First time out with the Crawley and Horsham Hunt, advice?

[flutterby321]

I've never hunted before, but I'm going to a christmas eve meet with the Crawley and Horsham Hunt. I've been told it won't be much jumping, and I was just wondering if anyone knows anything about the Hunt or is a member?
Just so I know what It's going to be like,
Thanks

 

[cptrayes]

My advice is that whether you think you need one or not, put a martingale on your horse. I made the mistake of not doing that at our opening meet and had a very close shave in a wire fence :-(((

 

[flutterby321]

My advice is that whether you think you need one or not, put a martingale on your horse. I made the mistake of not doing that at our opening meet and had a very close shave in a wire fence :-(((

:O
My horse always wears a martingale when we jump, so i was thinking of leaving him in it. I definately will now.

 

[cptrayes]

I don't know diddly squat about your hunt, so I can't be sure about this, but since no-one else is answering you I will try and help.

It's likely that you will be at the meet and there will be lots of people who already know each other. They may be perfectly friendly if you talk to them, but they may not think to talk to you first, so don't be shy or offended if no-one talks to you.

Anyone with a horse with a red ribbon in its tail should be avoided. A small proportion of people on kickers, marked with a red ribbon, don't think that they should avoid other people, they just expect you to avoid them.

The hunt will move off and there will be runs and checks, which may be unpredictable. If you are hunting fox, very unpredictable. If you are hunting a trail laid by humans , there should be runs of a manageable length followed by a check where you can stand and chat. Again, don't be shy or you might be ignored.

Don't pass the field master in the red (probably) coat, stay back with a good bunch of other people and do what they do you can't go far wrong.

You should have great fun, especially with goodwill abounding on Christmas Eve. I hope you really enjoy it.

ps if you don't know hunting rules at all, check the CFDH.co.uk website where there is a clear explanation. Those rules apply to fox hunts too even though CFDH is a drag pack.

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

if you got a quad go on that!! usually loads of roads at speed!!

 

[flutterby321]

I don't know diddly squat about your hunt, so I can't be sure about this, but since no-one else is answering you I will try and help.

It's likely that you will be at the meet and there will be lots of people who already know each other. They may be perfectly friendly if you talk to them, but they may not think to talk to you first, so don't be shy or offended if no-one talks to you.

Anyone with a horse with a red ribbon in its tail should be avoided. A small proportion of people on kickers, marked with a red ribbon, don't think that they should avoid other people, they just expect you to avoid them.

The hunt will move off and there will be runs and checks, which may be unpredictable. If you are hunting fox, very unpredictable. If you are hunting a trail laid by humans , there should be runs of a manageable length followed by a check where you can stand and chat. Again, don't be shy or you might be ignored.

Don't pass the field master in the red (probably) coat, stay back with a good bunch of other people and do what they do you can't go far wrong.

You should have great fun, especially with goodwill abounding on Christmas Eve. I hope you really enjoy it.

ps if you don't know hunting rules at all, check the CFDH.co.uk website where there is a clear explanation. Those rules apply to fox hunts too even though CFDH is a drag
pack.

Thankyou
I'm going with a group of people from my yard, all of which are members except me and my friend, who is another first-timer. So hopefully I'll have lots of people watching out for me! Thanks for the advice, I might check that website out, I don't want to offend anyone by doing something wrong, so I'll definatley have a look.

 

[speedbird]

Hi im C & H, I ve only been out a few times on xmas eve as usually a busy day for me ! The meet I have been on at xmas eve was quite quiet, with not a very big field of people and hardly any jumping. You can ask any questions you like and I ll try to answer them. Tell them you re new and to introduce you to people. Im not going but if you go out with the c & h again, let me know and Ill try go and meet you there.

 

[Baked Bean]

Hi

I went out with the C&H a few times last season as a visitor, they were a nice friendly bunch and a few of the regulars were chatty. They set a sensible pace and I really enjoyed hunting with them.

Hope you enjoy your time out, I imagine that not many will be out Christmas Eve as they will have family commitments.

Jackie x

 

[Sussex]

Hi... Ive hunted with the C&H for 17 years! Its a great hunt and everyone is really friendly! If you have any questions or are unsure about anyhting please dont feel afraid to ask! The meet on Xmas eve is always a lovely one, there will be a bit of jumping but there are always ways round if you dont fancy jumping something! We will be following trails which are aimed to be as realistic as possible so hopefully you will get some good faster runs as well as some checks and slower hunts. I hope you enjoy your first day! Im sure you will and you will be hooked, just like me!!

 

[flutterby321]

Thanks speedbird, Jacqueline72 & Sussex its nice to know that they've got a good reputation.
Is the xmas eve meet a good one to start with?
I chose it because I thought there would be less people, and apparently less jumps. Or would I be better off going to a different meet to start?

 

[Sussex]

The xmas eve meet is a good one to start with as the country is not overly challenging for your first time out...there will be quite a lot of people out tho as there always is during xmas hols, but you should have a great time anyway!!!