Yay! News from my first hunt! **UPDATE, photos **

[pvcjumper]

I am so happy i decided to follow through with going! Thank you all who were supportive!

I am barely alive today. My muscles are all so sore, even my toe and finger muscles! I didnt even change clothes after getting home, I layed directly on the couch, boots and all for a 45 minute nap that turned into 4 hours. I will definitely hand it to you all, foxhunting definitely requires you to be in shape! It was great though. I had a blast. The first 1/2 hour or so i spent most of my time trying to keep the horse ‘collected and controlled’ and finally realized if i just let him go he was a perfect gentleman all on his own. After that it was even more fun because i stopped fussing with him.

2 field master and 2 other people somehow disappeared after about the first half hour and the ENTIRE second field had no clue where she went, and then finally she came out of nowhere! At the point where we were all standing around looking for her, the hounds had found a fox in the next field over so we got to watch that, and i did get to see the fox twice. My horse almost lost me over one small fence because he stopped and then decided to bunny hop over it (remember he is not well schooled over jumps yet). There was no required jumping except for that spot. Later the field master showed the field a circle in the woods of small 1-2ft jumps if we wanted to play, so we did. He was very good though they were small jumps.

I stayed the entire time, I wanted to push myself. Everyone called it quits after about 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Went back and had food and drinks. I excused myself after about 1/2 hours since i didnt know many people and felt a little awkward. I profusely thanked the master, and huntsman and staff and the person who supplied me a mount many many times before i left. I even stuck behind to do a gate while hunting to show respect for the other people. Everyone said i was more than welcome to come back.

That was so much fun and boy let me tell you i feel so much better getting out of the arena and learning how to ride in an entirely different style!

[Risk-Averse_Rider]

Congratulations! Glad you had a good time.

Remember - arnica is your friend. The little tablets that go under your tongue and - should you ever get a bruise - the stuff you rub on (I usually borrow some of the horses’s Sore No More liniment

[Hopefully]

PVCJumper -

Wow, good thing you weren’t out with us last week on the 5-hour hunt…

You are welcome back any time, glad it all worked out for you! Hunting needs a lot more enthusiastic converts like you.

[pvcjumper]

photo link

http://www.annemitchellphotography.com/

go to ‘online proofing’ then to ‘Snickersville Hunt 12.03.06’

I am so excited I am going back again this weekend. Its absolutely breath taking at this point to me, seeing how everything works together.

[Frecklefacedfrannie]

Ain’t hunting just a blast. The downhill snowskiing of horseback riding!!
Fran

[Risk-Averse_Rider]

Very cool!

Page 2, bottom right-hand corner. Gentleman on a gray horse, has a whip draped around his neck. What’s the significance of his red armband?

[Dices]

[QUOTE=Risk-Averse Rider;2050832]

Page 2, bottom right-hand corner. Gentleman on a gray horse, has a whip draped around his neck. What’s the significance of his red armband?[/QUOTE]

Interesting catch. Anyone have an idea?

[woodstock]

Okay this is my total guess re: red band- He looks to be a whip- perhaps he has that “red” to warn non-foxhunter-hunters of his presence (it’s still hunting season of some sort)? Didn’t wear the blaze orage b/c of tradition- but added a little safety by way of read arm band? Interestly I note that the red is more a burgandy and that he does not have his colors (at least not on this melton)- perhaps that is somehow related? Such a mystery:)

[Jennifer_Alcott]

That is the MFH and fieldmaster.

Rather than putting the emphasis of hunting on SCARLET/COLORS, he has opted to dress more subtley and put the focus on HUNTING.

(Edited to say that I mis-spoke–he has opted to put the emphasis on HUNTING and FUN!)

[Dices]

[QUOTE=woodstock;2051620]
and that he does not have his colors (at least not on this melton)- perhaps that is somehow related? Such a mystery:)[/QUOTE]

I noticed this too, that and the fact that he’s not wearing ‘pinque’ led me to doubt that he was even an actual (full time) whip. Nothing more than a photo of someone near some hounds who carries a hunting whip for gates and helping out if requested ??

[Dices]

[QUOTE=Jennifer Alcott;2051699]
That is the MFH and fieldmaster.

Rather than putting the emphasis of hunting on SCARLET/COLORS, he has opted to dress more subtley and put the focus on HUNTING.

(Edited to say that I mis-spoke–he has opted to put the emphasis on HUNTING and FUN!) :)[/QUOTE]

Ah, ok! Mystery solved then I guessed! Always the simple answers, eh?!

[Ware_Whip]

@Frecklefacedfrannie;2050453

Ain’t hunting just a blast. The downhill snowskiing of horseback riding!!
Fran

That deserves to be on a bronze plaque somewhere :yes:

Ware Whip!

[Hunter_s_Rest]

That is the master of Snickersville (the photo with the red armband.) Since he ‘owns’ the hunt, he certainly ‘has his colors.’ Can’t imagine why the armband. Maybe it was warm adn his pink coat is a heavy melton and his black one more lightweight??

[PantherCreek]

The MFH with the burgundy armband sticks out just (or puts the focus even more onhimself) asmuch or more so with his modified garb to everyone hunting. The only people he would not stick out to are the people who know nothing about foxhunting. But thenmaybe that was his intent anyway?

Drerssing down really does not prove or accomplish anything. Look at who you are trying to “reach” with that message, people who focus more on colors and scarlet? Those people are attracted to hunting for the wrong reasons, usually thakfully don’t last very long and are not the sort of people you want to keep in the sport anyway.

Why deprive the real foxhunters by taking away such a beautiful sight as scarlet agasint a winter landscape, not to speak of the ageless tradition it signifies as part of the sport?
isn’t there a better way to get the message across?

[SteeleRdr]

PantherCreek- I really wouldn’t “scorn” the guy who owns the hunt and is the master for whatever he chooses to do with his own pack. Atleast he’s close to traditional! There are lots of hunts that prefer not to have too many scarlet coats in the field and scarlet is reserved to the master(s). The other gentlemen with colors where black/navy coats with their colors. Although probably not the most traditional thing, but it’s what each hunt wants to do, and they’ve probably been around long enough to know what they’re doing. As I know the master/owner or Snickersville has been around…

[PantherCreek]

Check you dictionary, please. Scorn is a harsh word. it means extreme indignant contempt for something, utter disdain, to reject as disgraceful, to mock, jeer or ridicule.

Where did i do that? please point out my scornful comments.

all I did is ask if there was not a better way to get the message across.

My other comment was that he sticks out more with an armband than in scarlet. Very important here - I think the fact that it was commented on and questioned proves my point exactly, don’t you?

Question for you…besides Orange County, who also does not have scarlet and only has blue or navy?

Yes, we all know he has been around for ages and he knows what is proper for sure. and correct, he owns the pack himself and certainly he can do as he pleases, they are literally his hounds.

I just see it as pandering to the ignorameses of hunting.

[SteeleRdr]

A few of the gentlemen I know who ride with Piedmont who have their colors do not wear scarlet, I believe there are also a few hunts on the West coast (although I’m not completely sure).

It seems just from the tone and overall distaste your put forth to his practice would deem is scornful. And hence I put scorn in quotes in order to really say you weren’t scorning him, but sounded and awful lot like it.

Usually the armbands are a way for a master, fieldmaster, hunter trial judge to stick out. I know they are using them for the Centennial trials, but again, very different from a Master.

[PantherCreek]

well, you used the word LOT*S of hunts where navy or black was preferred and scarlet reserved for the mfh. the only hunt that i know of where t his is practiced an is a rule is orange county. i know guys who wear navy but it’s by choice and there’s scarlet in there hunt field along with navy. at Piedmont navy is by choice, as is scarlet. so that eliminates piedmont from being one of lots of hunts, right… i do not not know what goes on at the west coast hunts, but i know there are not a lot of hunts hunts out there for a fact and i have seen guys in scarlet in recent hunt photos from there. actually, there are only a very few hunts in CA and so even if all of them did it that would not make many would it? i do not know any other hunts other than oc that only has black and buttons. i would still like to know if there are others but it appears there are not lots if any or many.

my point is so i disagree with you and do not think many hunts in the usa prefer navy or black only. Not having scarlet is not regular practice and it does not seem to be lots of hutns doing it.

the armbands are just perfect for the perf trials. Have never ever seen a fm use them before.

Greg looks much better in scarlet. especially riding his nice gray horse.

[citydog]

pvcjumper, glad you had such a good time, and thanks for the update.

I don’t know the “armband guy” in question, but it seems to make sense to me as a visual aid for the field if for whatever reason he isn’t wearing a scarlet jacket.

[QUOTE=PantherCreek;2056174]
I just see it as pandering to the ignorameses of hunting.[/QUOTE]

If you’re going to be citing the dictionary in an argument, at least spell your snarks correctly. :rolleyes: :lol: :winkgrin:

[Jennifer_Alcott]

Hmmmm…a couple of the comments on this thread remind me that no matter what someone does, they can’t win.

If they try to conduct their sport humbly and without pretension, they’re criticized for “pandering to ignorameses (sic)”.

Whatever.

I can’t speak for him, but I doubt that Gregg (spelled with TWO "g"s on the end, not one) cares whether he “looks much better in scarlet”. It’s about the HUNTING, not the color in which one looks best.