(I’m sorry for the long run-on paragraph- did COTH change their format again? I seem to have lost my “enter” key… will try to space paragraphs out). I’ve volunteered to start a quarterly newsletter for our hunt. We really want to increase awareness of foxhunting in Southern California and build our membership, so I’m seeking ideas of articles that would appeal not just to foxhunters, but other riders and even the general public. We’d have the usual announcements of upcoming events (Hunt Ball, Puppy Auctions, etc), Hunt reports of our big hunts (Opening, Closing, any special away hunts) and perhaps a classified/ advertisement section, and hunt-related articles such as a very brief primer on field etiquette, how to introduce a horse (or yourself) to hunting, a “glossary” of unique hunting terms (ie stern = “tail”, etc). What are some ideas that would keep the non-foxhunter reading, and perhaps even think about coming out to try it? Horse “profiles”? We have a horse in our hunt who is a dressage horse during the week and hunts 2nd field on the weekends. Love it! I was also thinking about a cross-over article on field-dog trials that I could work with a local field-dog club with. Hunting in other countries? (Ireland is a given, but places like S. Africa, New Zealand, etc). Other suggestions? THANKS! (and boy is not having a return key annoying :D)
I complained about the return key biz on the technical problems forum/whatever, and Simkie says it’s Explorer 10. some how I got upgraded (pfffft). If you mouse over to the A/A on the far left and switch over from WYSIWYG your paragraphs will come back. Other things will get weird instead, like repeats and bracketing.
Anyway, Camargo Hunt has a pretty nice website, there is a password protected section so I guess no gate crashers at fixtures. They have their Hunter pace and fantastic potluck BBQ in the Spring, my friend rode and we spectated, they make a special point that the lower divisions are suitable for Western riders and they are welcome, then they host trail rides at various locations over the year and that’s on a calendar. In the Fall they have a Hunter clinic and I’ve been told that’s very good, it’s actual practice of field conditions so it’s XC jumping in a crowd but under controlled conditions, a really good idea I think. http://camargohunt.org/
If you would like info on hunting in New Zealand, I’m happy to help =) Partner is a huntsman here.
I like the idea of horse profiles. I think most people who’d like to try hunting are wondering how their horse would like it, if they’d have to get a horse just for hunting, etc.
Fitness is always a good topic with many directions.
Fitness of rider (exactly how many squats and kettle bell swings should we do to prepare for 1st flight?)
Fitness of horse during the off season and one I struggle with is, feeding the fit horse and how do you keep weight on a rangy, young, very fit TB in February?
I think a good website that provides easy access to information, event calendars, etc. is much more interesting than newsletter. Hunt reports are good and the more you do the better. It’s an easy way to keep people coming back to the site especially if you avoid the overly stilted typical hunt jargon.
View your website from the perspective of someone who wants to hunt and is looking for information on how to do so. don’t make them search for information.
Happy to help
[QUOTE=hey101;6988803]
(I’m sorry for the long run-on paragraph- did COTH change their format again? I seem to have lost my “enter” key… will try to space paragraphs out). I’ve volunteered to start a quarterly newsletter for our hunt. We really want to increase awareness of foxhunting in Southern California and build our membership, so I’m seeking ideas of articles that would appeal not just to foxhunters, but other riders and even the general public. We’d have the usual announcements of upcoming events (Hunt Ball, Puppy Auctions, etc), Hunt reports of our big hunts (Opening, Closing, any special away hunts) and perhaps a classified/ advertisement section, and hunt-related articles such as a very brief primer on field etiquette, how to introduce a horse (or yourself) to hunting, a “glossary” of unique hunting terms (ie stern = “tail”, etc). What are some ideas that would keep the non-foxhunter reading, and perhaps even think about coming out to try it? Horse “profiles”? We have a horse in our hunt who is a dressage horse during the week and hunts 2nd field on the weekends. Love it! I was also thinking about a cross-over article on field-dog trials that I could work with a local field-dog club with. Hunting in other countries? (Ireland is a given, but places like S. Africa, New Zealand, etc). Other suggestions? THANKS! (and boy is not having a return key annoying :D)[/QUOTE]
Are you an MFHA member? If so, you can reprint (with permission) articles in Covertside and ecovertside. PM me and I’ll tell you what you need to know!
hmm, along the theme of interesting to non-hunters, I’d say exercises that any horse person could do like riding with a group in a line, and the last person speeds up and passes all the others to take the lead, and so forth down the group (great practice for manners and rideability in horses and control in humans) or how-to tips for getting the hard loader on the trailer would appeal to many. Also basic farm tips like how to build a mock-ditch or a basic coup, or farm tips on a budget (put a water bucket in the center of an old tire if your horses kick it over in the field) things like that. I think crossing with the working dog groups is a great idea, maybe a run down of common hounds in your neighbourhood? Articles on training tips for house dogs from the working dog experts? Or reviews on products like tracking collars or GPS handhelds that horse/dog owners might be interested in for hiking, trailriding or gun hunting purposes? A featured recipe favourite from hunt breakfasts would be fun. I think diversity would probably be key in appealing to many. Maybe feature local hot spots, like country diners or fishing holes that are hard to find? Feature any businesses that are also landowners and you’ll get bonus points there too.
Sounds like a fun idea, can you link us to a copy when its ready? Have you decided on a distribution medium yet?
Horse profiles a good idea: not just dressage but all other disciplines. Demonstrate how hunting can train/revive/encourage any horse in any discipline. Get that show horse out of the arena, the eventer learning about jumping going forward etc etc. We all know the good stuff but non-hunters probably don’t!
Thank you all for the great ideas! I will post back here with my first issue. I’m thinking of Facebook, our hunt website of course, I will link it here in my signature, and I was even considering printing paper issues to pin up at local barns & tack shops. Anything to spread the word 
If you decide to do email you should look into MailChimp, it offers basic platforms and makes it easy to dress content up into something very appealing. If you’re going to do online just be aware that facebook currently won’t let you upload PDFs, you have to upload image files, so consider a PDF conversion to jpeg or similar so that you can avoid a third party file host. If you can host a pdf on your website though that would be the best bet, no question.
