Instead of being in bed because I’m exhausted from a fabulous day of winter hunting or getting up early to go hunting…I’m munching on Double Stuf Oreo’s and milk. 
That being said, yesterday I took my coats and canary vest into the dry cleaners for the end of season cleaning & dropped off a piece of my hunt bridle that I wanted altered. I’m making my final selections for a couple things to order for next season.
Anyone else at this point or am I already behind the curve???
You mean you’re not walking hounds and working with the puppies three days a week??? Not getting ready for hound shows??? The first day of walking hounds is always the first day of the new season for me. So to my way of thinking, I only have about one month of withdrawal out of the entire year.
Which is good because I can eat a LOT of Oreo’s! 
My Coat has been to the cleaners and back already
My beagling coat still needs to go though as our Basseting season went until last weekend. I go to my first horse trials this weekend. I have been outriding at Rolex and out of town on business three weeks in April.
So now I have a two year old I’ll finally have time to start working because I’m not hunting. I’ve got a three year old that has only been beagling and my four year old needs dressage work and some XC schooling so she can start eventing.
Then my other two eventers just need regular old dressage work.
Oh, and the beagle pack needs regular exercise. Right now all the bitches are in heat so I have to watch that too.
Plus I’ve volunteered to help clear/maintain trails at the hunt club and walkout/road hounds.
So I will miss hunting but I have plenty to do with horses and hounds.
JSwan-the hound walking is done during the hours I work so, nope, no walking right now though when they move to some Saturday walks I’ll be there along w/ the scheduled trail rides. However, last week my boss did ask me “when hunting resumes do you need all day Weds or just half day off?”. Sweet!!
PW- how was Rolex for you?? What are your responsibilites as an outrider? And dang, you have a barn full of young horses to work!
Argh - how dare work get in the way of hound walking! You poor thing. But I am glad that your boss has already anticipated your mental health day needs for the upcoming season.
PW - I am insanely jealous. I’m sidelined for another two weeks - my 4 year old decided he was Done For The Day and I went splat. Sometimes I really dislike young horses. Oh well - haven’t fallen in a couple of years so I was about due. Hope you had a good time outriding at Rolex - and have fun over the summer with your horses.
I need a 38 Long Frock - so if y’all come across a good price on a heavyweight one - please holler. Y’all are ahead of me on getting things cleaned - I need everything taken in as well as cleaned - guess I should get started on that. It may take a while for tailoring to be finished.
ETA - oh - since you’re suffering withdrawal - perhaps you’d like to take a look at this website? This lady takes lovely photographs of several hunts (mounted and foot packs) in our area - and she just posted the photos of Ashland Bassets at Stratford Hall for Coaching Day. The whole website is interesting - but you might like a “fix” of horse and hound photos!
Enjoy.
http://www.KarenLMyers.org (select “Hunting Diary” for most of the photos)
Outriding is fun. I’ve been doing it for six years. Basically you stand around and look pretty and let people pet your horse. Occaisionally there is a loose horse to catch. Also you blow a whistle to warn the crowds that a horse is coming.
So your horse needs to stand quiet in a crowd while horse’s gallop by at great rates of speed. He needs to be able to have 10 little girls gathered around petting all parts of his body. He needs to be able to take treats no matter how they are presented without taking a finger.
The best part is being able to check out the course on Sunday morning after the event is over. I don’t jump anything but I play in the water and have a generally good time in a beautiful park.
I don’t have photos of him this year but here’s photos of him from last year at Rolex.
Oh and he has to drink beer with my friends and let my husband parade up and down the barn aisle on him bareback.
http://www.pbase.com/stl_don/rolex_maurice
http://www.pbase.com/lesliegra/image/78141365
http://www.pbase.com/lesliegra/image/78141367
http://www.pbase.com/lesliegra/image/78141368
http://www.pbase.com/lesliegra/image/78141370
Had fabulous rides on my young horses today. Found out though that my three year old who will cross huge creeks at home is balky at any kind of water in a strange place. She will definitely have to spend time roading this summer.
My stuff has already been to the cleaners and back, since it gets hot fast in FL and if you leave your coat sweated up and nasty in your trailer too long it gets gross quick
new black coat has already arrived and had the colors to my second hunt affixed to it 
Hunt tack has been cleaned and put up
Have already been hound walking quite a bit and also bathing etc
Feeling guilty now as I look at our coats piled on the chair! So have now added dropping those off at the cleaner to my list today. Nothing like a little guilt to get me moving in the morning! :winkgrin: Might just start washing winter blankets, too…so much for my day of eating Oreos!! :lol:
How do you get to outride at rolex? I always thought it would be fun to do. Do you stay in the same place all day?
Several years ago we were at Rolex and saw the mounted police out there. Well, the first rider goes by and one of the police horses stats squirrling around. Then the second rider went by and it was all over. He bolted, bucked and dumped the cop.
JSwan- ouch. Hope your back in the saddle ASAP. I’m busy ponying my 2010 Hunting horse around hell and high water. Yesterday we did high water, steep hills and deep mud. He was a fabulous yearling trooper and when a deer played peek-a-boo on the other side of some brush where I had stopped to let my two graze, he only did one jump as the deer bolted. Kewl. And gee whiz, you live in the Mecca of foxhunt clothing, not much we midwesterners can do for ya in that department!
PW- what fun to be on the scene at Rolex. Love the photos, especially your horse enjoying a well deserved cold one at the barn!
JM- you are waaaaay on top of things!!! I’ll clean my hunt bridle after I pick up the altered piece later this week.
SR- you go!!! It rocks to have the hunt coats dropped off at the cleaners in May, kinda like getting a little Christmas shopping done in July!! 
For the record…I put the first of 8 blankets in the washer this morning–and I am really proud of myself now that I have! :yes:
[QUOTE=J ETA - oh - since you’re suffering withdrawal - perhaps you’d like to take a look at this website? This lady takes lovely photographs of several hunts (mounted and foot packs) in our area - and she just posted the photos of Ashland Bassets at Stratford Hall for Coaching Day. The whole website is interesting - but you might like a “fix” of horse and hound photos!
Enjoy.
http://www.KarenLMyers.org (select “Hunting Diary” for most of the photos)[/QUOTE]
Thank you! Thank You! These made my day!!
Rolex Outriding
Here are photos of outriding this year’s Rolex
http://www.pbase.com/stl_don/rolex_08_misc
Here are the whole list of photos.
Disbelief!
I can’t believe you people cleaning your stuff already!!! I thought it was an old hunting tradition to not have your coats cleaned until a week before opening!?? ditto on cleaning your hunting tack…clean it the night before first cubbing!!! :winkgrin: Yessirreee! I’m so not compulsive…
I mean, who cleans their house except the day before company for crying out loud!!??
You are making me feel…inadequate!
As for withdrawl…2 green broke fillies needing riding & trail rides & mileage & that will cure that one mighty fast. Then take them around a field that has sheep AND an attack llama that honks & spits and then you’ll find out what you have under you or beside you depending on how you choose to handle it. AND how much work you have to do. No time for withdrawl.
I second this! My clothes and boots are still completely caked in mud from out last hunt TWO WEEKENDS AGO. My horse did get his shoes put back on though. In NTX there’s no point in putting shoes on any hunt horse since they’ll be sucked right off in the knee-deep mud (for ponies it’s stifle deep in some areas).
I’m planning on going to the Harvard Hounds hunter pace next weekend, but there’s no such thing as a pair for my crazy horse, so I’m visiting with friends instead of riding. I may end up going to a local jumper show instead though… still undecided.
I (my parents) decided not to take my horse to DC for the fall, so I’m not going to have anything to ride or hunt on 
I’ve been kept busy getting ready to outride at Rolex - I got in this year! Here’s a picture of Buddy and me; he’s got major QH 'tude. He liked Maurice, PW’s horse, and was NOT happy being ridden away from the group!
http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2720744980041571637WLIuXo
And I bought a horse at Rolex, so he’s kept me busy.
http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2733991400041571637zhYtAw
The hunt coat and vest are going to the cleaner’s on Monday, and tonight I’m going to a crop night to scrapbook my Rolex pictures and memories.
Tomorrow I’m marking the course for Sunday’s hunter pace, and one of the bassets at the kennels is due to have her puppies on May 24. So hopefully I’ll get to smell puppy breath soon.
Then the last week of May I’m going to visit an online foxhunting friend in Delaware, and to attend Devon with her. Never been there, so it should be fun!
Of course I have Buddy to keep in shape; Tulsa to leg up, and Atikus hasn’t been ridden in almost a year due to time constraints. Winston is still fighting his autoimmune disease, and Thomas is getting sounder every day. I hope next year to take him to Rolex as my outriding horse!
Then hound walks start in June with Wolf Creek, but with the price of diesel I don’t know how often I’ll go down. Sure hope it drops by fall…
R66Kix- ugh, that was some shopping trip to return from Rolex w/ a horse!!! I like your style!!! Tell about that that fabulous looking barn in the photos!!!
Which photo? It might be the stone barn at Ashford Stud in Kentucky?
Yes, the stone barn series of photos. If my house was half as elegant as that barn I would be in high cotton.
Tell about your new horse too!! Will he be a hunting horse???
Our hunt’s formal trail ride for today was cancelled but at the last minute a small group met at the kennels for road riding. Couldn’t resist a gallop across a brome field, ah, life is good!
Well, the coat and vest got cleaned after the western challenge. The one dirty and torn blanket…lingering in the garage…
So I am playing with my newly acquired 3 yo and trail riding the 5 yo. And plotting hunting opportunities in August and September.
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