Have your clubs discussed having a breakfast following the hunt this year with Covid being a factor? If so, what are you hearing? We are not having breakfast for the near future this season. Members will be allowed to linger if they are comfortable doing so and allowed to bring a snack to enjoy. By the start of the New Year we may be able to resume normal operations.
Curious to know what other groups are proposing.
That’s pretty much what I hear at our hunt club —through emails to members. However, my personal concern is WHERE will members linger? The hunt club has a bar and dining room (restrooms, of course) --all the members packed into the hunt club is not going to be allowed] [as many as 50 at times] --so where? Lawn chairs in the barn aisle? Possible, but dusty with a dirt floor and the hunt horses hanging out their stalls while we eat . . .
Our hunt officially opens Oct. 1. I drive 90 min alone with my horse to get there each week. Not sure I want to get up before dawn, load horse, hunt for 2-4 hours, then sit shivering in my lawn chair in the stable picking at something I’ve packed in. There would be limited “social” time as moving about and chatting would be problematic keeping 6’ distance --and masks while eating? Just not sure . . .so I (almost 70) would most likely attend the hunt, and after William cooled off in his stall, would load and leave.
While riding to the hounds is a great joy --it is/was also a great joy to socialize with the members --this is what I will miss. I will have to decide if hauling three hours (there and back) is worth the effort to follow the hounds . . .I’ve paid my subscription for this season --so I will continue to go for now . . .
We are allowing it as long as you bring your own dish (no sharing), chair, drinks. Wearing a mask is required plus social distancing. Our breakfasts are always outdoors so we don’t need to worry about being inside. Funny, looking back I don’t remember being cold! Must be the flask. :lol:
I hear you on the visiting and retelling of the day following the hunt. Covid has not been a huge thing in our county BUT we have several members who are practicing MD’s so they have been keeping their distance during summer riding. Our clubhouse will be open and members will enforce whatever social distance/protection they personally need. If a problem arises then even that will be have to be stopped. Flexible and informed is the guideline for now.
I tip my hat to you for driving 90 minutes each way to your hunt. There is one fixture we hunt that is a 90 minute drive for me and that drive home after being out in the winter air riding for hours just exhausts me. We have a reciprocal arrangement to hunt with club that takes me an hour to drive to. It’s a different drive, skirting the metro area verses full on interstate at the other fixture I mentioned. I can hunt with that club just a few times a year because the actual hunting is fast, fast so I’m tired from that. 
I regularly drive between 90 minutes to 2 1/2 hours to our meets. No opening hunt party this year . I Plan on getting a sandwich ahead of time for the ride back but no plans at all to go to hunt breakfasts, and I doubt if there will be any. So glad that hunting is something we can do and be distanced. This will be my 30th year of hunting and can honestly say it is weird.
No stirrup cups prior to hunting and no shared breakfast after. Only on the very rare occasion do these occur indoors, so being outside visiting isn’t a stretch. People are welcome to be their own food, just not sharing.
We are having an Opening Day breakfast at an outside venue, but none of the breakfasts that are traditionally hosted at member-homes. We have been cubbing since July and have been doing tailgates, but with packaged food and farther distance between people. Some are wearing masks, some are not. I have yet to feel uncomfortable at a tailgate.
I am not sure what we will do about the stirrup cup this season. There was talk of doing it with disposable cups instead of the traditional glass, but I do not know where that has landed.
Send out for pizza. That is what we used to do at my barn. Not a hunt barn, but still horses hanging their heads out over their doors while we ate, dust on the floor, and barn cats jumping down off the square bales to see what we were eating and beg a bite.
Great days.
@Rackonteur --Ordering pizza at first seems like a lovely idea. I think if you reflect on your suggestion of sending out for pizza you can see that this would not work well in the present social distancing COVID era --the problem would first be collecting money, ordering pizza for many individuals, and then distributing the pizza --each person taking a slice results in a lot of hands in a pizza box —and the proximity of standing in line for the pizza --six feet apart? Remember we are talking 30 to 50 people in 12 foot barn aisles. Add tables and hay bales for seats, that’s a pretty small area. What to drink with the pizza? Cups? napkins? Trash cans?
–and then there’s the set up --who will come in early from hunting to make sure everything is ready? and clean up --who will linger to take care of cleaning up? Should a member decide to leave after eating, his or her horse would need to be lead out of the stable (80 stalls in there, 40 on each side), past everyone eating, drinking --not safe with a crowd of people.
We have been a hunt club for 90+ years (97, I think) --our board is made up of intelligent men and women who have struggled with the questions of how to follow government requirements and keep members safe. At this time, the hunt will run; the club and bar will remain closed; members may linger after the hunt and bring their own food and beverages if they choose to do so. Social distance is expected. I suppose if a few chose to send out for pizza --that could be done --but I will not be among them. Too risky at my age.
well there are new age solutions such as electronic cash transfers, ordering on line and individual sized boxes -which they pizza place around here have had for lunch orders to-go for at least two decades… I know Not Traditional but could be easily done
oh my “What to drink with the pizza? Cups? napkins? Trash cans?”…surely that could be handled by the hired help
We ended up having delicious box lunches after Opening Hunt his past weekend. Tables were set up outside and members decided how many people they were comfortable with at their table and no one thought any ill feelings towards those who topped off at 4 at the table verses other tables that had a few more people seated. It worked out nice.
Winter weather won’t allow us to do this anymore but it sure was fun for Opening Hunt to have the time together afterwards to visit.
So far the weather has allowed us to gather outdoors with lawn chairs and our individually brought lunches --that will change on our next hunt --weather has gotten colder, rain/snow predicted —there is talk of using the indoor ring . . .right now, however, our state limits gatherings . . .so may not happen —
Apple pie and honey lemon tea is a good option.
Not sure where @Jessica1 and @Kane8907 are coming from --but to the topic of hunt breakfasts --sadly and hopefully temporarily the hunt breakfasts at our club evolved as predicted. After 3 to 3.5 hours of vigorous riding after Mr. Fox in the Michigan weather (colder all the time) horses are cooled and put into stalls with hay and water, then lawn chairs are placed into the aisle (dirt floor) at a safe social distance and each person balances a self-prepared meal on his/her knees then tries to make conversation as best one can. Moving around is discouraged and difficult as what does one do with the meal on the knees as one tries to rise and visit with another member? Set it on the dirt?
As people leave (was the first to leave this week as it was quite cold on the hunt, and I could not face my salad sitting shivering in front of Will’s stall) --one must lead horses through the gauntlet of lawn chairs as toes and drinks are shifted out of the way. My horse tried to be polite and say hello/goodbye to each member by shoving his face into whatever they were eating. Of course the hooves stirred up a bit of dust . . .
I keep telling myself this is just temporary, but at this point I am driving 3 hours (90 min each way) to hunt for 3-4 hours. The drive home is tough. I’m cold, trying to eat my food with one hand and drive --frankly, I miss the social aspect (as I’m sure everyone does). Often I would as fellow riders who live near me take out my second flight horse --but now each must drive separately, so help there.
I did ask the board why a table or chairs can’t be provided --statement made that the board encourages people to LEAVE after hunting --any tables or chairs or using the indoor arena would be seen as “allowing a gathering” —since there are many medical and law enforcement people in the club, all COVID rules are being followed. That’s good --I am high risk with age –
So that’s the update on hunt breakfasts for my club --the members gather, the hounds run, and we are doing the best we can —still, for this old gal who has been hunting for 55 years, it is, as it is for all of us now, a difficult time
Yes, the clubs have to adhere to Covid guidelines in their area so good of the Masters to be on top of the latest information. We still are not having hosted hunt breakfast so we do all our socializing and catching up before and after the hunt at the trailers. Like you, we have members who are practicing physicians and they would alert us if there was a problem.
I’m just so thankful we have been able to continue to hunt during Covid because it provides the physical, mental and in some cases emotional escape from the virus and the isolation it forced on society this year.
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