Just wondering how many hunts wear formal attire after opening day during the week. I know tradition, tradition… but I hear the trend may be changing and ratcatcher is acceptable these days. Any thoughts?
Ratcatcher, traditionally, is always acceptable during the week if it is not a joint-meet/formal day (holiday, etc.).
However, I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve actually seen wearing it during the week on the times I’ve been able to go out. At least for me, I’d rather wear my formal coats because they are warmer. 
We hunt only in formal attire after Opening Meet. I prefer it.
I do not think the CURRENT trend is changing but it is perhaps currently what you thought it was changing TOO…
Some hunts in my area that go out 2 days a week stipulate one of those 2 days is formal, the other is not. EX: Deep Run is formal Tuesdays and ratcatcher Thursdays, as is Farmington (I discovered to my chagrin recently as I failed to toss a formal jacket in the truck on a Tuesday morn, argh).
Others are ratcatcher both weekdays (Keswick and I think Bull Run).
Most everyone is formal weekends and high holy days.
But somewhere I recall that ratcatcher is always proper for juniors regardless of the day. Not sure about adults - might be for guests??? I know it has been mentioned on the board before…
Would like to hear about others out of the area.
We are in formal dress to hunt after our Opening Day and I believe that all of us feel pretty good about it.
Hotspur
Metamora Hunt
I don’t know for sure. I’ll hazard and guess and say that juniors and guests are always cut some slack. I’d hate to think a hunt would get after a guest for wearing a tweed, same with a little kid. But what do I know…
Maybe it’s in that attire guide on MFHA.com?
I was always under the impression that juniors were supposed to wear ratcatcher attire (that is until they get to an age where they stop growing!).
As for what I personally do…once opening comes around, I usually only wear formal attire. However, the new hunt we belong to, I believe, is ratcatcher during the week, and formal for weekends, opening, thanksgiving, and jt meets.
informal
Our mid-week hunt is informal. Staff and field master still wear their pinque coats so they are visible but the rest of the hunt wears tweeds and ratcatchers or colored stocks. There may be occaisionally a person not adhering to this but it is the norm. Exactly the same as for cubbing season prior to opening.
Here’s a typical day. Staff is formal, field is informal.
Here in Vermont we hunt in white polos or red (if staffing) during our cubbing season of August and September. Once we have our opening day at the end of September we hunt in formal attire both mid week and on weekend hunt days. Some might wear a colored stock tie mid week but that’s as close as we get to ratchcatcher during our formal season. It gets pretty chilly here by October and especially into November so wool coats are a necessity! Our club always makes exceptions for juniors or cappers to wear what they may have in the closet as long as it’s conservative. Wouldn’t want someone not to hunt with us just because they don’t have just the right color hunt jacket.
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I found out today – as I arrived in my lovely dark grey jacket and colored stock tie – that Snickersville does not do Ratcatcher at their weekday meet. After Opening Meet, it’s all formal days.
Whoops!:o
I had BOTH my black coats hanging in my trailer this morning, but did I leave either of them there? Noooooo. :no: I deposited them both in the house before I left for the meet.
Won’t make that mistake again!
Live Oak Hounds hunts Ratcatcher on Wednesdays. Formal on Friday and Sunday.
Paradise Valley Beagles is informal on weekdays. I love rocking the ratcatcher.
I’m not sure about Grand Canyon; I’ve never managed to get out mid-week with them. Sad that I don’t know.
After Opening Hunt it’s always formal for us. It makes it kinda nice, saves time by keeping ya from dinking through the cubbing stock tie drawer looking for kewl mixes and matches for the winter shirts. 
[QUOTE=gothedistance;I found out today – as I arrived in my lovely dark grey jacket and colored stock tie – that Snickersville does not do Ratcatcher at their weekday meet. After Opening Meet, it’s all formal days.
Whoops!:o]
What mistake?
You were perfectly proper in dark grey, (perferably solid) and all you needed was a white stock tie in lieu of the coloured one.
You would also have been entirely proper in navy blue.
UNLESS of course the SH MFH stipulates black coats only!
Has anyone else noticed the increasingly popularity of navy blue? I see it all around, some fields have as much navy as black on a formal Saturday. (I love navy blues, a much more flattering colour to me than the harsher black). Just wondering about the “properbility” factor of a matching navy helmet, as I am seeing lots of those too but I am guessing it is ok and see no reason why it shouldn’t pass muster.
Variety is the spice of life!
In my former hunt, it was proper for ladies with colors to have navy coats with colors on the collar, so of course I had the navy helmet to match!!
I still have my navy frock with the new hunt (not colors) and plan to wear it. Navy is equally proper as black.
We never even noticed! You and your mighty steed were neat, clean, and polite. Now, if you had left your flask at home, that might be a different story :lol:
Yes, me and “Mini Me” as Andy has now been nicknamed by another hunt member! :lol:!!
I really, really appreciate that this hunt is so open and accomodating to an adult riding a pony – Andy may be small but boy can he keep up with the big guys on the fast runs and he LOVES foxhunting! No wonder the kids fought each other to get to ride him hunting – he’s a real packer, and dead quiet at the checks and around hounds. Everyone in the field all knew his name before they knew mine! Since he’s up there in age he’s only on duty for the Wednesday hunts – my endurance horse does the Sunday hunts.
Oh, and (dare I admit)… I wasn’t carrying a flask.:o Had an appointment with the dentist right after the hunt – not the time to have whiskey on my breath, I decided. Thus, I had to turn down the multiple tempting offers all morning!
I love the informal days. It is so much fun shopping for tweed coats. Oh, and the vests to go wtih them. I haven’t even been able to wear my really nice tweed this year yet. It was way too warm this fall. We were in polos at first and then finally I got to wear a lightweight Ariat show coat that I have that is a nice tan plaid but is was still much too warm for a wool tweed.
Correction!
GTD - I just checked our website, looking at our new cartopping guidelines, and found the following -
“We promote the guidelines noted in Mr. Wadsworth’s book, Riding to Hounds In America for formal attire. Ratcatcher attire is always acceptable.”
So you were FINE! Except for the part about leaving your flask at home. Even if you can’t tipple, I know for a fact the huntsman was parched…
Liz.
I had read the website, which is why I elected to wear that lovely dark grey coat on Wednesday – which matches so beautifully with my pewter pony and was lightweight for the very warm day. But …with everyone showing up formal, I’m going to just follow the crowd from now on. I have two black coats, so I might as well give them some decent wear! I can save the Ratcatcher for next fall.
I’ll have to ask Todd what he likes to drink, and put that in my flask for next time! 
My son said I should put in Royal Grouse (The Queen’s Own). Must look on FOL to find out the favorite brew of those that imbibe!
