Hunt near State College, PA?

[OneGrayPony]

I’ve scoured the internet.

I’ve read the COTH hunt listing (didn’t discover until nearly the end that there was one that listed the hunts by state so went through every…single…page)

I’ve looked at the MFHA interactive map and the closest hunt that I can find is 2 hours away from me and while that doesn’t seem impossible, it does lessen the chances of me being able to participate a ton.

Am I just being a baby? Is 2 hours perfectly acceptable?

Does anyone know of one closer? I think Beaufort near Dillsburg is the one that is the closest to date.

Many thanks in advance!

[Hinderella]

I don’t have any answers, but I see that someone has been bitten by the hunting bug!

[OneGrayPony]

Oh you have no idea, Hinderella. I’ve been checking the photographer’s website obsessively (she has the folder up from the hunt but it is EMP-TY…AUGH, the torture!! But her other photos are positively magnificent and I’ve really enjoyed looking through them). I’ve been reading everything I can get my hands on.

After all, I have to put the buttons to good use

[jawa]

I would say that 2 hours is doable, but not ideal. I have done day trips out of these hunts, but if they hunt more than 3 hours and have a “breakfast” after…You are talking about ONE LONG day. I do this one to two times a season. It helps if you have someone to go with you…doing it alone is hard.

My main hunt is just over an hour away from me. If we hunt at 10am this is my general schedule.

Wake up 6:30
Leave for barn 7:00
Feed horse, tack up/pack up trailer
Leave barn 8:00
Arrive at hunt 9:10 ish
Hunt 10:00
Come in from hunting 12-1:00 ish
Breakfast 1-2 ish
Arrive at barn 3-4:00
Feed and clean up horse and unpack trailer
Leave for home by 5:00

If you add an extra hour on either end you have a really LONG day. Can some parts of the day be trimmed down…(arrive less early, leave earlier) Yes they can, but for me if I arrive later, I usually flub something up or am a nervous wreck and I love the socializing afterwards, so if I leave early I feel I have not experienced the best of the day.

I hope you get to go some more this season and that you find something closer to home!

[rivenoak]

Anybody know of any farmer packs around there?

That would make for a long day.

Any chance of making friend with someone you/horse could stay with the night before? Or any hunt members renting stalls/running a B&B?

Our closest beagling fixture is 35 miles from my barn. Most are closer to 50 miles. And I have to pass my house on the way back and I just want.to.go.home.

To hunt with the foxhounds, is worse drive-wise: 3 hours to get to Flagstaff and then up to 2 more hours to get to a fixture. I very rarely do it & only when a bunch of us trailer-pool & can stay together at someone’s summer place.

Everything is packed the night before & unpacked the next day. Well, except the horse! She goes in at the last minute, comes off first thing.

Same for if I’m hitching a ride with someone; everything is all ready to be slung into their trailer as soon as they pull into the barnyard. I have carryalls that remain loaded for the hunt season so I’m not trying to pull together gear/apparel. One is a garment bag and one is a gear bag. Then it’s just the saddle and the potluck dish.

To make these days reasonable, I find planning ahead and minimizing things that can go wrong helps.

I do not fuss with the horse upon arriving at the barn. Blankets off, into the roundpen for a roll in the sand, then reblanketed and put away to eat/snooze/do what she likes. I do not fuss with cleaning equipment or anything else; that can wait for the next day. I want to go home and have a nap before dinner.

The day after, I turn her out to work out any kinks & at that time will clean the trailer, tack, whatnot.

I do enjoy the drives as time to anticipate and then to reflect on the day’s sport.

[SonnysMom]

Horse of Delaware Valley has a listing of hunts.
http://www.horsedelval.com/Dec%20’11%20calendar.pdf
I don’t know the area up by State College well enough to know if any of these are local to you.

I wonder if you call the one closest to you that you can find and see if they know of any farmers/non-recognized closer to you.
Check with your local tack stores or event trainers. They may know of one.

[OneGrayPony]

Unfortunately eventing isn’t big here either. There are show hunters and quarter horses and that’s IT. laughing I was surprised when I moved back here that the schooling shows often don’t even offer jumper classes.

Most of those on the delval site are between 3-4 hours from me.

ARRRRGHHHHH! <insert frustrated bellow of anguish here>

I’ll head out to the two tack stores that we have within a reasonable distance (other than tractor supply) and see if anyone knows anything. I also found a sporting dog store to call (I’d guess that a kennel requires equipment) but it appears that they mostly cater to gun dogs.

I’m really surprised that there isn’t more up here and in Northern PA. It appears to be a big dead spot for clubs. Wonder why that is?

[Riding_is_fundamental]

I’m in NEPA, and came from Montgomery county. Dead spot is accurate! I’ve never hunted but would love to try on a tried and true horse (NOT my mare)- going to check out Hunters Rest where you went- it is in VA correct?

Birchtown winter series has some jumpers at the end of the day- one class per height between 2’3" and 3’6" and run more in hunter style than jumper style- but better than nothing.

I’m riding a green bean so any show is fine for us at this point- we need distractions, new things to see and jump, my memory to get back to where it was as a kid when it didnt take me all day to memorize a course. But if you hear of any hunts or similar fun things within a reasonable distance please share.

[whicker]

You might try calling the MFHA office, (Millwood, Va) and asking for help locating a hunt. Ask about farmer’s packs or other groups in the process of becoming recognized. They may be more enthusiastic if you tell them you have capped with ODH and the coth hunts.

[OneGrayPony]

Thanks whicker! I so wish I lived closer!!! I will try to call the MFHA tomorrow during daylight hours…today completely got away from me.

Riding is fundamental, I was so excited to see your post and then sad that you were in the same boat as I. laughing let’s figure this one out together.

Hunter’s Rest IS in Virginia you are correct and I highly highly highly hugely recommend talking to Betsy and getting you out on one of her horses. It’s not only a delightful experience, but it has helped me think about what my guy will need (and Betsy also will readily advise) to succeed.

Surely there HAS to be something close by…surely!

[whicker]

PleasantMeadow can help you

NePa may be closer than you think to Amwell Valley Hunt in N.J. It is a VERY friendly and newbie oriented group. PleasantMeadow was my first coth protege. Check out The Original Hunter Princess thread, “Dressage Horse Gone Wild” for a great fun read. She is now mentoring her own newbies at Amwell Valley. Give her a p.m. and mention me…

AVH is having their Hunt Ball weekend this weekend. It is worth the drive from Va for it. Actually, Mason, my gallant son, is flying in from the other coast in time to squire a lovely lady to her first hunt non-stop soiree. Nothing like total immersion!:winkgrin:

[clue1005]

I hunted with Amwell Valley when I was in college and still living in NJ. Like whicker said, they are very friendly. I would take the babies to Amwell rather than Essex since they were more understanding:) Now I’m in NEPA (just north of Scranton) with nothing close to me. Maybe once my babies (2-legged and 4-legged) are a little bit older, I’ll take a trip back to Amwell.

[oldpony66]

Sorry I have no good news for you, OneGrayPony, but just wanted to say HI since I am in your area. I love it here because I’m a trail rider and there are tons of trails, but my daughter events so I completely feel for you on the distance thing. The closest unrecognized event for us is 2 1/2 hours away.

With that said, I know there are some hunts out in the Pittsburgh area. I don’t hunt so I have never looked into them, I don’t know how active they are. My computer is being strange right now but look up Northeast Ohio Mini Trial Association. A COTHer told me about it and I’m pretty sure I saw some of the host farms had hunts. Or I could be hallucinating.

[copper1]

Rolling Rock Hunt in Ligonier is about a 2 hour drive from State College and actually 4 lane almost the entire way. You could perhaps find someone who could keep your horse overnight so your hunting morning would’nt be quite so early! Sewickly Hunt is just outside of Pittsburgh but slightly more difficult to get to.

[oldpony66]

Yes, Copper1, that’s one of the ones I was thinking of! We went to Rolling Rock this summer, it was a very easy drive there.

[lily04]

There is a small hunt near Harrisburg, I think it is called Bow Creek but not sure. I run into the huntsman every once in a while and will try to get more info.

[OneGrayPony]

Thank you all! Harrisburg is definitely within range. Of course, it’s not as nice as having the fixtures 20 minutes from your home (JSwan) but definitely more doable. Still would make for a long day, but that’s survivable.

Meant to tell you oldpony66 (and realized I didn’t say “Hi!!!” - where are you boarding at? maybe we’ll meet or run into each other), that that was why I quit eventing when I was a teen. I moved back to SC and the only barns here were hunter barns and trail barns. So I became a hunter. Actually I still love showing hunters and I hate dressage with a passion (always have…sigh and before anyone lectures me I KNOW how useful it is on a horse, and I love to ride well trained dressage horses, but I find the endless quest to perfect a circle to be mind-numbingly boring…I also hate the feeling of micromanaging a horse, perhaps because I’ve always ridden hot horses and greenies who preferred to not be micromanaged thankyouverymuch)

At any rate (man I do babble, don’t I?) I appreciate all of the suggestions and lily04 if you can find that info it would be grand. I would love to be able to help out/car follow this winter as I know that my horse is not prepped adequately yet, but I’d like to get engaged in helping a hunt regularly (and then hopefully hunting my own guy!!)

[pleasantmeadowfarm]

Just a suggestion…

OneGrayPony, I would love to have you out with us (Amwell Valley) one of these days! I don’t know where your keep your horse, but here’s a thought for you…

One of our members lives quite a distance away from our territory, and once she decided that AVH was her hunt of choice, she moved her horse strategically 1/2 way between hunt and home! Of course, you’d have to cap a number of times before committing to join and if so, it might make sense to have your horse 1/2 way there! Once bitten by the bug it’s amazing the hoops one will jump through. I’ve seen it first hand. Let me tell you… that particular member, never misses a meet and is almost always one of the first to arrive, with a smile on her face! At least this way, your saving your mount two hours of trailer time…

[OneGrayPony]

I would be honored to hunt with you at Amwell, pleasantmeadow! I’m not sure my horse is 100% up to it just yet (I am planning to try to send him to Hunter’s Rest sometime soon to help us both get whipped into shape). But thank you so much for the suggestion and the invitation!