Picayune Attire Questions

Does one wear brown spur straps with brown field boots for cubbing season and where would one find the right color straps?

Frock coat vs. hunting jacket for a 40 something lady member with colors - is one more correct?

Are all hunt coats single vented?

Why do ladies cubbing and hunting jackets in the Horse Country catalog have two pockets on the right side and one on the left while other sources’ coats have a matching number of pockets on each side?

What is a whistle pocket? Is it only on a frock coat? What is the purpose behind it?

Thanks!

I’ll answer the one’s I know.

If you are wearing brown boots, you should be wearing brown spur straps. My spur straps came with my brown field boots. The boot manufacturer should have some to match. Horse Country no doubt can get you close.

I believe a lady with colors could wear either a frock or a regular hunting jacket. I think it is personal preference most of the time, though chekc with your hunt’s “old guard” ladies, and follow their lead. Some women look quite smart in a frock coat. Some look like a caterpillar wearing a hay bale, it depends on the coat and the figure of the woman wearing it. Same with a shad in my mind.

Ask JSwan about the coat pockets.

Funny, I was just shopping for brown spur straps earlier. Yes you should wear brown spur straps with brown boots. I did not see any at dover or smartpak. There was an amazon 3rd party seller and a couple of different people on ebay. I ordered some Amish made ones from ebay. Ask me again in a week if they shipped quickly and are any good.

Frock coats are warmer, more formal and more old fashioned looking. I think it depends soley on the trends in your club if it is more correct. They are not flattering to all shapes.

I think it needs to be a frock coat to have a whistle pocket as otherwise you don’t have a waist seam.

I’ve never seen somebody carry a whistle. My best guess is that it is pre cell phone, pre-radio emergency communication for staff, but somebody can probably tell you the right answer.

Absolutely! Brown boots = brown spur straps. I picked mine up at the Middleburg Tack Exchange, but The Tack Box also had them.

[quote=Ride2Fly;5840046]Frock coat vs. hunting jacket for a 40 something lady member with colors - is one more correct?
[/quote]

If she has her colors, she can wear whichever is more flattering to her. She should not wear patent-topped boots unless she has a frock on though; and a female member without colors should not be wearing a frock, only a regular hunt coat.

[quote=Ride2Fly;5840046]Are all hunt coats single vented?
[/quote]

Traditionally, they should be, yes.

[quote=Ride2Fly;5840046]What is a whistle pocket? Is it only on a frock coat? What is the purpose behind it?
[/quote]

I would lean towards tangledweb’s answer for this one.

a member without colors should not be wearing a frock, only a regular hunt coat

I thought it was acceptable so long as the frock’s buttons were plain black, the skirt corners were rounded, and the boots were without brown tops.

I was referring to a female member.

Re: Brown Spur straps.
I’ve bought many a pair from Dover over the years (I use them not only for cubbing, but I ride xc in brown).
They carry them still. While not pricey, they are perfectly acceptable quality for the price, they hold their shape and they are a nice enough, innocuous brown color.
http://www.doversaddlery.com/product.asp?pn=X1-2540&ids=131655801

[QUOTE=SidesaddleRider;5840968]
I was referring to a female member.[/QUOTE]
I did not know that lady members without colors were not to wear plain black frocks.

Thank you for the education.

Ladies without colours may wear frock coats without colours and buttons unless forbidden by their hunt.

Not by (USA) tradition.

However, many hunts do not follow the traditional rules anymore. So be it.

I’ve been known to keep a whistle in my pocket.

Tried using it once. Huntsman was too far away from where I & another whip were. We couldn’t hear her horn, so we assumed she’d never hear our voices. Tried using the whistle. She couldn’t hear that. We eventually just made our way back to her, with hounds in tow.

Still carry it sometimes.

They’re to put stuff in! :smiley:

OP - what sort of brown are you looking for? If the ones you find are too light - they’ll darken up with oil (try a hidden spot first to see how it looks)

I had a devil of a time finding brown spur straps and a kind COTH’r took pity on me and sent hers.

Then I found them for sale everywhere - d’oh! :uhoh: How silly of me. But I still have those spur straps.

The final arbiter is always your hunt Secretary (or Master whoever makes those decision in your club). For example - though tattersal or canary vest is the “traditional” turnout - my hunt club permits members with colors to wear a dark blue vest. It’s part of our livery. It’s little things like that which can vary from hunt to hunt.

If you have your colors - buy a nice frock (with the correct number of buttons and type of corners) have it tailored if necessary, and enjoy the longer length and different cut when it’s freezing out. You can buy them used if you want, and there are different weights to suit the local climate.

Are you referring to a game or hare pocket, by chance? The whistlepocket is small and right at the seam, but there can also be a hare or game pocket. I always thought the whistle pocket was for a whistle (to be used by a downed rider or rider needing assistance) But… I really don’t know.

As you can tell there is disagreement over the wearing of frocks by members without colors. Brits think Americans are nuts.

Americans don’t have many centuries of tradition and culture to draw on so we’ve created our own over time. Tell you what - when you hunt in the UK do what they do. Hunt in the US - do what the club tells you to do. Can’t screw up that way. Well - you’ll still screw up on something but you’ll look fabulous so hopefully no one will notice. :winkgrin:

Happy hunting.

caterpillar wearing a hay bale

Thanks for all the colorful advice! Speaking of which the trouble I am having with brown spur straps is all the different shades of brown: Newmarket, London Tan, Nut, Havana, Oak . . . the list goes on and on! I am looking for spur straps to match lighter brown field boots in the range of the Horse Country ones. I really appreciate the Dover link but those look to be more Nut or medium brown?

Again thanks for all the fascinating info – I love learning more about hunting traditions. Fortunately my neighbor is a seamstress so I have her expertise to help avoid the caterpillar in the hay bale look:)

Foxhunting in Ol’ Virginny.

http://foxhunting.freeservers.com/PgsMain/attire.html

I don’t get the American proclivity for calling a coat a “Melton” when it is the name of the cloth from which it is made.

My beagling coat has one of these, also. I’ve never put actual game in there.

The flask used to go in there. Until I discovered the joy of men’s breeches. Now I put my flask in one of the rear pockets. Safer & faster access! :lol:

[QUOTE=Ride2Fly;5841788]
Thanks for all the colorful advice! Speaking of which the trouble I am having with brown spur straps is all the different shades of brown: Newmarket, London Tan, Nut, Havana, Oak . . . the list goes on and on! I am looking for spur straps to match lighter brown field boots in the range of the Horse Country ones. I really appreciate the Dover link but those look to be more Nut or medium brown?

Again thanks for all the fascinating info – I love learning more about hunting traditions. Fortunately my neighbor is a seamstress so I have her expertise to help avoid the caterpillar in the hay bale look:)[/QUOTE]

Perhaps just get these spurs complete with straps?
http://www.whatpriceglory.com/shopexd.asp?id=278&bc=no

Me neither, Equiibrit. Maybe it’s just a habit? Pun intended. We spell Kimberwicke wrong too, apparently.

Rivenoak, I need to do that because the frock pockets are too deep for my little flask. And a girl needs her pick me up.

OP, you could just call Horse Country and see if they could help you. They might be able to send you some color samples or something. dunno.

JSwan, I think instead of shrinking your pockets, you need to upsize your flask…;):lol:

Just saying…

Just bought mine at Middleburg tack exchange. They had a whole rack of them.

Whistles are used by certain trusted individuals not whipping in to signal a view, so ONLY at direction of MFH and/ or huntsman. NOT for signaling a need for assistance- if you are in the field your FM would take care of that. If you are a whipper-in, well, um, solving your own problems goes with the job. But you’d best get to the huntsman asap if (s)he signals with three toots that YOUR assistance is needed.

Likewise (re signaling a view) most huntsmen Do Not Want anyone other than staff (e.g. field members) giving a view halloa, which some do in their excitement. If you are wrong (not viewing the hunted quarry) - or even if you are right - you get hounds’ heads up and that mucks things up.

Re coats- I have never owned a frock coat, just added colors to my plain melton 3 button coat. When whipping in, used that coat til required to get scarlet.