[QUOTE=Jaegermonster;3121178]
And I am thrilled that you came out of the ring and tried a hunter pace, they are a blast and a great introduction to riding out of the ring. But the difference between a hunter pace and an actual foxhunt are night and day.[/QUOTE]
Oh…oopsies
we have a woman at our barn who fox hunts, maybe ill talk to her and see if I can join in on one!
Im sure my eq horse would LOVE it!!!
Good one; but should be directed at the h/j folks that followed the line from their forum to this one; not the hunters. A good hound never runs heel. 
Hey…I admitted I was being a bitch. :lol:
I think the original point of contention was that foxhunters would be more forgiving of someone who showed up to a hunt in incorrect attire vs show hunters who would not be as forgiving.
Now, clearly - probably some hunts have a Suzy Snotface who might comment on one’s field boots or “safety attire” and at some hunter shows there is Sally Stuck Up who thinks that your black jacket is so…offensive. Now, honestly- all of the people around Suzy and Sally would actually quite love to see her seams get split revealing her too tight thong while jumping a jump… cat in heat or not.
[QUOTE=RugBug;3121224]
Heh. Ouch. :lol: I didn’t even know who you were until I searched for all your posts. I’ve had one previous experience with you, on the very same hunter ‘slam’ thread. You didn’t like what I had to say. :shrug: I wasn’t the only one who took exception to parts of what you posted. ;)[/QUOTE]
Do you intend to tell me that I am not on your “Incessantly harass” posters list? Goddammit! I thought by stating my opinion regarding the original question posed I would have earned a spot…seems to have worked for everyone else.
:D:D:lol::lol::lol::lol:
I’d toast to that but my flask is empty!:winkgrin:
and…GET BACK TO HIM!
I’d toast to that but my flask is empty!
Now THAT is a true abomination and I’m sure most everyone agrees on that. :lol:
I take full responsibility for “leading” the fighting rabid kennel over this way. :lol:
However, I will add that I DID just ask a question over here. I had no intentions to “stir the pot”.
Mainly because I faced a whole lot of opposition against a very simple statement in hunter land. I came to the conclusion that perhaps I was not getting unbiased responses which is why I inquired over here too. I wanted to hear from foxhunters what their opinions were on the matter. Seems only fair if you ask me:winkgrin:.
That’s all. I invited the others to come see what the foxhunters had to say about show hunter attire today vs. fieldhunter attire since they preferred to vehemently oppose my original commentary which was the following:
"I agree. The whole “it’s tradition” in the Show hunters is hogwash. Foxhunting really is the only english discipline left today where the traditional uniform has remained steadfast over the decades. It is nice to know that when buying attire for the hunt field it will never go out of style or change.
Case in point: One of the members of the hunt in CT I rode with this past season said during the “intro to foxhunting clinic” when showing us proper Ratcatcher attire. “This is the same vest, coat and shirt that I wore during cubbing season when I was 14, it is the same style and tradition that exists today for foxhunting. Foxhunting attire is 100% based on practicality in the hunt field. It does not change.” This woman was in her late 50’s ish. You can imagine how many years she’s been wearing this outfit.:winkgrin:
Every component of a foxhunters uniform and tack in the field has
a purpose in the hunt field. Nothing is frivolous or based on fashion. Flat bridles used to be worn by all “hunters”. But if you show up at a hunter show today in a flat bridle your going to get some weird looks.
Also, if you are a beginner of the hunt field the MAJORITY of MFH’s will relax the rules of “tradition” so that you are able to participate. i.e only have gaitors and not tall boots.
The purpose of tall boots is to protect the riders legs from brambles and thorns etc… Gaitors do the same:D.
Or if you must wear a navy hunt coat in place of a black melton etc… A canary sweater instead of canary vest, again, most MFH’s won’t make a big deal about it your first year out. They are far more concerned about keeping the sport alive and allowing new members a positive experience.
Yet in show hunters, if you want to attempt to bend the rules a bit to meet your “beginner new to sport” budgetary needs you better only stick to lowest level of shows and make sure it’s within the rules. Hence why Show hunters are just that, A show. Tradition has nothing to do with it."
And I apologize if it’s upset anyone on this forum. I love this forum for their honesty, fun and laid back demeanor. I don’t want to be responsible for ruining that atmosphere. :winkgrin:
Thanks again for the opinions. I’ve said what I need to say on the matter.
You’re right it is a very fair question and we don’t mind answering it. I guess you got tarred with the pot stirring brush because it was beginning to appear as though it was a planned attempt to get thing riled up over here what with the sniping back and forth with RugBug and whatever.
And I do agree with what you said on the other thread. But we on the Hunting Forum (as opposed to the HuntER forum) don’t play the asking loaded questions thing (ie the Why do other disciplines pick on us hunter people thread, and so on) trying to start a train wreck or pick a fight.
We all get along (mostly). We are kind of like the United States. We have our differences amongst ourselves now and then (insert opposing racial, ethic, or socio-economic groups here), and that’s fine. But when someone from the “outside” comes in shaking the cage, then we all band together and it’s on!
But I stand by my earlier statement, and I think I can speak for all of us foxhunters:
We issue an invitation to any of you to please come out and join us, learn about the sport and it’s traditions, and enjoy the camaradarie. I guarantee you will find it very addicting, and if you are like most of us, it will make you a better rider, and your horse will be more confident and braver for having the experience. My only hunting regret is that I waited until I was 30 before I was able to do it. So please come out and have fun with us.
And I’ll bring the liquor. 
For medicinal purposes only, of course.
Here Here!! And you won’t be disapointed, I wasn’t and I am looking forward to next season. I tell everyone I know all about what I’ve learned in the sport and the most fun people ever in our hunt. What happened to that “what do you keep in your flask?” thread…need to start stocking my selections, afterall, that’s the important stuff, not what we wear! :lol:
ROTFLMAO
You took the words right out of my mouth!!!
First off, no I’m not drunk. Been lurking and just adding my scatterbrained two cents. Awhile ago I wanted to post a question about wearing my stock tie in a no-name hunter show. Not really necessary to be humiliated by the answers, I knew that what the fashion police would say. I already planned on wearing dress boots and a black coat so why not be hopelessly out of style, but couldn’t help but wonder why when it’d be closer to traditional attire. Like how dressage originated from the military, it’s useful learning the history of the sport. There’s a reason for everything, go figure. So I finally learned why there’s a chicken coop (horsepeople must’ve had a lot of chickens back in the day to be jumping so many coops:lol:) That hedges would sometimes have post and rails to keep the cattle away from them, etc. What a hack was used for. So yeah, now it seems really odd to consider the rugged hunter and what’s represented now as show horse that jumps unnatural fences indoors.
How did the show hunters end up on a 12 or 13’ stride? I know my fox hunter (16.2) travels on a much bigger stride than that as do many hunt horses.
My error for not explaining my full meaning! Sorry! I was referring more to the style of riding and the style of dress rather then the horses themselves! Obviously it is just as nice to hunt a horse that is properly jumping in the hunt field as it is in the show ring (actually probably nicer!).
Again, sorry for not being clear 
The beauty of it is
I don’t care how long my horse’s stride is in the hunt field. It doesn’t matter as long as he/she’s safe. In fact I had one hunt horse that trotted all her fences. I didn’t even have to ask her to do it, she just did. I took her to a horse trials one time and she carefully put in two trot strides before every stadium fence and then went back to her canter. At the time we had trappy country with deep footing. She had learned to be very careful and I was good with it. She was the safest hunter I ever had. I sold her to another amateur adult who also treasures her for her good judgement in the field.
well said. superficial things that matter in the showring become irrelevent in the hunt field. I’d much prefer a scopey/athletic horse that can get themselves out a sticky situation and has their own sense of distances in the hunt field (or XC) than a overly fancy jumper/mover.
And so does my show hunter…BUT, in a ring of limited size we are:
Not jumping out of a hand gallop. I wish we were…it solves SO many problems. Loping to a jump increases the need for accuracy as those ugly half distances are just begging for you to stumble on them.
There really is only so much room to get all the jumps in the ring. Unless you’re going to be very creative with a course, there are going to be some related distances.
Related distances have to be XXXXX distance apart. 12’ - 13’ is a fairly decent average.
And you see, that is my biggest beef on how the hunter ring has ‘evolved.’ How many strides a horse takes between fences (except for the combinations) should be utterly irrelevant. What matters is that the horse have a smooth trip, and meets all the fences evenly. Whoever decided that ‘all horses must do five strides between those two fences’ should be peppered with rat shot.
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