Recalling my first hunt [add your memories]

[armandh]

I remember my first hunt. [1990]

at the back of the first field we went in to “the pipeline” [where the cleared pipeline right of way crosses a series of fenced cow pastures] about 5 post & rail or coops.
quite exciting for a noobie and great confidence builder. [perhaps too much because…]

it was my second hunt that went off the rails!!!
at the end, after the young entry’s were coupled for the hack to the kennels, and I had not tightened the girth during the hunt, my horse bolted out from under me, saddle slipping back and to the side, I land in the dirt along with one stirrup iron and leather. my horse at the time http://members.arstechnica.com/x/armandh2/over2.jpg
ran past the field, staff, hounds, master minding the next gate, and was gone for two days. I found him in a near by cow pasture saddle hanging under him, reins gone.
I now always use a breast strap & D ring savers. but the story lingers.

Fess up …add your first hunt experiences.

[lizathenag]

I don’t remember. I was quite young. It was thanksgiving day with Millbrook in the early 60s. My aunt’s lent me the horse and he was braided. We ate turkey after and took the bassets for a stroll.

that is how Thanksgiving should be.

[Beverley]

Fall 1971, Farmington Hunt, riding a school horse (and lovely made hunter, which is to say, nothing fancy, big buckskin vaguely known to be from Oklahoma, but handsome is as handsome does) named Buck. First flight- there were no hilltoppers. Had a lot of fun. Did come off at one point- Buck went down to his knees negotiating a turn in the woods at speed, I popped off but landed on my feet, got back on and away we went, hardly broke stride.

[MyGiantPony]

1980. Field Master said “stick with me kid, you’ll have a great time”.

About a half hour out, hounds got on a screaming run, through some woods, then out to an open field. Someone ahead of me went down - horse tripped on a groundhog hole, but they were both OK.

At a check, my horse was being SO good…then some hounds went past and UNDER him…I was so worried he wouldn’t like that, but he was awesome - stood rock steady.

Remember hacking back to the trailers at the end of the day…going through a neighborhood…all the people came out of their houses to smile and wave.

And I was hooked.

[ArtilleryHill]

Mid-1980s with the Triangle Hunt. J. P. Cauley had invited me to ride with him, and when the field went one way he went another, down a dirst lane on the opposite side of a pine covert from where the field were. 'I have a feeling we’ll see something here," he said. So we stood quietly there, and, sure enough, after a few minutes, out popped a beautiful red fox, about 50 feet from us. He came out of the woods into the lane, stopped and gave us a long look, then trotted away as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

After tally-hoing, Mr. Cauley turned to me and said, " Viewing a red fox on your first hunt! That’s good luck!"

He was right–I sometimes think I have been the luckiest foxhunter in the world! It was a great introduction to the sport.

[Foxtrot_s]

I was quite young - in the late fifties and it was in Kenya. Mr Duirs came by to pick me up and we hacked to the hunt. (No horse trailers in those days - just trains to get the race horses to Nairobi for the races.)The hunt was miles and miles away. He said we would do hounds pace at 9 miles an hour. So we jogged along. The hunt went in the direction away from home, so by the time it was finished we were even further from home. My little desert Arab horse, Jamilla, was perfect. Had a wonderful day. Ended up at a farmhouse where we were fed and the lady phoned my home and my Dad came to pick me up as it was dark. Jamilla was ridden home the next morning by her syce (groom). These guys would ride barefoot and in shorts, don’t know how, and they rode with the branch of the stirrup iron between their big toes and the second toe. We hunted jackal. The hunt was the Molo hounds.

Years later (at fourteen) I fell in love with the oldest son of the Master – he was funny and had that derring-do of the Irish. The family was actually a branch of the Thaedy (sp) Ryans of the Black and Tans. But the son went to Ireland and became a priest.

My, I had better stop baring my soul for all the world to see…!

[SLW]

Circa 1970 or '71, my Pony Club hunted with Tryon Hounds. It was fun!! We minded our manners and had a great day and returned at the next invite. The one and only time I was blooded was on a TH hunt back in the early 70’s.

[Foxtrot_s]

…always use a breast strap and D-ring savers. See what good advice we get from COTH
posters? Oh, my - I do remember doing exactly the same thing on one hunt, way back, because as the horse warms up the saddle pads compress. The saddle had slipped back and the girth was in effect almost a bucking strap - we were happily galloping along and someone rides up beside me and casually mentions that my girth is not where it should be, and the next trick was to slow down and correct the situation.

[LockeMeadows]

Early 90’s.

My first time out was my pony’s first time out. It was Thanksgiving and we actually had snow on the ground. We were in the second field. Pony cantered up to the first coop, jumped like Gem Twist, and bucked me off on the other side. Instructor cussed me up one side and down the other for coming off. The rest of the day was spent making sure I didn’t fall off again. We arrived back to trainer’s farm in one piece and I cleaned tack for the rest of the afternoon as punishment for falling off.

Pony actually hunted well the rest of the season, but I never trusted the little bugger. The following year, I tried my Children’s Hunter, and to this day, she was the safest horse I’ve ever sat on in the field. When hunting first flight, I needed spurs and a crop because she was so quiet. She never became up-set and I could grab mane and kick if the situation warranted. We hunted on the side of a mountain (Blue Ridge Hunt) and the territory is pretty trappy. She was so much fun and thinking about those days, sure has put a big 'ol smile on my face.

Rose, thanks for the memories. :sadsmile:

[tobruk]

hunt

Wow, Thanksgiving mid-fifties with the Fox River Valley. It was really cold. I was riding one of Arab show mares, Top Ten Halter, and she was great. No such thing as Hilltoppers then, everbody was first flight. What’s not to like? Oh to do it again.

[Lifting_Chickk]

Holy cow, I’m such a newbie!

I started in August of 2008. My second hunt was more memorable that the first…

…The hunt ran into several nests of ground bees. Those nasty suckers didn’t leave a horse or rider un-stung!

…Then, we were trotting down a hill in the woods, coming to a low spot in the clearing when my horse slipped, tripped or otherwise lost her footing and her front end flew out from underneath her, slamming us both to the ground!

I was thrown into the woods and continued to scramble away from her as I heard her struggle to get up. (I didn’t want to get under any of her hooves!) When the commotion stopped, I got up, turned back to see my horse calmly walking up the path. She stopped and looked at me, quite confused as to how that had just happened.

We were both generally ok, so I remounted and off we went to finish our second hunt!

I did owe the fieldmaster a case of her favorite beer…

Our second season starts in a month and I can hardly wait!!!

[Groro]

My mother-in-law who was the niece of Miss Charlotte Haxall Noland of Foxcroft School fame organized a hunting trip to Middleburg (my husband were living in Colorado at the time). We stayed with her friends, had dinner parties planned in our behalf with famous people (Rodney Jenkins and Gail Wofford) and had all the caps and hireling paid for ahead of time.

Our first day was with Piedmont at Old Welbourne riding Foxcroft School horses. Erskine Bedford was leading the field and ribbed my husband (who had worked for him in high school) about his misdeeds to no end. It was 1984 and I’m not sure who the huntsman was, but we galloped and jumped coops, gates and walls to no end. I knew that I was meant to hunt (I was a H/J trainer). Still hunting and now just made a MFH for the upcoming season!

All thanks to Miss Kitty!

[Foxtrot_s]

Congratulations - big honour, lots of work. They spotted your potential way back when they organized those dinner parties for you.

[Painted_Wings]

1981 Blessing (probably October). I was dating a hunt member. He invited me to the opening hunt and the hunt ball. I had a four year old Tb. Hunted First Flight (didn’t know any better). Horse was good, jumped everything, stayed quiet. Had a lovely time.

Didn’t know that you don’t take four year old TBs in the hunt field first flight, first time, on a big day like blessing with lots of people in the field.

He was the quietest horse, I’ve ever had. (yes full TB with papers). Used to fall asleep on the cross ties. He made a career out of fox hunting. Not really brave enough to be an eventer which is what I did at the time. Couldn’t afford hunt club membership.

[Risk-Averse_Rider]

My first time out with Prozac Pony, I tried to keep him at the back of the (only) field - but he was riled up and I was a weenie. I’m pretty sure we ended up going back early. By the third time I tried to take him out, we stopped at a check and I could feel his heart pounding in his chest - clearly, neither of us was having a good time, so I packed it in.

Unfortunately, our hunt isn’t big enough to have a hilltopping group (unless I recruit and lead them so I was pretty much left to my own devices. Not a good way to start.

Not sure if it was the next season or the one after that, but by then I had Mr. Blondie, and an interesting woman from Chicago had moved to our barn with her 18h Art Deco offspring. They were both rehabbing from something, so were willing to trundle along at the back and babysit us. Some of you may recall my Mr. Blondie Ventures Out With the Beagles tales… I have lost the first one (and possibly the 2nd), so I can’t relate it in detail like I originally did.

Let’s just say that our first outing together went something like this:

[LIST=1]

The beagles strike a scent immediately, and the field takes off.

We turn our horses away so they won't be tempted to join in the merriment.

We wander aimlessly in the desert in search of the hunt.

We spy the hunt. Heading hell bent for leather straight at us. Oh, crap! Big Horse starts to wig out and is in danger of backing into a cactus. We dismount and walk back to the trailers (because neither of us can mount from the ground :rolleyes:)

We get back on at the trailers and set out again in search of the hunt.

We spy them. Heading hell bent for leather straight at us. Oh, crap! We dismount and walk back to the trailers.

We lounge the horses, then get back on.

We search for the hunt again.

We see/hear them rapidly approaching again, but are able to get out of their way and stand on the other side of a dirt road watching them scream past.

We hear the sound of an unknown number of ATVs approaching us unseen over a hill.

We dismount and walk back to the trailers (luckily for us, not too far this time).

We get back on and head out in search of the hunt again. (We are nothing if not persistent.)

We encounter them heading back in at a sedate pace and manage to slip in behind them without incident. [/LIST] [I]Fin[/I]

I eventually realized that my best chance at surviving in the hunt field was to recruit other People Who Are Willing to Trundle Along at the Back and create my own hilltopping group.

That’s mostly been pretty successful :yes: