The first time I hunted was at age 55. Only got to go the one time to an opening meet. We had a terrible season of extreme conditions(lots of snow and rain), making for extremely muddy conditions and lots of meets were canceled. In the spring my mare came up lame and was out of commission for about 8 months. Just got her going well and I got hurt. Recuperation for me has been an ongoing thing since last summer. I hope to get out this season, as my leg is getting better. I have been working with a personal trainer to improve core strength and increase cardio fitness. I hope to get out a few times this season.
Oooooh, the perfect “second horse” argument…
Honey, I really need this yearling… I"ll be old, Trooper will be old, I’ll need a younger, but not too young horse in about 10 years, he’ll be perfect then!
And I was thinking of trying to breed just one baby before I’m too old to start another…
Hmmmnnn, maybe a nice Cleveland Bay mare, … or a Connemara…
I’ll be daydreaming all day now.
2ndyrgal-go with a Clevie! They are known to be great field hunters!
I was just diagnosed with a slight touch of walking pneumonia and the Hunter’s Rest/Hunting Princess weekend is nigh! However, I AM on the mend but my thought was-they can duct tape me into the saddle and superglue the reins to my hands-nothing will stop meeeeeeeee!
PS-I’ll be 58 on Saturday.
My pony is about 9-10, and I’m 50. Since ponies tend to last a long time, my plan is for her to be my last horse…but I might need one more 
[QUOTE=Hinderella;6541216]
My pony is about 9-10, and I’m 50. Since ponies tend to last a long time, my plan is for her to be my last horse…but I might need one more ;)[/QUOTE]
I’m 55 and my boy is 7. If all goes well I will need another horse. (Although I may be reduced to tolting on an icelandic by then!:lol:)
I started riding at age 50. Started hunting at age 55. I’m in my 8th season now and cannot even think about my life without foxhunting!
My big QH is now 18 and he and I do need a little extra maintaince now and then. But we’re going strong!
[QUOTE=Beverley;6510858]
Well, I just celebrated my diamond jubilee:) and have no plans to quit hunting or riding. Admittedly I hunt far less now due to living in Utah, but hey, it’s like riding a bicycle. When last I hunted in Virginia, September 2010, went for a day of cubhunting on a borrowed horse, ended up whipping in, popped a coop or two for the first time in a while, no worries.
But, I suppose I should add, I’m crazy.
The two ‘made’ hunters that moved to Utah with me are sadly long gone, but my now 9 YO appendix has hunted 20 or so times out west here. No, he doesn’t jump, or I haven’t schooled him to jump- his front end is ugly enough that it just wouldn’t hold up to the pounding- but for the occasional hunting foray, he has no trouble popping over sagebrush or ditches, and in paneled country (rare out here) there are ways to get around. And I will add, as I age, no worries with him, he isn’t a dead head but would safely pack pretty much anybody in our very rugged Rocky Mountain terrain.
My little 7 yo mare, just over 14h, has not hunted yet but is a lovely little jumper given the limited schooling she’s had, not more than 2’6" but she Just Doesn’t Care. So when the 16h gelding looks too tall, I have my little ol’ lady’s horse lined up. So I think I’m good to go, for a while.
Keeping both fit and riding fit is important. I should do better. But I do ride at least 3-4 days a week (more in summer, less in winter) and the terrain I routinely negotiate on trail rides is pretty darned trappy, so neither I nor horses get out of practice.
But just now my only problems are, distance to meets makes hunting not very often (6 hours minimum, one way), and, well, my hunting clothes are given to shrinking in the closet owing to lack of use. Very evil, that process.
So here is my long term plan, and I freely admit I plagiarize (with some tweaks) from an FOL post years ago:
I picture myself, somewhere between 98 and 108, galloping along in Piedmont’s Friday country on a nice thoroughbred, hounds in full cry and you could throw a blanket over them, about 5 miles into the run, having galloped a half dozen stone walls out of stride, and suddenly complete and total cardiac arrest, and I fall to the ground, deader than a doornail.
Sadly, my boyfriend will be so horribly upset, he’ll just have to drop out of college for the remainder of the semester to recover.[/QUOTE]
Brilliant!!
[QUOTE=Beverley;6510858]
Well, I just celebrated my diamond jubilee:) and have no plans to quit hunting or riding. Admittedly I hunt far less now due to living in Utah, but hey, it’s like riding a bicycle. When last I hunted in Virginia, September 2010, went for a day of cubhunting on a borrowed horse, ended up whipping in, popped a coop or two for the first time in a while, no worries.
But, I suppose I should add, I’m crazy.
The two ‘made’ hunters that moved to Utah with me are sadly long gone, but my now 9 YO appendix has hunted 20 or so times out west here. No, he doesn’t jump, or I haven’t schooled him to jump- his front end is ugly enough that it just wouldn’t hold up to the pounding- but for the occasional hunting foray, he has no trouble popping over sagebrush or ditches, and in paneled country (rare out here) there are ways to get around. And I will add, as I age, no worries with him, he isn’t a dead head but would safely pack pretty much anybody in our very rugged Rocky Mountain terrain.
My little 7 yo mare, just over 14h, has not hunted yet but is a lovely little jumper given the limited schooling she’s had, not more than 2’6" but she Just Doesn’t Care. So when the 16h gelding looks too tall, I have my little ol’ lady’s horse lined up. So I think I’m good to go, for a while.
Keeping both fit and riding fit is important. I should do better. But I do ride at least 3-4 days a week (more in summer, less in winter) and the terrain I routinely negotiate on trail rides is pretty darned trappy, so neither I nor horses get out of practice.
But just now my only problems are, distance to meets makes hunting not very often (6 hours minimum, one way), and, well, my hunting clothes are given to shrinking in the closet owing to lack of use. Very evil, that process.
So here is my long term plan, and I freely admit I plagiarize (with some tweaks) from an FOL post years ago:
I picture myself, somewhere between 98 and 108, galloping along in Piedmont’s Friday country on a nice thoroughbred, hounds in full cry and you could throw a blanket over them, about 5 miles into the run, having galloped a half dozen stone walls out of stride, and suddenly complete and total cardiac arrest, and I fall to the ground, deader than a doornail.
Sadly, my boyfriend will be so horribly upset, he’ll just have to drop out of college for the remainder of the semester to recover.[/QUOTE]
You will be sending me a new computer screen this week!!!:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: But seriously only 1 boyfriend???
I had never seen the original post, so this was a glorious ride so to speak. Thanks!
[QUOTE=Beverley;6510858]
I picture myself, somewhere between 98 and 108, galloping along in Piedmont’s Friday country on a nice thoroughbred, hounds in full cry and you could throw a blanket over them, about 5 miles into the run, having galloped a half dozen stone walls out of stride, and suddenly complete and total cardiac arrest, and I fall to the ground, deader than a doornail.
Sadly, my boyfriend will be so horribly upset, he’ll just have to drop out of college for the remainder of the semester to recover.[/QUOTE]
I do so love this…woman after my own heart…
[QUOTE=Ponyclubrocks;6549448]
I do so love this…woman after my own heart…[/QUOTE]
I keep telling DH he had better take care of himself, cause if he doesn’t I’ve already written my personal: Wealthy widow seeks boy toy!:winkgrin:
Now c’mon, ya’ll, you’ll have to juggle at least 3-farrier, groom, and vet. Oh, wait, handyman, building contractor, mechanic, chef, masseuse, hay guy…
(Beverley – You’ve been west of the Mississippi too long – it’s the Piedmont Thursday country.)
!!!
Minor detail, you knew what I meant! At least so long as what used to be the Friday country is now the Thursday country!
Thursday country = Mellon’s/South of Fifty, etc. The real Piedmont. : )
Mellon’s and south of 50 country…
Swoon
Well, yes, there you go, that’s what I know as ‘Friday’ country.
On Thursdays I tended to be an ODH visitor! Unless it was Blue Ridge…
It used to be you could hunt ‘somewhere’ in that neighborhood every day of the week…I suppose I should catch up on schedules these days for my eventual retirement week of hunting in say 2014. I think Bull Run switched from Wednesday to Thursday, for example.
