PLEASE HELP - I need a fix!

[pleasantmeadowfarm]

As the frigid temps in the northeast have kept us from hunting for well over a month I’ve begun to think about loading my horseon the trailer and heading south or west or wherever it’s warm. Somewhere, anywhere that isn’t frozen.

Of course the ONE day the Hunt went out was the day after the holiday party… I couldn’t lift my head from my pillow until 6:00 pm the following day! (Ouch) Please keep the Yeagermeister far, far away from me next year!

Where isn’t the ground too frozen to hunt? North Carolina, South Carolina???

Obviously, these are fleeting thoughts about getting a hunt fix in. As this is my first season, and I’ve LOVED every minute of it… I hate sitting around the rest of the season waiting for it to defrost. My mare has snow studs and “Nike Air’s”. We’re armored and ready… Just lacking the opportunity to hunt do to frozen ground and way to much ice.

So - What do those who HAVE to hunt do???

[kt-rose]

You’ll have to go further south than Virginia!! No hunting for us for the last month either, ground is frozen solid. Very sad…gymnastics in the indoor and dreaming of slightly better weather…

[crosscreeksh]

Don’t bother heading west…unless you’re prepared to go all the way to California. Midwest is FRIGID COLD (high of NINE degrees on Friday) deep snow over inches of ice. Better rent a foxhunting movie and snuggle in!!!

[iechris]

We hunted Sunday in Aiken and had a nice run on a grey fox, viewed by one of the neighboring landowners. Weather was a bit chilly for us in the south in the AM, but those who braved the cold had a good time. Had a chilly but pretty ride in the Hitchcock Woods the day before.

[Jleegriffith]

I think the South is the place to be. Pick me up on the way please;) At this point the snow might be better than the hard frozen lumpy ground. We have been trailering to indoors and hitting the sandy trails around the corner when it is warm enough that there is actually a bit of something to grab into but I miss hunting!

[lesson_junkie]

We’re hunting in Tryon. The footing was much better on Sunday than I would have expected. The road whips viewed a red-it was a pretty good day.

[pleasantmeadowfarm]

I can do 11 hours on the road!

Glad to hear that some of you are still able to get out and enjoy. Eleven hours to Aiken… I can do that, and would, for an opportunity to go out. Yes, I’m that crazy. Might have to find local stabling for a couple of days to give my poor mare who didn’t sign up for any of this, time to recoup.

I wonder who I could drag along with me to keep me awake on the road? Hmmmm. I might have to pursue. I haven’t been able to update my “dressage horse gone wild” thread… I’m the one going wild now!

[pleasantmeadowfarm]

I might be motivated enough to head to CA!

I heard about the frigid temps in the midwest… Perhaps traveling cross country might not be such a good idea with this crazy weather. Any suggestions on any good foxhunting movies?

[QUOTE=crosscreeksh;4600618]
Don’t bother heading west…unless you’re prepared to go all the way to California. Midwest is FRIGID COLD (high of NINE degrees on Friday) deep snow over inches of ice. Better rent a foxhunting movie and snuggle in!!![/QUOTE]

[JSwan]

I think there is a footpack in NJ - hunting on foot with beagles or bassets is terrific fun too.

I haven’t foxhunted since Opening Meet - hurt my back again. Been having a great time hunting on foot though - but even the footpack has had some cancellations.

This morning my beagle spoke on a rabbit line as I was letting the horses out. The field hunter got all frisky and raced out of his stall, into the pasture, and started galloping after the beagle.

Evidently he needs a fix, too. :lol:

[SPLAT]

Come hunt with us in SoCal. The weather is perfect, coyotes abound and we love visitors. I went on Sunday and had the BEST TIME EVER!!! First time in first field for me and we can’t wait for our next go.

Just need to figure out how to get rid of the job, and keep the paycheck:winkgrin:!

[pleasantmeadowfarm]

JSwan, I plan on heading out on foot with beagles next week! I’m really looking forward to it. Sorry to hear about your back - wishing you a full and speedy recovery. Love to hear about equines looking to go to work in the field! I’m not sure how much my mare’s looking forward to going back out, I’m just glad she’s a tolerant soul!

[hey101]

@SPLAT;4601125

Come hunt with us in SoCal. The weather is perfect, coyotes abound and we love visitors. I went on Sunday and had the BEST TIME EVER!!! First time in first field for me and we can’t wait for our next go.

Just need to figure out how to get rid of the job, and keep the paycheck:winkgrin:!

SPLAT, awesome! I took my mare first field for the first time a few weeks ago and had a BLAST! Some of those jumps seemed huge to me too, it’s been a LONG TIME since I jumped stuff that big and never with this girl. But she was a rockstar. When are you going again? Sadly it’s going to be awhile for me, due to work and some other stuff going on. Plus I’ve already used up all my social member outings (:winkgrin:) so I’ll have to start upgrading my status…

I guess it didn’t even occur to me that the hunts back East wouldn’t go out in all weather, no matter what.

[Beverley]

@hey101;4601382

I guess it didn’t even occur to me that the hunts back East wouldn’t go out in all weather, no matter what.

Rest assured that the spirit is always willing- but if you have lots of ice and thus can’t go fast enough to stay with hounds, well, that doesn’t work very well.

Mind you, more than once I hunted in Virginia- snow, ice, highs in the low teens, under the guise of ‘we’re just taking the hounds out for a bit of exercise,’ and we would quite naturally go really, really fast, because despite the theory that 12 or 13 degrees is ‘too cold’ for there to be meaningful scent, fox and hounds didn’t get that memo. And here I still am, so how bad could it have been?

There’s a big multi meet in Calif next weekend, hosted by the Kingsbury Harriers. And I know Red Rock near Reno goes in anything- if it’s a blizzard, you just don your ski goggles- but in both areas, the sandy soil just doesn’t ever freeze up, and there’s hardly ever an ice under snow situation- so they CAN go! The biggest issue becomes can you physically get your rig down the road to wherever the meet is. I’ll ride in anything, but hauling horses in a blizzard is not a favorite activity!

[JSwan]

@hey101;4601382

I guess it didn’t even occur to me that the hunts back East wouldn’t go out in all weather, no matter what.

Well - we try and go out as much as possible (the club I’m with)

But some ground conditions are just so hazardous you just don’t want to risk it. Right now the ground is frozen solid. When it warms up enough - only the top bit thaws - but underneath is ice.

Greasy footing. Good way to maim your horse or yourself. I hate it. Our soils are mostly clay and blackjack; with a lot of bottomland. Great hunting and farming- but it doesn’t drain well.

Other times conditions are right for hunting - but the farmer doesn’t want trailers getting mired in his hayfields or fallow fields. I don’t blame him/her one bit.

On the other hand - we can still usually hunt on foot even when foxhunting is canceled so a lot of us chase wabbits instead!!!

[hey101]

@JSwan;4601928

But some ground conditions are just so hazardous you just don’t want to risk it. Right now the ground is frozen solid. When it warms up enough - only the top bit thaws - but underneath is ice.

Greasy footing. Good way to maim your horse or yourself. I hate it. Our soils are mostly clay and blackjack; with a lot of bottomland. Great hunting and farming- but it doesn’t drain well.

Other times conditions are right for hunting - but the farmer doesn’t want trailers getting mired in his hayfields or fallow fields. I don’t blame him/her one bit.

Oh believe me, I totally get all of these points. I have lived in SE PA and MD for most of my life, only being a recent CA transplant in the past 2.5 years. I have only started hunting this year and my impression was that the hunts back East went out no matter what, and I am greatly relieved to hear that footing and conditions are in fact taken into account. I know how icky the footing can get in the winter and I had already decided that if/when we move back East, I would not go out in frozen or greasy muddy junk- I thought I was being a wimp-in-advance, but I guess I am being sensible after all! As I have been knocked out twice with two resulting concussions and a third incident resulting in a broken collarbone from horses falling on only slightly slippery footing, I am leery in my advancing years of riding in super-nasty footing, especially with the hair-raising riding that that i have already come to know and love about foxhunting! :lol: In CA the hunts can go out every time because the footing and weather are always great.

Sorry to derail your thread OP, carry on dreaming about your fix! I’m with ya, but for me its work-baby-life schedules keeping me from the Sunday crack habit… er, hunting. :winkgrin:

[JSwan]

@hey101;4602129

In CA the hunts can go out every time because the footing and weather are always great.

Wow - I never thought I’d have a good enough reason to move to CA but you just gave me one!:lol:

I guess some hunts in VA are going out but I don’t know who. I’ve gone into hibernation and console myself by going through seed catalogs and turning my compost pile.

Heavy sigh…

[Nbairnsfather]

[QUOTE= Any suggestions on any good foxhunting movies?[/QUOTE]

It’s not really a foxhunting movie, but if you’ve never seen “Auntie Mame” with Rosalind Russell you will enjoy the foxhunting scenes – they are hilarious!:lol:

[redcashlin]

“Vee have vays to deal with this problem Pleasant Meadow”. If you are serious about a road trip there are remedies in North Carolina (Tiffany) as well as SC at our disposal. Let’s talk…

[pleasantmeadowfarm]

Do tell!

I can’t wait to hear the details Redcashlin!

[QUOTE=redcashlin;4602480]
“Vee have vays to deal with this problem Pleasant Meadow”. If you are serious about a road trip there are remedies in North Carolina (Tiffany) as well as SC at our disposal. Let’s talk…[/QUOTE]

I have just one horse, and I’m not willing to risk unnecessary injury on dangerous footing. I give my hunt a lot of credit for making the right decision to cancel due to frozen/ice covered ground. I walked out with the hounds this past sunday, and walking and slipping on the ice myself really confirmed it for me that it’s been a good decision to cancel multiple outings. I think we’re in for a long, cold, frozen winter.:no: