I will finally be going on my first hunt this saturday and I am so excited! But I am becoming increasingly nervous! My friend who is an experienced hunter is giving me use of her seasoned mare and I feel very good that I’ll be on a mount that knows what’s going on! She has been wonderful explaining everything to me, and I even went with her last week and rode along in the truck to watch. We will ride the second flight (thank goodness) and I have all my clothing and tack clean and ready. I have had horses and ridden my entire life (I’m 37 now) but put the horses on the back burner while having/raising my children. Now that the kids are old enough that I can spend more time riding, I find I am much more fearful than when I was younger.
I think maybe I’m afraid I’ll get hurt, and I’m not fond of thought of being on the back of a terrified bolting horse (been there, done that…no thanks). So my question is, am I biting off more than I can chew trying to overcome my new fears by diving right in and just doing it? I’m very confident in my abilities and skills riding, and I know if faced with a situation I will react and be able to handle it, I just don’t know where this fear came from! Some tell me to work daily at it (which I try to do) some say just get out there and do it and after a few minutes I’ll settle down and be right back to my old self. We have been doing trail riding lately, and it has helped alot, I do calm down after 15 min’s or so. I want to hunt so badly, I’m dreaming about it nightly! Last night I dreamt I got to the hunt and realized I had forgotten my hard hat! Any advise would be greatly appreciated. I’m sick and tired of being nervous and fearful!!!:eek:
I’m right there with ya! I think a lot of us, as we age, and when we have kids, some instinctive fears step in.
But seriously - once you’re up on that horse and the hounds start singing, your fear will turn to adrenaline and you’ll have a blast.
What would you tell your kids if they really wanted to do something but were a little afraid of jumping right in? Just do it and you’ll have fun, right?
Treat yourself the same way you’d treat your kids - you’d want them to squeeze every drop of joy out of life that they can, right? Give yourself permission to do the same.
Aw heck. Don’t be nervous.
First of all, you’ll be on an experienced horse.
Second, you’ll be with an experienced foxhunter to guide you.
Third, you’ll be hilltopping.
This is what I like to call, “The Right Way”.
Don’t tell anyone you’re nervous or anxious, just follow the lead of the member you’re riding with. Stay to the back of the hilltoppers unless you’re invited to ride ahead. Smile. Remain quiet/silent, especially at checks.
Everyone is going to want to see you succeed. Just keep a safe distance from the horse in front of you. Smile, breathe, and relax relax relax.
The only thing you’re going to be upset about is how quickly the day is over and the pack is headed home. You’ll become hooked - and in no time you’ll know the names and breeding of every hound, count the days until it’s time to start legging up - and soon be able to manage galloping and screwing the top on your flask at the same time.
You’ll be fine!
When I was a kid, one of my evil riding instructors made me memorize this little ditty:
“Your head and your heart keep up.
Your hands and your heels keep down.
Your knees keep close to your horse’s sides;
And your elbows close to your own.”
Just follow the instructions and you’ll come back on your horse with a huge grin on your face!
I hope you have a blast, like everyone says. After being basically horseless for ten years, I now own two mares that I’ll be riding this Spring. They are about as green as I am “creaky”. I’ve mulled over in my mind what discipline I want to do (rode hunt seat way back when) and it always comes back to hunting-specifically hill topping. But down here in SW VA I don’t think there are too many hunts around h’yar.
So, go for it, and ride for all of us that will be hunting with you mentally! :winkgrin:
Ditto JSwan’s comments- experienced horse, experienced friend. You’ll be in good hands.
Only advice would be to take a Tylenol PM the night before so you get a little sleep and can hit the ground running & rested on Hunt Day. 
After not hunting for 6 or 7 years I took my mare out roading last August to test the idea of hunting her. On the first drive over I had butterflies in my stomach based on “will she be cool with this?”. After a successful first roading all the other butterflies were based on my excitement to be back out. I laughed at myself, at my age, getting butterflys over doing something w/ my horse and realized just exactly how lucky I am.
I hope your hunt is fabulous and that you’ll report back to us how it went!
You guys are awesome!
Thank you all soooo much! It’s so good to hear how much fun it’s going to be! I feel like a kid getting the butterflies each time I think of it! Thanks so much for being so supportive! I’m really enjoying this site! I know deep down I’ll be ok, my friend is so motivated to inform and take care of me so my first experience is positive. I’m so greatful to be taking her mare, she’s taken more than one greenie on her the first hunt, and I know she’ll take good care of me. The other members were wonderful to me last week and seemed so excited to introduce me to this wonderful exciting sport. I haven’t even started yet and I’m already hooked! This is the last hunt of the season, now I have all summer to dream about getting back out there! Thanks again, I really feel much more confident already!
I like the tylenol PM idea! Last week I couldn’t sleep due to excitement and I wasn’t even riding! It will probably keep me relaxed the morning of too! Thanks!
Since this is Closing Meet, you’ll have plenty of time to read up on hunting over the summer.
Try - Foxhunting in North America by Alexander Mackay-Smith
And Riding to Hounds in North American by William Wadsworth (I think that’s the title)
Two very good primers.
If you feel you could use help with your xc skills, spring and summer is the time to address that. Maybe doing hunt trail rides, or judged pleasure rides, may help. Or maybe some clinics with an event rider, that sort of thing. Don’t wait until cubbing starts to say to yourself - geez - I guess I should get some help with being nervous or fearful. Too late!
I can’t wait to read your hunt report.
Thanks everyone, and thanks J Swan, for the lovely saying from your evil instructor, to the book suggestions for this summer! I will post saturday evening and share how it went! And I will gladly take all your stories and words of encouragement with me! Take a few deep breaths for me saturday morning, cuz I’m famous for holding my breath!!! And thank you all again, I feel so much better having heard all of your stories, advise and encouragement!
I just completed my first season of hunting, and I’m totally hooked. IOW, I drank the Koolaid big time!
Your fears are ones that I have, too. Foxhunting is different from other situations, and an experienced hunt horse is worth it’s weight in gold. The best advice I can give you is this, “Stay in the middle of the movement.” If the horse goes north, south, east, west, or any combination of those, just stay in the middle of it.
Many times out hunting they will scramble, or frog jump something, or swerve suddenly at a canter or gallop to avoid stepping on a rock, etc. It’s not like riding in an arena, that’s for sure! But keep in the middle of that movement; don’t worry if your legs and arms aren’t Equitation Class perfect; just keep your core centered.
I’ve learned you can lose a stirrup at a canter, pick it back up and keep going. And that you can duck to avoid low branches at a canter, and hang of the side of your horse’s neck like an Indian, and still survive.
It will make you a better rider and give you confidence. Trust your horse; mine has turned out to be MUCH smarter than I could ever hope to be! Read my post here
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=139545
about my hunt yesterday. I was nervous yesterday because I was riding with a new group of people, and I had no idea how fast they would go. And then my horse winds up tally-ho’ing a massive coyote, and we had an incredible run - LOL! Rely on your horse, and rely on your friend, and you will do fine. If you start to feel scared or overfaced, DO NOT hesitate to tell your friend. If she is a good one, she will slow down or back off until you feel confident again, and then go on.
I think the biggest mistake you can make with fear issues is to deny them. To try to rationalize them away. It’s impossible to do! Acknowledge it; share it with your friend, work through it and then go on.
You can do this! If I can, you can! Please let us know how it goes.
Aw come on and admit it - there was a little “something” in your Kool-Aid! :lol::lol::lol:
Thanks rt66kix! Your story was great! Got my heart pumping just reading it! I 'm heading over to my girlfriend’s today to ride, groom, and pack up everything for tomarrow, and she has been sooo great to me, as have all of you! I am a full-time caregiver to my 19 year old daughter who has muscular dystrophy. I spend most of my days at home tending to her. We recently moved so that I could have my horses out my back door and spend more time with them, and I LOVE my new farm! Tomarrow is special and exciting to me for many reasons, and I’m so looking forward to making new friends! I miss out on socializing and adult company alot, so I can’t believe after all these years I will be doing something for myself like this! Everyone in my family has been so helpful and encouraging! Making arrangements for my daughters care when I’m gone can be tricky, but everyone has stepped up and helped and are really excited to see me following a dream of mine! i am so blessed, words couldn’t begin to describe! I do struggle with feelings of guilt, leaving her behind (my daughter) but she is so excited for me and urges me to “go for it mom!” She said she will be laughing at me all morning tomarrow thinking of how silly my jitters are! So off I go tomarrow, jitters or not, you only live once! I’ll post my hunt tomarrow evening! Thank you all for taking this journey with me, I feel so empowered now!
Oh, I envy you! You are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I miss it so much. (No horse, no money LOL)
I can’t WAIT to hear about it.
Hehehe. 2 parts Wild Turkey and 1 part American Honey!
My Kool-Aid was flavored with Cherry Brandy.
For medicinal purposes only, you understand! :lol:
Have a great time! I’ve been hunting for soooo many years and yet everytime the hounds are released from the truck I feel like they do when they scent a fox! Wildly excited! Try to follow what’s going on with the hounds and you’ll do the riding part by instinct. My horses have learned to respond to the hounds’ speaking, sometimes a little too quickly! They love it too.
Thanks, I’m feeling much more relaxed right now. We took a nice ride today and I feel so good on her mare, she’s 16 and knows her stuff, and doesn’t get ruffled easily, just what I need, her to take care of me! I needed to know she wasn’t going to run through my hand, so I feel much better now! And believe it or not, we had two labs pop out of the woods running ahead of us! They ran through the field and disappeared back into the trees, and my mare never flinched. We let them watch the dogs run out of sight, and I feel so good knowing it’s all in a day for this mare! I’m going to be just fine, and my friend has a little sedative for me in the a.m. (wink, wink)!
