Question About Hunting Appointments

[RPM]

I haven’t seen anything about these in any books in decades so I decided to ask about them here, to see what’s done nowadays.

Are there still rules/traditions about what kind of sandwiches women carry in their sandwich cases, and what kind men carry?

What about drink? Was/is it brandy for men and sherry/port for women? Does the flask have to be the long narrow kind that fits in the case that attaches to the saddle? Or a hip-flask type?

Do people still carry a spare pair of gloves under the billets?

Not going hunting anytime soon (if ever!) but just wondering.

The thread on saddles got me thinking about this – enjoyed that thread.

ETA: I was reading about appropriate boots for cubbing and formal seasons, and just wondered: if field boots are not appropriate for actual hunting, when and how did they become standard attire in the hunter show ring? Hunter shows are nothing like they were when I was a kid; you never saw field boots back then.

You did see spur straps for field boots that had a wider section of leather that covered the laces. (But then my aunt’s spur straps buttoned onto her spurs. And her boots had garters.)

[Willesdon]

One of life’s little pleasures is trying all those weird drinks to be found in fellow hunters’ hip flasks. It was honey whisky this past Saturday, which was excellent on a day of wind, rain and sharp cold. I think my favorite so far this season has been elderberry brandy.

The Master always laughs when I offer him pork scratchings during the day (http://www.mrporky.co.uk/product/scratchings/) but usually has one or two…

If anyone told me what sandwiches I could eat - hmmm, good thing I’m not in the USA!

[BeeHoney]

I haven’t seen anything about these in any books in decades so I decided to ask about them here, to see what’s done nowadays.

Are there still rules/traditions about what kind of sandwiches women carry in their sandwich cases, and what kind men carry?

You can pack whatever you want, and it’s probably not a sandwich. No one is inspecting, you can can put whatever you want in there. Right now I carry tissues, a brownie, and an inhaler.

What about drink? Was/is it brandy for men and sherry/port for women? Does the flask have to be the long narrow kind that fits in the case that attaches to the saddle? Or a hip-flask type?

Port is for stirrup cup. Otherwise, again, you can fill your flask with whatever yummy concoction you wish, bonus points if the drink has a hunting themed name.

Do people still carry a spare pair of gloves under the billets?

No. That would be proper to do on a rainy day but never seen it done.

Not going hunting anytime soon (if ever!) but just wondering.

This situation you ought to remedy.

The thread on saddles got me thinking about this – enjoyed that thread.

ETA: I was reading about appropriate boots for cubbing and formal seasons, and just wondered: if field boots are not appropriate for actual hunting, when and how did they become standard attire in the hunter show ring? Hunter shows are nothing like they were when I was a kid; you never saw field boots back then.

Field boots are fine for actual hunting. Technically you should have dress boots for formal days, you can worry about that later… And don’t waste your time worrying about the lack of correlation between the hunter ring and the hunt field. There are very few correlations between the horses, the people, the tack, or the dress.

You did see spur straps for field boots that had a wider section of leather that covered the laces. (But then my aunt’s spur straps buttoned onto her spurs. And her boots had garters.)

[RPM]

Thanks for the feedback!

I think the “proper” sandwiches and beverages for men and women may have been from an appointments class at a show, when presumably judge could inspect. I appreciate what you said, BeeHoney. I can’t see an MFH out there calling a halt to everything to inspect people’s sandwiches and make sure no one brought peanut butter and jelly!

Willesdon, I can see a Master enjoying pork scratchings!

And don’t waste your time worrying about the lack of correlation between the hunter ring and the hunt field. There are very few correlations between the horses, the people, the tack, or the dress.

Yeah, it seems that way to me nowadays. Back when I was a kid I think a lot of people who showed also actually hunted, and a lot of the books I read (written not long before I was born) seemed to imply that people and horses who hunt also occasionally showed as well – there was info about not counting off for “honorable scars” and shows had outside courses with natural-looking jumps. In other words, hunter shows were for people and horses who actually did hunt.

Oh, well …

[ecileh]

When I first joined my hunt, one of the Masters gave me a sheet that had a chart of the “painfully correct”, the “traditional” and what is acceptable on our hunt.

There were notes about sandwiches! I can dig this up when I get home, but what I recall is that women were allowed painfully correct “white” sandwiches–chicken, cucumber, possibly cheese (I forget) on white bread with mayonnaise only, carried in cases. There was then a note that a PBJ in your Melton pocket was fine on our hunt.

[Merry_Fox]

ecileh, that sounds neat. Could you share your list?

[RPM]

Yes, please do! And thanks for posting about the sandwiches!

[ecileh]

According to the chart in our hunt’s bylaws book, this is what is “Old School Insufferably Correct” re: sandwiches.

Sandwich case and separate saddle flask for gentlemen. Ladies would carry either a combination case or simply the sandwich case. Sandwich case to contain a white meat of turkey sandwich (butter and watercress allowed, no mayo) on white bread, crusts cut off, cut into quarters and wrapped in a white linen napkin. Ladies may carry tea or sherry in their flask, gentlemen may carry brandy in their separate saddle flask. Hunt staff may not carry them.

I don’t think this is from one specific source, but rather what one of our masters put together from various research she has done. I am actually going to see her this evening and I will ask if she has a specific place to cite.

[vineyridge]

[QUOTE=Willesdon;8530083]
One of life’s little pleasures is trying all those weird drinks to be found in fellow hunters’ hip flasks. It was honey whisky this past Saturday, which was excellent on a day of wind, rain and sharp cold. I think my favorite so far this season has been elderberry brandy.

The Master always laughs when I offer him pork scratchings during the day (http://www.mrporky.co.uk/product/scratchings/) but usually has one or two…

If anyone told me what sandwiches I could eat - hmmm, good thing I’m not in the USA![/QUOTE]

Oh, how funny. I didn’t know Brits ate chicarrones/pork rinds.

[Willesdon]

I didn’t know Brits ate chicarrones/pork rinds

Very traditional!

[Equibrit]

The crackling on a roast is always the first thing to disappear !

[RPM]

[QUOTE=ecileh;8539591]
According to the chart in our hunt’s bylaws book, this is what is “Old School Insufferably Correct” re: sandwiches.

Sandwich case and separate saddle flask for gentlemen. Ladies would carry either a combination case or simply the sandwich case. Sandwich case to contain a white meat of turkey sandwich (butter and watercress allowed, no mayo) on white bread, crusts cut off, cut into quarters and wrapped in a white linen napkin. Ladies may carry tea or sherry in their flask, gentlemen may carry brandy in their separate saddle flask. Hunt staff may not carry them.

I don’t think this is from one specific source, but rather what one of our masters put together from various research she has done. I am actually going to see her this evening and I will ask if she has a specific place to cite.[/QUOTE]

Thank you, ecileh! That sounds so much like what I remember reading from all those years ago!

Another thing I really appreciated about your post, as well as the descriptions of the sandwiches and beverages, was when you went on to write “what one of our masters has put together from research she has done”! To read all those traditional rules and then to find your master is female — well, that made my day. :encouragement:

Thanks.

[ecileh]

[QUOTE=RPM;8539828]
Thank you, ecileh! That sounds so much like what I remember reading from all those years ago!

Another thing I really appreciated about your post, as well as the descriptions of the sandwiches and beverages, was when you went on to write “what one of our masters has put together from research she has done”! To read all those traditional rules and then to find your master is female — well, that made my day. :encouragement:

Thanks. :)[/QUOTE]

You are very welcome!

We have five joint masters, three of which are women. Our hunstman is also a woman.

[Foxglove]

ecileh, your hunt is so progressive. I don’t complain about ours since I knew the rules before I joined, but only men are masters, only men can wear red coats, and gentlemen ride ahead of lady members in the field --although these days the gentlemen generally ride with their wives or form a pack (with a lot of drinking) in the back or second flight . . .only one gentleman has ever asked me to give way (I’m a MFH (Ret)
) from another hunt and had passed him on a run. He asked me to give way over a fence --I did so --and watched him do a face plant on the other side of the coop. I then helped him find his glasses, crop, and horse. He’s staff now, so it isn’t an issue. As I said, I knew the customs when I joined. It is fun to watched the handsomely turned out men riding up --maybe our hunt should do one of “those” calendars . . .“The Men of the Hunt.” Might make a bit of $. How did I go that far off the subject?

Foxglove

[ecileh]

Our lady masters and hunstman wear red coats and topped boots (but our all-female staff does not). Our field is organized by colors in that riders with colors ride ahead of those without, but there is no division by gender aside from that.

We also seem to loosely organize the field by “seniority” in that riders who have been around longer ride in front of newer folks (regardless of colors status)–but that’s not enforced; I think it’s just a combination of politeness and an organic evolution of how the horses get along. We have a lot of narrow, wooded trails, so we spend time single file in close quarters.

The hunt demographics strongly skew female, though. Aside from the male masters, there are only two or three regulars who are men. One of them leads third field, but that is about his ability to do it well, not his gender.

A Men of the Hunt calendar would be slim pickings for us.

[Foxglove]

I’d guess lady members are in the slight minority --depends on if you count cookie chasers as members --otherwise, on the field it’s about even with men, of course, dominating the staff. However, there are some women who whip (one used to work for me when I took the pack out a million years ago at another club). Like you, we generally start out by seniority, but eventually fall into who-is-fun-to-ride with division. There’s a lovely young woman (whose horse is related to mine) who seems to often ride near me. I usually move back to ride with her if she’s made an effort to find me. Otherwise, I ride where I please being old and having a good horse. Occasionally the master has me ride up with him if it’s windy and the sound of the horn might be difficult to hear. It sounds like yours is a wonderful group –

Foxglove

[Beverley]

Sandwich type is really limited to the show ring these days I think, but stems from practicality- you wouldn’t want to eat a mayo laden sandwich 6 hours later, generally. Actually when I started hunting and 6-8 hour days were more common I didn’t have a sandwich case, so typically just stuffed a candy bar or wrapped pb & j in my pocket. And just relied on someone to offer me a sip of something as the day progressed.

[RPM]

[QUOTE=Foxglove;8541825]
ecileh, your hunt is so progressive. I don’t complain about ours since I knew the rules before I joined, but only men are masters, only men can wear red coats, and gentlemen ride ahead of lady members in the field --although these days the gentlemen generally ride with their wives or form a pack (with a lot of drinking) in the back or second flight . . .only one gentleman has ever asked me to give way (I’m a MFH (Ret)
) from another hunt and had passed him on a run. He asked me to give way over a fence --I did so --and watched him do a face plant on the other side of the coop. I then helped him find his glasses, crop, and horse. He’s staff now, so it isn’t an issue. As I said, I knew the customs when I joined. It is fun to watched the handsomely turned out men riding up --maybe our hunt should do one of “those” calendars . . .“The Men of the Hunt.” Might make a bit of $. How did I go that far off the subject?

Foxglove[/QUOTE]

I don’t know but I’m glad you did. I think you should definitely do a “Men of the Hunt” calendar, and I will order the first one! (Actually the first half dozen and will send some to friends. ) Then someone will make a movie of it, called “Calendar Guys,” and finally! there will be a movie with correct horse and hunt details! Including the face plant.

[Willesdon]

… only one gentleman has ever asked me to give way (I’m a MFH (Ret) from another hunt and had passed him on a run. He asked me to give way over a fence --I did so --and watched him do a face plant on the other side of the coop

There’s a song about that!

now there was a time
when they used to say
that behind every great man
there had to be a great woman
but in these times of change
you know that it’s no longer true
so we’re coming out of the kitchen
cause there’s something we forgot to say to you,
we say sisters are doin’ it for themselves
standin’ on their own two feet
and ringin’ on their own bells
sisters are doin’ it for themselves

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drGx7JkFSp4