Blooding...were you?

[TwoPair]

Cat amongst the pigeons here Were you ever blooded? And if so, what was it like? I was, and I was one of the last to be done pre-ban in our pack. I've never really spoken to anyone else who's been done.

In a week I went out on the Thursday and was blooded, and then the following Tuesday got my brush That season my school attendance was 63% - the rest were 'unauthorised absences'

We were Lincolnshire side, and my pony was still quite young. A misplaced buck (honestly guv'!) had earnt him the reputation of a kicker. They had a kill in a large ditch/gulley between some trees. An old school horsewoman, who very sadly isn't with us anymore, rounded up the gaggle of pony clubbers and instructed Neil to 'blood them before the bloody ban' Nobody would hold my pony, bar this lady, and just I was in the gulley I heard my pony's name yelled across the field I came flying back out with my pad, to see pony stood meek as a lamb next to Yvonne. Turns out he'd gone to nip/bite, and she'd yelled at him and cracked him one on the poll with her hunting whip Carried on hunting, and as we went under a railway bridge I saw mum. Yelled at her 'I got blooded! Catch this!' and threw my pad at her Her face was a bit

Following Tuesday, big day from the Hanbury's. Ended up it was just the master, Neil, hounds, myself, and a friend on his polo pony. We all hacked back to kennels together, and had two kills on the way home! The master gave Will and I a brush as we'd been out all day on ponies (on a two horse day), and done gates, held horses, rescued fallers...and Will had trudged into a quagmire and fumbled around to find a ladies brushing boot! I now have the brush hanging in our lounge, with a little plaque on the mount saying the date Hangs next to Mums one (which is looking rather manky after having various kittens over the years...! Mum's brush, not mum!)

What stunned me was that when I was blooded, I literally looked like I'd just got blusher on. Even though I'd done my hunting test, I'd still got visions of paw prints on my cheeks, or something like Simba's head in The Lion King!!

 

[lizziebinks]

I was not blooded. Stopped doing it for years already at our hunt by then (mid 80's) however my then schoolfriend was blooded a year or two previously up north (1990?).
I do not feel I have missed out and it is not a tradition that we should bring back if hunting was ever legalised again - not if we want to continue to live as part of a greater society! Blooding belongs in a Lord of The Rings style community :-D
I've got various masks, pads and brushes from the years until 2005 which hang in my Death Room (aka the loo).

 

[solitairex]

I chickened out... I'll get it done one day though! hahaha

 

[mandwhy]

What is being blooded? It sounds really rather sinister!!

 

[Hairy Old Cob]

Yes I was BLOODED at 9 By Steve Roberts Fitzwilliam Huntsman I still have the Brush and pad off the Fox. I was Instructed dont wash it off till its DARK I seem to remember going to school with the Remmnants on my face as NO WAY was I washing any OFF I seem to remember cross on Forehead stripes on cheeks and stripe across my chin HAPPY DAYS

 

[oakash]

Two Pair, what a lovely story and you told it so well! It is truly surprising to me that some others on the forum seemed rather critical - haven't they read any of the classic books about hunting? Have our traditions died so quickly because some extremists have told us that blooding is just not politically correct? What we need to do is educate the others about proper hunting in order that our values pass on to the future.

 

[combat_claire]

I always understood that blooding has its roots in ancient tradition and contrary to public opinion that it is a gory and bloodthirsty ritual actually shows respect to the quarry. I think Herne wrote a good piece on it some years ago.

 

[oakash]

Absolutely right,CC! It seems that 'bloding' derives from really ancient times when the empathy between mankind and nature was such that the quarry was deeply respected, and blooding served as some form of atonement for the taking of that quarry - a sort of sacrifice and token of respect, from which the convention to not wash off the blood derives. ( Many years ago I remember a young boy being blooded on a Saturday meet, and the following week turning up again still proudly displayed flaking blood on his neck! His mother suggested it may not be entirely due to his desire to preserve it, but rather to his avoidance of washing his neck!)

 

[Floxie]

I started hunting at around 15, so I was a bit too old for blooding but still felt pretty jealous when it happened one time to a bunch of kids and I wasn't involved I don't know why I wanted it so much (I pretended I didn't to the people I was with, who were muttering a little about it being archaic) but I guess it was just another right of passage, and I felt I missed out.

Heh, just saw my first post is reviving an old thread... oops!

 

[PaulT]

I always understood that blooding has its roots in ancient tradition and contrary to public opinion that it is a gory and bloodthirsty ritual actually shows respect to the quarry. I think Herne wrote a good piece on it some years ago.

You ought to make more of that as I suspect not many know about the ritualistic origins of blooding.

 

[Alec Swan]

I always understood that blooding has its roots in ancient tradition and contrary to public opinion that it is a gory and bloodthirsty ritual actually shows respect to the quarry. I think Herne wrote a good piece on it some years ago.

I was never blooded whilst hunting, but certainly when I shot my first high ground Stag, I was! I felt strangely privileged. He was an old and shootable beast who can't have ever had anything to offer the herd, and the stalker seemed pleased with our joint success!!

It was many years ago now, but were it now, I'd have resembled an England supporter. Another ritual!!

Alec.

 

[combat_claire]

I was never blooded whilst hunting, but certainly when I shot my first high ground Stag, I was! I felt strangely privileged. He was an old and shootable beast who can't have ever had anything to offer the herd, and the stalker seemed pleased with our joint success!!

It was many years ago now, but were it now, I'd have resembled an England supporter. Another ritual!!

Alec.

Several of my friends have been blooded following first stalking successes and then their photograph taken with the roe buck.

Far better that the quarry is managed, respected, eaten and displayed as an antler mount than left to die of starvation, worm infestation & TB and then thrown in a pit as per the Baronsdown method of deer management.

 

[combat_claire]

I have a wonderful set of red deer antlers that I was given, they make a terrific hat rack!