Hunting Memories

[JenHunt]

What is you favorite hunting memory and what is the funniest hunting memory you have?

i've had so many days that are memorable, and so many incidents that made me laugh, i was wondering what everybody elses were?

shall i start?
one of my favorites - i was walking on the Old Man of Coniston (lake district) and it was really foggy up at the top. i was convinced i could hear hounds and kept saying to OH did you hear that? (no, you're imagining it!) about an hour later as we were heading down, a big healthy dog fox came flying past us, and about 30secs later half the hounds too... "told you i could hear them!"

the funniest... hard to say really. poss the time i was out on my welsh pony (i was 9) and we had a bog to cross. the big horses were stepping/jumping over it no problem, but me and my friend were only on 13h ponies. my friend went first and her pony did a tiny jump over, landed in, but didn't sink, and trotted on. my pony thought 'can do jump bigger than that' and did a massive jump, sunk in up to his knees and sent me flying off to land on my bum in the bog facing him!

... there's just too many... :grin:

 

[Rowreach]

Oh loads ... ! but I particularly remember the first day I hunted a 17.2 hh four year old. We came to our first jump, a smallish post and rail, and the friend who was "nannying" gave me a nice lead, and waited the other side for me. My horse trotted carefully up to the fence - and trotted carefully over it, one leg at a time! It felt a bit strange, but the best thing was the expression on my friend's face!

Another time, on the same horse, the field jumped a large tiger trap and then milled about on the other side, waiting. A small boy fell off his pony over the jump, and was having a hard time of it trying to get back on. I looked around, expecting someone to get off and help him, but nobody did, so I climbed off my horse (I am not particularly tall), and helped the boy back on - at which point everyone, including the boy, galloped off at high speed, leaving me standing there like a melon, holding my prancing neddy.

Last season someone's horse got it's foot caught in wire as it jumped a hedge, and landed upside down in the ditch the other side. Again, I was expecting one of the (many) men to leap off and help - when nobody did, I (the only woman) jumped off my horse, and burst all the buttons off my hunt coat.

I could go on ...

 

[icklemadame]

One of the very first times I went hunting as a child... I was late (typically...) and the field had moved off... they had all gone through a gate which was now shut, and try as I might on my little naughty wizzy pony I could not open the gate, and my pony was getting more and more wound up - I ended up having to jump the rather large hedge next to the gate instead, which come to think of it was prob. my very first hedge!! I walked past the same hedge just last tuesday out following and I had a warm smile remembering my trauma!!

Otherwise another turning up late trauma where I had to pay my cap once we were already hunting, and it was made up of £5 notes... I ended up dropping them all in the mud and had to get off and scrabble around whilst my nutty pony circled around me treading on the notes... secretary was not amused - the rest of the field however was!!

I've also managed to accidently whack the secretary with my whip whilst paying my cap - oh my god I almost died of embarressment!!

Come to think of it I'm just a liability....!!

 

[Tinkerbee]

Favourite...hmm, probably the first time I went hunting, just the sheer amount of immaculately turned out people and horses, the frosty mornings, the hounds, the stirrup cup

Funniest... hmm..various falls have been amusing...thinking the hunt was on a sat not the sunday...turning up and wondering where everyone is hehe

 

[hotellie]

a funny one was when i was cantering along chatting to a friend so not really concentrating and horse tripped and i just fell off....horse carried on and i had to run up a hill with all the field cantering past me!

 

[Baggybreeches]

It is always foggy on top of The Old Man!!!
The funniest memory I have, is my sister aftering being told NOT to wear her new sticky bum jods, put them on under tracksuit bottoms, (she was out to impress one Hayden Hankey!!) off we went on friends lorry. On the first point she caught them on some wire and put a big hole in them! And then to add insult she fell off going through a ditch!!!!
She only went hunting that once.
Favourite so far is taking my big lad out on Boxing Day, he was impeccably behaved much to the astonishment of all those who thought I was mad taking him.
:grin: :grin: :grin:
I am looking forward to few good days this month!

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

I've had a few wonderful days - this Tuesday being one on the little horse I've got to hunt for the season. She was amazing and flew all the hedges which were massive.

My best day though was last year on my big horse and OH came too and rode a pointer he'd never ridden before and again we flew and jumped everything and it was so brilliant being out together. We spent the whole evening reliving the experience. Want another day like that!!

 

[JenHunt]

i remember walking back from hunting one day, and my sister was out on her (then) 6yo who was greener than the grass, and i was on a friends old hunter. as we approached a gate (in walk) Ro said i'll see if he'll open it, a nice easy one to do without getting off. just as she reached down to open it Tom just hopped over it like it was nothing! the old hunter i was on looked mildly suprised, but walked over for me to open it tho!

another day i was out on my IDx at a joint meet with the Hurworth, going over land that fairly familiar but the Bilsdale don't usually cover. we hopped some rails off the road into a field, past some farm buildings and then a sharp right turn over more rails into a patch of scrub next to a stream, over the stream and right again into a field. we milled about for a bit then the hounds started speaking about 2 fields away. everyone piled into the jump in the hedge, and i thought i'd turn a circle and wait for a gap. Ron, however had other ideas, locked his neck and headed full tilt at the hedge (which was well over my head mounted!). at the very last second, just after i'd decided to kick on and hold tight) he changed his mind and anchored up. next thing i know i'm looking at him from out of a hedge with the remaining 4 riders in the field laughing at us! i don't thing i've ever had so many sloe thorns in my legs before!

 

[RunToEarth]

My most fond memory was a day out on Bertha when our old huntman Andrew German had tickled me into going up from with him. I would have only been about 13/14ish and very 'point and go' I was on my mum's old 16.2hh and was in safe hands but somehow found myself following andrew over a metal barred gate. It wa gigantic and it felt like I was off the ground for decades!!! Such a good feeling of pride

My most cringe worthy time on the field was when Bec and I tiptoed off to have a wee behind a bush- apparently through where a trail had been laid, as huntman, hunt servants and a pack of hounds trotted past, the huntsman tipping him cap and bidding us a good morning, with a very cheeky grin setting on his face!