Well, we (Longacre) had our formal hunt this past weekend. We had great weather and no injuries! We have had no rain for 40+ days, so the hounds picked up nothing after we went to live. Total of all fields and staff was 35 or so, which is good for us. How many at each of your openers?
Monster meet!
About 125 I counted at the Old Dominion Hounds/Rappahannock Hunt joint opening meet at Windsor Lodge near Flint Hill, Virginia. But when I counted a BUNCH had already gone in so…it was truly a monster meet! The hunt ball was that night and that was fun (and cold!)!!
I think (but don’t quote me) about 50 Snickersville Hounds members at Opening Meet yesterday. Fabulous day, some really great hunting, and several terrific runs. 15 couple of hounds out that day, and some brilliant voices in that pack that can really sing!!
Photos and video during the hunt (which I took from the saddle riding my endurance-pony-who-is-my-foxhunter-during-the-hunt-season so pardon the up and down and shakes!) Never easy to grab your camera and shoot or video when the field can suddenly move off at a moment’s notice! Also the GPS track which is really cool!
Son was there with his pro camera and took some gorgeous portrait shots of me and Mr. Endurance Pony (who just finished his 9th year of endurance with his AERC record now standing at 1,625 endurance ride miles) all dressed in proper hunt attire. We looked gooooood!!! 
One uploaded to my website, already - the rest will have to wait since I have our ladies pairs carriage driving club out tomorrow to our farm and have to get ready for that.
Cool, more photos! I’ll look at those in a minute. Here is the link to 381 that our members took. I must warn that many were taken with a not-so-good camera.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Sandersons77389/OpeningHuntBlessing10302010?feat=email#
We use the Garmin also but import the map into google earth. Its kind of like looking at the hunt from an airplane.
Wateryglen - I’d like to have been at that meet, 125 riders, woohoo!
gothedistance the video was great. The sound was an unexpected treat, and your camera sometimes created an impressionistic effect! I’ll have to bring a video out next time.
Be prepared, wannabe – it is tough to video while moving along! The “stillest” video I got came from resting the camera on my bent left forearm while holding it with my right. However, that meant…dropped reins! And on an endurance pony…well, <ahem> let’s just say there was a lot of suddenly jerky film left on the editing floor, including some with not-so-choice-words! :lol:
I used Windows Movie Maker to edit the video, and dubbed in natural hunt meet sound for all the titles and still shots so that there is sound flowing through the entire video. Rather like it that way, instead of overlaying the track with music.
wateryglen - would LOVE to see the photos from the RH/CH joint meet. We had a flock of photographers at our meet - here are the photos from Liz Callar
HunttoLive - there is a button on the map (on the Garmin site I linked to) that will let you change the map to a Google Earth view. Also if you click the arrowed “play” button, the little bubble points will move along the track, showing you exactly where we went.
I love this little GPS unit - it fits so neatly under my hunt jacket sleeve. No one knows I’m even carrying it. 
Yes, it was quite thrilling hearing all those hoofbeats. Sounded like the Charge of the Light Brigade (with a lot fewer casualties):winkgrin:
The territory is so beautiful; I love the mountains.
Is this the meet I saw some of you talking about on here recently? I didn’t pay much attention at the time but I had the impression it wasn’t in Virginia.
another idear!
For some opening hunt photos go to rappahannockhunt.com or bullrunhunt.com too.
Will let you know about more photos later too!
Do you mean the one involving whicker, Hunter’s Rest, bigbaytb, pleasantmeadowfarm, et al?
That was a group of COTH posters who got together and had a whole weekend thing. Went foxhunting, had dinner, went basseting, went to the races, etc.
It was a heck of a lot of fun, and it was great to put faces and screennames together too. (jawa does not actually look like a character from Star Wars):lol:
If that’s what you’re referring to - yup - it was us and the meet was in Virginia. Don’t be shy - come on out and hunt with us!
That’s the one. I would like to get over to Va. for some hunts someday. Probably not this season, tho – too much other stuff going on.
