March 3. March 24.
Signing on for 3/24.
We are going to do 2 coth spring weekends?
Mr. ManyDogs’ BD is March 17, so that wouldn’t work for me. I don’t think he’d quite understand. Imagine that!!! LOL
March 24. I’ll be in NY on March 3. Have to be. 
Count me in!!!
Hi all!!
I’ve been lurking for wayyyyy too long now! But I really want to come on March 24. I’m a 55yr old re-rider, I evented novice level up till about 6 yrs ago. But not so much lately, due to divorce, remarried etc. But #1 on my Bucket List is to fox hunt! HR I will need a horse, I’ll pm you tommorrow. And post more to everyone else as well!! I’m so excited!!!
Anyone wanting to sign up needs to email me at home. Info on my website.
Dates are 3/3 and 3/24, with rain date for each being 3/31.
HR - sent you an email - Count me in for the 24th!:yes:
This is shaping up nicely!!
March 24 will be from Hunter’s Rest. March 3 will be from another fixture (all are within 5 miles of here.) March 31 (if we have to go to our rain date for either) is from the Old Dominion Hounds kennels (4 miles from here - in Orlean.)
I’m so excited by the interest in hounds and hunting, but I have to insert somewhere (and here’s just as good a place as any) that – you guys, please understand that while we are welcoming and encouraging and hopeful to share foxhunting, it is an EXTREME SPORT. Even though you’ll be under capable leadership mounted on angelic kindly well trained experienced veterans, they are NOT STUFFED ANIMALS and we often FLY around VERY ROUGH terrain for hours and hours. Sometimes, yes, its a dressed-up-trail-ride-with-dogs, and yes, the third field (where all newbies will be, for several seasons, if you’re doing this once-a-year) was created with first-timers and not-quite-fit riders etc., it is an EXTREME SPORT.
Please understand that riding once a week in lessons many years ago won’t be enough - fitness or skill. Please understand that riding once a week in lessons NOW might not be enough - fitness or skill.
We’re not only riding amongst ourselves - we’re riding with 40-60 other mounted hunters, amongst 40-some foxhounds, all of which we MUST BE UNDER CONTROL to stay safe.
I hope everybody who’s ever dreamed of hunting will investigate, contact me (or Wateryglen, or JSwan, or Whicker, or any of the other hostess’ down here) and find out more. At the very least, newcomers are encouraged to cartop and follow the hunt so you know what to expect when you ride with us!
Tally ho!!
Don’t know that I can make the 14 hour treck from FL for just one hunt (hoping to get up next fall for the Fieldhunter Championships or VA Hunt Week)…but IF I can, March 24th is best…it’s VERY tempting!!!
March 3rd (my birthday!!!)…is also our Live Oak Hunt Ball Weekend that as a fieldmaster, I always attend!
Foxhunter,
If you make the trek up here, and can expand the time, we do have other sister hunts very near by. Since you are thinking of driving, are you thinking of bringing your own horses?
Please p.m. or email me, and I’ll see what H.R. and I can conjure up for you.:winkgrin:
Learning from you is going to be fun, too!
Does one need a VA hunting license?
Yes.
I might be interested, if Chief has not sold by then.
A couple of people have asked if he hunts, but I haven’t taken him out. I have every reason to believe he would make a great foxhunter, but you can’t tell until you try.
He will be Novice/Training level fit, so I would hope to go out in a field that does jump. (I have capped in the past with other horses, so I have some idea of what is involved.)
Yes everyone needs a Va. hunting license. Its easy and inexpensive to get and print out online or at any Walmart or simliar store with sporting goods.
‘… for just one hunt …’
Errr – there are a dozen hunts within an hour of my farm, for goodness sakes, plus a couple private packs. Most go out 3 days a week. You could hunt for a month and never repeat fixtures or even hunts! For goodness sakes, you experienced hunters with veteran horses are more than welcome to come and stay and hunt and ride and join this CotH group as part of your own, personal ‘Virginia Hunt Week, spring style.’
Janet yes come along. I definitely let my third field jump/lark occasionally as appropriate (when we’re not in the way) so you can try that, or go on with it in the first field, but I do warn you they often run-and-jump quite a lot. You wouldn’t want to count on it to be a quiet easy day with canter/trot/jump/canter away. More often becomes run/run/run/gallop/jump/fly away. Definitely not conducive to a first time foxhunting horse.
Janet - I know everyone would be pleased as punch if you’d come!
For newbies or foxhunters visiting from other states - here is the info needed to purchase a hunting license in VA. You can purchase it on-line - and mounted foxhunters are exempt from the hunter education requirement.
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/licenses/
Also - this is as good a time to mention this as any…
Anyone riding or attempting to access a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Virginia must now posses a permit. A hunting or fishing license is acceptable - but trail riders, in or out of hunting season - must also purchase an access permit.
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/access-permit/
Feel free to crosspost that information
I don’t think it’s feasible for me right now, but that would be a killer of a birthday present from Mr Helio… But I’ll ask my questions for those that might need the same information:
I’ve been “lightly” hunting with GVH the past 2 seasons, due to timing conflicts and not having my own rig. That being said I have full control of my horse at all times and have done the “standing for 20 minutes, trot 10min to another field and stand some more” days to the “Hold on, this is going to be a bumpy ride!” days, comfortable jumping coops/obstacles from akward spots and gaits. What do you consider “seasoned” hunt horses? I would not want to be “that rider” as a guest at any hunt!
Going along with the “lightly” hunted experience, what my hunt considers hilltoppers they rarely break out of a trot and enjoy watching from afar. My sponsor has our group in our 2nd or 3rd flight field depending on the riders we have, where we’re not right up with the hounds galloping hard through the countryside for hours, but still within sight of the Master at a good pace, mostly trotting/cantering for the hunt. Where would riders at this level be at with the COTH hunt, or did I miss something completely and everyone would be hilltopping?
Regarding attire and tack: From what I’ve gathered in different threads, I’ve surmised that my hunt is a little more lax in the traditions of attire. People are still well mounted with well fitting tack and garb, but skull caps with black covers are seen frequently, clincher browbands and fancy bridles are used for example. I have a navy hunt coat, which is technically a faux pax, but it’s what I have that fits and allows me to move about. It’s clean and I have a white shirt, white stocktie and a canary vest on underneath. We also are very casual for cubbing, as in a fitted polo shirt and breeches are the most common (that’s what I’ve personally seen, it may not be correct!). Again, I would hate to show up in what I’ve used in the past and get the “you poor b@stard” look 
Oh and I looked up HR’s site trying to figure out costs associated with the weekend. I saw the $75/night for horse and rider and I saw the Pampered Ladies FH weekend, but no price for that listed. I think I’ve seen the past caping fee waived/taken care of, but might have glossed over that particular detail in this thread.
Please educate the ignorant! Thank you! COTH hunting weekend has just been added to my bucket list.
Helio
You’re perfect. Ahead of the curve in terms of experience/knowledge/enlightenment.
Attire – I wear a racing skull cap with black cover. No fancy bridles. Plain, flat tack. Navy is NOT a faux pas, not at all, ever. Black or navy are interchangable. Shirt, stock, vest sound right. We’re not that casual for cubbing.
Take it private for horse boarding/lodging : ) but capping fees with ODH are 100 on weekdays, 150 on weekends/holidays. Other hunts are more/less/similar. There are virtually no other costs b/c of the shared hosting down here and we go out for a few meals, so, really, it is actually a bargain of a weekend that’s a ton of fun.
PS Your hilltoppers may ‘watch from afar’ but my third field (about the same as you describe – I go as fast/slow as needed for my field each day) is actually often IN the hunt! Last CotH we were literally at the middle of a tight circle run by a red fox (we saw him!). We were in a little open field by the Jordan River, some bluffs, and a thick woods. We literally stood still and the fox/hounds/huntsman/staff/flying field ran circles around us. It was awesome and we barely had to move an inch!
Hunting Princesses Unite!
So I see we’re gonna be having some more Hunting Princess initiations! I’ll get the tiara’s ready!
OH! And I found the BEST shop in old town Occoquan…it’s ALL princess stuff! A WHOLE shop of sparkly, princess stuff! Lots of different kinds of tiara’s, flasks, feathers, drinking accoutrements, wands, all just too numerous to list! But the tiara selections left me speechless! I found a real rhinestone one that looked perfect on me! They even had baseball hat tiara’s!! I couldn’t leave the place!
Needless to say, I’m in for either & all weekends IF I’m not working.
wooooooohooooooooo
The HP’s are on the move!!
