Any tips for lead rein hunting please.

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Can anybody give me some tips for when we take Grandaughter 3, and friend out hunting please. They have thoroughly enjoyed the two meets they have been to, but obviously once the hunt move off we lose them very quickly. but the children thought it was fun hunting for the hunt. I know we cannot do a lot but it would be nice for them to see a bit more even if we cannot get close. I have never hunted but know enough to keep well out of everybody's way. Thank You.
 

Shay

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I'm not sure what tips you are looking for. If you are on foot then you are going to loose the hunt very fast. There isn't much you can do about that. If you try a drag hunt rather than a traditional hunt you might be able to catch up with them a bit later as the trail is usally well known. (It is in my local drag anyway!) In "traditional" hunting the trail is not known in advance - other than in the broadest terms of whose land you are going to be on.

If you are leading from horseback you will probably keep up for longer - but it is worth checking with the secretary before you go to be sure that you are on a suitable hunt. You'll need something with optional jumping and probably not too much tight work in woodland. You need to be careful that if a little one does come off they are not at risk from another horse's hooves.

You do need to be sure that the kids ponies are not going to get over excited and jump about. You don't want to frighten the kids!

I would reccommend chatting to the hunt secretary about which meets to try for. Some will be more suitable than others - whether you are on foot or leading from a horse. They will know the country and conditions better than most and should be able to advise.
 

Littlelegs

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Speak to the secretary, most hunts have childrens meets which although might still be faster paced than a 3yr old, you'd certainly stand more chance of keeping up.
 

Stark Dismay

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While I prefer foxhounds if I am hunting myself, I generally take my children out with the local bloodhound pack if I am taking them on a lead rein. I know the country well, and we take the most direct route (with permission, of course) and we usually manage to catch up with them at the end of each line. My daughter is 5 and has only been up to a full day out this season. My son is 2, and he is happy to just stand at the meet before boxing up to go home again! There is a lady at my hunt who manages to lead her 4 and 6 year olds out for the whole day with foxhounds. She has to be very fit indeed. Even so, they rarely manage to actually keep up, they are always playing catch up.
 

tootsietoo

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I take my 4 and 6 year old daughters out, and just took all three of us mounted for the first time last week.

My tips are:

1. To keep up, the children have to be happy to canter a lot. As long as they are happy to bounce around on top holding on tight, you should be able to keep up with the field. HAVE NECKSTRAPS! Or saddles with handles on the front.

2. You will have to be prepared to do gates as quickly and efficiently as you can, which can be very fiddly with 2 children in tow. A drop down stirrup is handy! And baler twine and knife, obviously.

3. For little rails, if you have a good pony and a child who can get back on it, you can get the child off, pop the rail with pony on lead, child climbs over and gets back on.

4. If you can't keep up (ie. children can't canter and trot much) find if there is anyone who knows the country well and does a bit of "hilltopping", and ask if you can stick with them. This is much better in hilly country as you can often find a hilltop to watch from for a bit. However, the children often get cold and bored on a hilltop so you can't do this all day, so fingers crossed your companion can help to get you to where the pack are the shortest route possible.

5. Try to go with friends, then at least if you lose everyone and spend an hour looking for them, it is fun!

6. Fill your pockets with Haribo, sausage sandwiches and chocolate biscuits

7. Don't aim to stay out all day. Aim for half an hour and you will manage that and usually exceed your expectations!

8. Don't bark orders at your children - sit up, hold neckstrap, go faster. I do this all the time and the eldest child hates it! It is supposed to be fun for them, so I try to avoid being bossy!!

9. Say hello to huntsman, whipper in and hounds so at least the children understand what they are there for. You could also have a chat to the field master and find out where they are planning to go so that you can get a headstart if necessary.

10. It is quite hard actually leading a pony with rider. My foot bumps the child's leg the whole time, so try to teach them to hold the right rein with a contact to steer away from you a bit.

11. Make sure the children are warm and dry - layers and waterproofs if necessary. Minimises whinging!

That's all I can think of at the moment. I hope it helps a bit.
 
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