing is nice and warm.
I’m with you Willesdon! I have short hair & hate wind/rain on my neck! When the temps drop below 50 I’m digging out the turtle necks & scarves already! When I first started I always asked for some assistance from fellow hunters who have always been supportive of the newbie! I was not aware of the video mentioned above with Mr. Poe & his fake stock tie. What’s good for the goose should be good for the gander!!! Just make sure to have fun!
Meh - a big no-no would be something like showing up wearing pasties. And nothing else. :winkgrin:
The only benefits to a proper 4 fold are warmth and its use as a bandage, sling, rein, etc. Having used one a few times for a bandage, and once as a sling, I can say that when you’re dealing with an injured horse or rider it can be a lifesaver. But lots of folks use the velcro one or the shaped one with the slit in the back.
Folks go one about the square knot; but I’ve always used a waterfall. Tie the knot, flip the ends under and over, and pin. No mussing, no having to fluff or muck about making it look good. I haven’t seen it used much in other clubs, though.
[QUOTE=JSwan;7253484]
Meh - a big no-no would be something like showing up wearing pasties. And nothing else. :winkgrin:.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for making me laugh out loud this morning JSwan!
Buy a shaped one, and personally I like an extra long one. Then, watch the videos and practice. Tying my tie is one of the first things I do, so I don’t feel rushed. I was shocked when visiting another hunt to see at least six riders who waited to do their ties until the very last thing: with dirty hands, a tacked up horse and hounds already there! I’d have an ulcer before I mounted if I did it that way! Then, practice. A lot.
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