A friend of mine and I are looking for good hunt groups in MA, NH or VT. Neither of our horses have hunted before, but both event. My horse is a super calm draft cross, very used to open country, groups and dogs and her horse, while a little on the hot side, is good in groups and used to dogs.
We’re interested in finding a hunt that is open to new members and preferably has a few meets in the spring as well as fall.
Norfolk Hunt Club is wonderful :yes:
Both my pony and I were new to hunting two seasons ago, and had an absolute BLAST riding with Norfolk. Excellent, knowledgeable staff. Martha Drum, the associate master, would be the one to get in contact with - she used to be/still is the Newcomers coordinator.
They have both a spring and fall season; spring season begins around the beginning of April I believe. In addition to spring and fall season though, Martha Drum has organized “Intro to Hunting” clinics for both the seasoned riders and non, along with the other knowledgeable Master who gave clinics about how to ride hunt fences and fix the troublesome mount (using mine as an example :lol:). These clinics were offered during the summer last year, and I would assume would be around the same time this year.
EDIT: Norfolk is a Drag Hunt - kind of important to mention, no? Heh.
Usually run about 1.5 - 2 hr hunts, some of the “nicer” (they are all nice properties, but Westport for example) can run a big longer. Hilltoppers, Flats, Pick&Choose and Jumpers.
www.norfolkhunt.com
Martha.Drum@norfolkhunt.com
(Dover/Sherborn, MA)
You can also look at Old North Bridge Hounds (http://www.onbh.org/). I have not hunted with them, but my husband was a member 10 or 12 years ago when he lived in VT, and said they are a great group of people. Oh, they are a drag hunt.
Thanks! I’m going to write to both of them for information.
We’re kind of hoping that my other friend, who injured herself but should be in the saddle again soon will be recuperated enough to come with us because her horse has tons of experience (i.e: hunted in England for 3-4 seasons) and is the uber-calm babysitter type. But in case that won’t go through (injury quite serious) we’re just looking for fun hunts that will take care of us even if we don’t bring our own mobile day-care unit.
Are those different types of hunts?
Try Tanheath Hunt Club!! Bullet on this site is the MFH and the hunt is very friendly and welcoming to newcomers. Tanheath is out of pomfret, CT but most of their fixtures are in MA, a few in RI and CT. I did their intro to foxhunting clinic and 2 hunts so far. It is a live hunt which is really cool, not many left around here!! They hunt year round too!!
The members are all very friendly, laid back and welcoming. You won’t be disapointed. They have 1st flight and hilltoppers. The staff that leads hilltoppers has always been SUPER supportive of us newbies and very attentive to any issues we may be having. I might also add it is a very working adult friendly hunt; the capping fees are very reasonable in comparison to some of the other hunts in the area.
No just different “fields” or options within the hunt usually. Tanheath just has 1st flight and hilltoppers but ALL riders have the option to go around the jumps. Some hilltoppers jump, some don’t and not all 1st flight riders take ALL the jumps.
Here’s their site:
I’m a Massachusetts resident and I strongly “second” the opinion about Tanheath being a great option especially for newcomers. While I haven’t hunted with them for years, I know many people that still do and throughout a long expanse of time, the consensus is always the same, the people are great, they’re very helpful to the newcomers, etc.!
The Guilford Hounds are a drag hunt (in MA, NH and VT) and an extremely lovely bunch of folks. :yes: MFH Greg posts on here and will likely chime in…
[QUOTE=littlebarnbaby;3014420]
Are those different types of hunts?[/QUOTE]
No, those are the sections of the “field”. For Norfolk at least, Hilltoppers keep to a walk/trot/slow canter and have a field lead, and consists mainly of those new to hunting or those who prefer a slower pace.
The ‘flatters’ keep up with the pace of the Jumpers and Pick&Choose, but just go around the fences, or take alternate routes when certain fences don’t have gaps nearby.
Pick&Choosers go ahead of the flat and behind the jumpers, and may take or go around any fences that the hunt goes over. Great option for those who are just getting their horse comfortable in the field, or who aren’t comfortable taking every giant 4’ coop :winkgrin:
Jumpers, or first flight, take every fence available to the hunt.
^ This is just how it is with Norfolk, I’m not sure about other drag hunts.
Vermont Hunt
I am a member of the Green Mountain Hounds in Vermont. We are a drag hunt with kennels located in Charlotte, Vt. We hunt about eight different territories within an hour’s drive of Charlotte. We started spring hunting just last season and have plans to do the same in 2008. We had our hounds out 40+ hunts last season and we also have trail rides, and plan to hold three hunter paces in 2008. We are always interested in welcoming cappers and new members so please feel free to check us out at www.greenmountainhounds.com.
Hope you’ll join us!
Thanks for the info!
A couple other newbie questions:
Thanks again for putting up with an ignorant beginner.
It would be best to check with the hunt secretary to get a feel for the length of time you might be out with the hunt you are choosing to visit. Most spring hunting and/or cubbing season hunts will be shorter than the hunt’s formal season in the fall. Ride time may vary depending on the size of territory being hunted, mid week vs weekend, scenting conditions, and weather that day. The Huntsman will make the call when it’s time to load up the hounds, but the hunt secretary can give you an idea of what is typical for that time of year and that particular hunt.
I ride with a drag pack and I can tell you it can get pretty fast in our open farm country. A live hunt is more unpredictable and the runs can be both fast and long. Drag hunts are ment to simulate live hunting but they have the advantage of no blank days (a day when no fox or coyote is located) and the length and location of runs are dictated by the two footed fox.
Again, the hunt secretary can help. I’ve always be able to find stabling locations when joining other hunts through the MFH or the hunt’s secretary. They will be glad to give you names and numbers of barns located near the hunt day’s fixture.
Fitness level should never be overlooked. It’s good that you are thinking ahead. It may depend on the field you choose to ride with at that days hunt. Most hunts have at least two flights. The first flight will require a good deal of fitness as they are expected to keep up with the hounds. Some hunts offer a second flight that might be a little less physical as jumping would be optional. If they have a third, hilltopper, group they will likely not be doing any jumping and will ride at a much slower pace. Our hunt offers only two fields and the second flight is actually more like a hilltopper flight as our second flight’s field master usually requests that her field refrain from jumping. The pace is mostly walk, trot, with some canter but no real flat out gallops like you’d experiance in the first field.
thanks! I have looked the hunts posted and they look fab! The hunt pictures posted are beautiful!
Would it be ok if I PMed the hunt suggester of the one we choose to go on? We probably won’t know for sure until the hunts have their spring schedules ready, but it would be nice to have a direct contact that we could ask hunt-specific questions closer to the time. I’ve been reading some of the etiquette threads on this forum and some of the little dress details and field ordering boggle my eventer-mind.
If you choose to go with Norfolk, feel free to PM me. If there are any questions I can’t answer, or would be better answered by someone else, I can (hopefully) steer you in the right, knowledgeable direction.
Best of luck, and happy hunting!
You are welcome to PM me regarding the Green Mountian Hounds
Tanheath Hunt is still hunting now and we expect to go out on Sundays through March 30. We have a hilltopping group for those who are just beginning or want to hunt at a slower pace. Our hunts range from 2 - 4 hours long, depending on the scenting conditions and how the fox or coyote is running.
Let me know if you want to be added to our email list about hunting.
hi!
feel free to PM me about Old North Bridge Hounds. We are happy to have guests and new members. We also have hilltoppers, which is recommended for your first time out, just to see whats involved. Our spring hunts are short at first, just over an hour, to accomodate those who cant work their horses over the winter as much as they would like. The fixture card will be out soon, our first hunt should be April 19.
We should be able to find overnight stabling for you.
there is also Wentworth hunt in NH
http://www.wentworthhunt.org/
and Myopia hunt in Hamilton, Ma
http://www.myopiahuntclub.org/
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