I asked this on FOL - but there did not seem to be a consensus, and I don’t recall if I’ve asked this question on this BB before - or if I did, what folks said. (my memory isn’t that great - getting old sucks…)
Question: On field hunters (NOT show hunters), are quarter marks appropriate? Not clipping a clover leaf on their butt - but quarter marks.
I’ve never put them, nor seen them on foxhunter’s. I’m not sure of a rule of whether they are proper or not.
I’ve only ever put them on race horses. Every horse that leaves my care to go to the paddock at the races has quarter marks! I did learn a few tricks about them over the last few years, most were from European trainers.
Never seen them on Foxhunter in 55 years of going.
But,since I have been here in the US,I have seen lots of strange things done.
Clipping patterns on horse’s bums being one of them.:eek:
Hunter braids in the field.:yes:
Tails braided like cart horses.
Tails clipped at the top with clippers,instead of pulling them .;)[I really hate this one,please learn to braid or pull a tail correctly].
Yes.
But you rarely see it done in the US; you see it occasionally in the UK, but its usage has sort of fallen by the wayside in the past 40-50 years. Therefore, you really only see it on show hunters, with even that being rare, and mostly incorrect, in that to do quarter marks properly, it has to be done with a fine-toothed comb (and dandy brush for shark’s teeth), not a stencil pattern.
sorry,I meant to add
my thoughts are on field hunters.
Yes we used to do quarter markings on show horses and ponies years ago in the UK…
But not out hunting.
The reason I keep asking this is that I had seen them as a kid (ahem - not 50 years ago), but not in recent memory - except in eventing. I don’t even think it’s common in show hunters anymore (still done, I’m sure - but not commonplace)
I was taught to do them with a piece of comb, too.
So is it fair to say they’ve gone the way of buttons on britches and hay wisps? Arcane?
Opening Meet is coming up and I was thinking of putting a small pattern on his haunches - just because it’s such a special day.
ferniefox - I’ve seen hunter braids too. I thought that was odd, because I find those braids more difficult to do than button braids; and certainly more labor intensive.
Back in the 80’s, one of my fellow whippers-in did the checkerboard pattern on her mare. The turnout gods did not strike her down. I thought it looked nice.
Ooh, I displease you! I do know how to braid or pull a tail, but sorry, no. When I am galloping across yonder field, you won’t be able to tell whether my horse’s tail is clipped or pulled.
Sorry to displease you, I ‘do’ know how to braid or pull, but nope, I use clippers up top and on the bottom to bang the tail. When I am galloping across yonder field, you won’t be able to tell the difference. And presumably you’ll be watching the hounds, anyway!
We should be so fortunate that some people in our hunt cared enough about their turnout to do quarter marks or hunter braids, or clip/pull or otherwise tend to their tails. I would fall off my horse to see half of them wearing a hair net, instead of hair sticking out everywhere.
I think if someone goes to the trouble to do something extra to improve their turnout, it shouldn’t be looked down upon or pooh poohed, just because it wasn’t done 200 years ago.
My button braids look like a flock of pigeons left a deposit on my horses neck, but my hunter braids look pretty good. I think a nicely pulled mane or nice hunter braids looks better than a long sloppy mane or crappy braids, even if they aren’t “correct”.
That said, I think I would drop dead if an adult actually “clipped” quarter marks on their horse. But I don’t think the OP was asking that, she was asking about real quarter marks. That’s not quarter marks, just a design clipped on the horses butt, which if you are not on a pony and wearing jodphurs you are beyond that. But correctly done quarter marks look very nice.
:D:lol:
To be honest at my age it is becoming increasingly difficult to see the hounds.:winkgrin:
But I can still hear them.:yes:
I have always loved my hounds and hunting.I cant help being a turnout witch.
It is going to really irke me, going out cubbing in the morning in a polo shirt,but here in Florida it does make sense.I would far rather wear a lightweight hacking jacket,it just feels right for cubbing
Now,I will wear my 35 year old brown boots complete with garter straps,even though they look short compared to modern high tops.
I am sure they all snicker at me,but I honestly dont care,so long as I dont fall off my pony,I will be the happiest person alive.:yes:
It is our first day of cubbing tomorrow.WHO,HOO
Naw. Quarter marks are a show ring sorta thing. A “real” field hunter is simply neatly clipped, with 1930’s flat bridle, fitted white pad, and a sandwich case … and wire cutter case if you have one … firmly attached to the saddle.
No quarter marks.
And only ponies are allowed to sport clipped “decals” on their hindquarters 'cuz ponies are cute, and can get away with it. 
SteeleRdr - what “secrets” did you learn from the European trainers about doing quarter marks. Do tell! :yes:
Yeh!! We just got a cold front (and rain!!) blow through! No more polo shirts for hunting. No more dust and ground like concrete. The hounds are going to be happy-happy! 
I don’t know about most, but my horses will all be freshly clipped for opening day. It is quite a task to put quarter marks on a freshly clipped horse, quite near impossible. Trust me, tried it many times ata the early spring pt2pt’s when all my charges were freshly clipped.
I do the “hunter” braids, but you just make them thicker and it saves your fingers some cramping!!! The picture in my profile is of a little mare with 12 braids in her mane (proper number) and they are “hunter” style, but definitely not the number! My hands would completely cramp up with how many I’ve had to braid for past opening meets if I did true “hunter” braids!
Disclaimer- by “hunter” braids, I mean the bazillion tiny button braids you see in the show ring.
[QUOTE=fernie fox;2749834]
:D:lol:
but I honestly dont care,so long as I dont fall off my pony,I will be the happiest person alive.:yes:
It is our first day of cubbing tomorrow.WHO,HOO[/QUOTE]
Enjoy, I’ve always admired your gusto.
Ah, well, I DO still wear the garter straps, so maybe I get some brownie points.
My field boots are likewise ‘too short’ but soooo comfortable I don’t care. Unfortunately they are about 80 years old- given to me 20+ years ago by a friend who found them in his grandmother’s attic- and the boot surgeon told me on the last fix that the ‘vintage leather’ is just not going to stand up to any more repairs.
Well…I hunt regularly with the same hunt that Fernie hunts with occasionally, and many of us wear hacking jackets. I have one that I wear when it isn’t too hot. Fernie, if you feel better or more comfortable in your hacking jacket by all means wear it tomorrow. You won’t be the only one, especially if it’s a little cool or wet (and it looks like it might be) of course, cubbing is informal (and it’s still so hot here now) so our MFH lets us wear polos if we wish, but it doesn’t have to be a polo as long as it’s a white shirt. I usually just wear a white show shirt. And many folks wear their hacking jackets, including most of the staff. We need all the folks to set turnout examples we can get
nobody snickers at your brown boots, I think they are really cool. One of the whippers in has some beautiful ones that she wears cubbing and on informal days, and she looks smashing
Could swear I saw them at Myopia on the really formal days - Opening Meet, TG and Boxing Day - back in the 60s?? Not on every horse but certainly on more than a handful…
(My tip for quarter marks: dissolve sugar in water. Apply the sugared water to the quarters with a sponge. CUT a piece of fine-toothed comb to the width you want the squares to be. Checkerboard happily away, and let dry. You’ll have to experiment w/ the formula to get the amount of sugar in the water just right. Too much sugar will turn the hair white and speckly when it dries! :D)
Yes, 70s to early 80s too. I haven’t tried the sugar water approach before! Maybe I’ll confound some horses over the weekend…
1930s? They were still commonly available and used for showing through the 70s, and still easy to find in the 80s for less than a fortune. Nothin’ ‘that’ retro about it. Come to think of it, they are easier to find these days than canary breeches…
And actually, ‘real’ hunters wouldn’t have the saddle pad:).
I know the flat bridles are still around – I’ve seen quite a few at the tack sales. They just look soooo right out of the 1930’s, tho. I also know that saddle pads weren’t used in the “early days” …except for schooling. But they are now fashionable, and acceptable as both a comfort for the horse, and to keep the saddle clean.
What I don’t like seeing out in the hunt field is the dressage pads. :no: It just seems “not quite right” somehow – like a sport crossover. Then again, I’m riding in a treeless English saddle which is truly an endurance sport crossover – except that nobody notices because it looks so traditional.
And I still have a pair of canary breeches! Doubt that they fit anymore… they were from my pre-Mommy days, and I’m NOT going to try them on to find out. 
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
