I have scheduled my very first hunt with a group of friends and we are all so excited!
I am a little worried about my coats appropriateness . The person I spoke to says the dress for the day is ratcatcher, so I thought I could get away with my Kerrits Competitors Koat in black with white piping, a light wool sweater with a stock tie but now I am not so sure…
Am I fretting for nothing?
How exciting! I wish you and your friends a most wonderful outing!
Whether you are fretting for good or for ill depends on how strict the dress code expectations are for the club with which you’ll be hunting. Some are more persnickety than others.
Hopefully, any club looking to welcome newcomers would be perfectly satisfied with a clean and properly fitting show coat, in dark or conservative colors, and a propertly tied stock tie.
If the group is more conservative, the white piping on your coat collar will be seen as somewhat unusual. A plain black coat is always acceptable, but more often for ratcatcher attire, riders don tweed coats, in varying patterns, with tattersall or other colored stock tie.
Any chance you will mention which club you’ll be out with? Or, if you want to do some #anonymous snooping, see whether it has a facebook page. If so, you might be able to snoop at some photos and get an idea.
Please report back with how you and your friend fare on your virgin voyage!
#AFH
Anonymous Foxhunter is being too modest here. She has already answered your question in this helpful vignette:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEBQ81BWkwk
SO funny! Love it!
Thank you for your response! We were planning on going to Woodbrook Hunt in Lakewood, WA. I didnt want to invest in a new coat for my first time out, until I could be sure that I totally loved it 
Hopefully they wont think I am a total freak and ask us not to come back HA! We are going to have to push our hunt out until January, but I will fill you in on how it goes!
The best thing to have for your first time out hunting is an experienced foxhunting horse. You didn’t mention if your horse has hunted before, but if s/he hasn’t, please seriously consider finding a steady-eddy foxhunter. I’m on the East Coast and am not familiar with your area, but your hunt contact or hunt secretary hopefully can put you in touch with someone who can provide you with an experienced horse. If you are hunting a horse who has never foxhunted, the sight of 50 hounds all at once can be discombobulating the first time. It’s better to find these things out during cubbing than during the generally faster formal season. Not only that, but you’ll have a much better time yourself if you’re not having to deal with a horse who’s freaked out by the experience.
Anyway, I wish you well on your first hunt. It’s a grand sport. Please let us know how it goes.
