memorable hunting stories!

[orangesquash]

If there's one thing I love more than hunting itself, its the stories we all gather over the years and relish in telling each other around the fireplace in the local pub at the end of a cold day, glass of red in hand and flushed cheeks!

I would love to hear of some of your stories, epic, funny, scary, confessional or indifferent!

 

[VoR]

What I love the best is that we now hunt a trail rather than a fox so we can be guaranteed a good gallop every time we go out.

 

[VoR]

OK, here is an interesting one that happened just this week.

Google away and you'll read various stories about hounds attacking domestic pets, blah, blah, blah. Well the other day, pack are trying to find the trail that had just seen laid, when along comes Mr Farm-Cat (big Ginger Tom with a white tip to his tail!), strolls through the pack, hounds sniff with interest then off they go again without harming a hair on the Tom's head....body....tail...or showing the slightest bit of interest, funny that, a whole pack of these viscious, out-of-control, predators (apparently)totally ignoring a 'puddy-tat' like that.............guess that won't make the papers though!!!

 

[orangesquash]

One of my most heart stopping moments comes from when I was a lot younger. My two friends and I took our ponies out hunting in the christmas holidays. One of the girls had to fly to Newcastle that evening to visit her Dad and as we were all travelling in her lorry, we all had to leave a bit early.
We had a brilliant day, my very naughty pony was only on his second time out and seeing as he was a nightmare the first time, he was foot perfect this time so I was thrilled and a little put out that we had to leave before it was all over.
Luckily after a couple of hours we ended up coming back to near where the lorries were parked anyway so it was a good time to hack back and finish.
Whilst untacking/loading I had managed to get my saddle off, put a sweat rug on and was ready to lead my lovely but naughty pony up the ramp in a bridle as I didn't trust him one little bit to take off a bridle and put a headcollar on. The rest of the field came down the road behind us and turned into a local farm down the road. My pony heard all the noise, took one look and as a skinny and weak 12 year old I didn't have a chance at holding him and he decided that rather than going home, carrying on hunting was a much better idea and off he went! Martingale hanging down and sweat rug on!
What followed next was 1 and a half hours of searching, calling, finding the sweat rug on the floor, heart-stopping, frantic looking for this pony who followed the hunt for all of 5 minutes before he found something more interesting to go and do!
Eventually we had a phonecall from the field master saying that someone had caught him and he was tied up in their yard waiting to be collected. He was one very lucky pony but one despite those first two eventful outings....possibly one of the best hunting ponies I have ever ridden!

 

[orangesquash]

VoR it would never make the papers for fear of others being open minded enough to change their minds that all hounds are born savages. Heaven forbid they might just learn the truth! - Please note tone of sarcasm difficult to portray through type!

 

[jessie7]

I was thinking about my hunting stories as I drove to work this morning and how they give me such a lovely warm fuzzy feeling when I thnk about them.
It isn't necessarily the 'eventful' ones that I love remembering (although they are far more interest to listen to!) More remembering hacking back in the dark with the Huntsman and hounds after an amazing boxing day filled with galloping, jumping, laughter and numerous gulps of a variety of hip flasks. The times when just the 'hard-core' are left and sitting on steaming horses chatting........
And even though I go most Saturdays I still get that excited feeling when the hounds are un-loaded eeeekkk almost time for opening meet!!

 

[JenHunt]

.......
And even though I go most Saturdays I still get that excited feeling when the hounds are un-loaded eeeekkk almost time for opening meet!!

me too!

As a teenager I had a WB who wasn't really suited to hunting, especially not in our little forested, boggy tight corner of the country. He was nappy and stroppy and much to excited about the whole thing really. But I was determined to hunt and he was the only horse I had.
On one ocasion he tried to reverse over the edge of a cliff rather than wait 20 seconds whilst hounds picked up the scent again. On another he refused to believe that I meant it when I said turn left and we ended up going through a Hazel stand rather than round it like everyone else did. He did end up being a brilliant horse, just not for hunting.

My first taste of hunting off the lead rein was on a little orange bullet who was a total know-it-all and spent the whole time trying to stay at the front, scrape me off on trees, scrag my knees on gates/walls/spiky hedges/other horses, trying to out jump every other horse in the field and generally being awesome. He taught me so much and even when he went to the kennels one last time, very arthritic and uncomfortable, he was so excited by the sound of the hounds in kennels it broke my heart. One of my last days hunting on him (I would have been 11, we think he would have been 38 as it was 10 years before he died aged 48) we jumped hedge after hedge, then a stiff post and rail - only for the field master to ask me how I got here when the rest of the field were still 2 fields behind.

 

[kirsty 1]

I regulary hunt with my local pack and we have quite a few hedges in our country so its a fab jumping pack and theres this old guy thats out every meet not just saterdays weekdays as well and i got chatting to him and id seen him out quite a bit and he was telling me how hes just got this youngster and it was its first time out the next minute where off galloping across this filds with a big hedge looming this old guy turned to me and said shes never jumped a hedge before just as he said this hes sat in the saddle give this horse a 123 push and a drive and saled over this hedge well alot of you will be thinking well isnt this qiute normal well yes it might be for most but i found out this guy is 87 years old and i was truly amazed and i think that hunting is what he lives for and it gives me such a nice feeling to be out with my horse roll on the opening meet .

 

[feefeeb28]

I love the "Apres hunt"! Sitting in the pub, still in our hunting gear. Ponies home and warm and happy. We get smashed and giggle about the day!! Bet the ponies do the same when they're tucked up at home!!

 

[Grey_Eventer]

On the current horse, a friends mum (on a youngster) asked if id quietly walk across the field with her horse, as the hunt had charged off . As we walked through the bottom of the valley- woodland on one side, a hedge on the other at the top of the hill, the fox came running through the hedge, followed by hounds, followed by huntsmen blowing his horn, jumping the hedge. And as the sun set behind them, we watched as the hounds chased on, with the huntsmen, riding a bay horse behind.
I wish I had a camera, but it is a memory that I will always remember, and Im very lucky to have seen, as only 2 of us saw that today.
My friends mum turned to me and simply said "this is what its really about" and we just stood in silence.

My first days hunting, aged 4 - pony was a saint, as usual, but it was SO wet, i was soaked through in minutes, absolutley frozen, and i kept saying to dad "i don't want to go home". I think i managed 30 mins, and mum came along, grabbed me off the pony, put me in the car with a hot choccy and a bacon bap, while dad sorted out the horse and pony (I am lucky ). Last season I went to the meet at the same place, and I could remember it all so so well.

 

[JenHunt]

Kirsty's story reminds me of another story...

Some friends, OH and I went to Ireland for a weekend hunting a couple of years ago. We hired horses and had 2 consecutive days hunting. Both days were great, but the thing that sticks in my mind was an older chap who hunted both days with us.

He was a regular with the packs and everyone knew him. When we arrived at the meet on the Saturday and were being given our horses, one of my friends nudged me, totally white faced and asked what sort of a day we were in for if a local was strapped to his saddle. I looked round and the chap she was referring to did indeed appear to be strapped (by his thighs) to his saddle. *quietly we all discoloured our jods at the thought*.

The chap was at the front all day that day, and at the end of the day, when we were waiting to be collected by the horseboxes, he was helped off his horse to sit on a wall while his horse was put away and then helped to a car.

Chatting to the others in the pub a few minutes later it transpired that this chap has MS, hunted 4 days a week, could barely walk unaided (especially when tired) and still held down a job as a well known, and well respected barrister. He wore the straps on his thighs not to hold him on, but to help people help him if he came off in a ditch! Apparently he only discovered the MS after he came off whilst team-chasing and didn't recover 'as expected'. But he just carried on regardless!!

The following day was a big jumping day - stone walls mostly. He was out again, on the same horse. He was up at the front most of the time again as well. At one point his horse slipped and he fell off. The horse stopped and came back to stand beside him, about 8 of the field pulled up, leapt off their horses and ran over to him. He was fine, and sitting up laughing, but they helped him back on, made sure he was definitely ok, and we all set off again. At another point his saddle slipped mid-gallop - he just asked his horse to walk, he righted it and they went off again! (If I asked Ron to stop mid-gallop I'd get a metaphorical two fingered salute!).

Incredible guy. Absolutely F-ing Incredible. I hope he's still hunting, he's an inspiration to me!

 

[I*HM]

I've followed a lot more hunts than I've actually been on, so my stories are purely from a followers point of view.

I was following a local hunt and it was coming up to the end of the day, when only the real hard core straggles were still going. They came to an oil drum in a hedge, very considerable in size and very daunting. Three people attempted, but didn't get over, so while everyone was standing back wondering if anyone else would give it a bash a little boy (10yrs) on a 14hh cob started to ride on to it, he just gave the pony his head and did lots of leg flapping, the cob sailed over and they landed perfectly. Everyone else on their 16.2hh hunting machines were left speechless.

 

[Festive_Felicitations]

Little 14.2hh cobs are far more terrifying /brave/fearless than anything over 16hh!

Small grey ponies of any breed are the same here, not just hunting but in general, they will jump irrespective of what their rider is doing or even still on their back

 

[VoR]

What about any time all is quiet, then a hound speaks, more join in then they are on the trail and running in full cry, streaming across the countryside.....wow!

 

[meesha]

VOR - not fair - you cant come out with things like that after telling me you will all be miles away on Sat !!! I will get withdrawal - I am not a morning person but can feel myself aiming for a very early start to join you Sat esp as Dex all clipped

I dont have many stories yet - but coming round a rather slippery corner in a field a young girl on her pony slipped (only trotting) and her and the pony went down ! she immediately jumped back up clutching in her hand the half a mars bar with relief as pony disappeared off - she and the pony were totally unfazed by the whole experience but she was sooo relieved not to have dropped the chocolate !

We also had a retiree that day due to bruised/swollen knee - as she said goodnight another member of the hunt said "what are you man or mouse ! I hunted for 2 seasons with a broken hip !" I didnt know whether to giggle or not !! apparently she wouldnt let them give her a hip replacement until season was over !

 

[VoR]

Thought the post above might wet a few appetites for the coming season!!

I hunted for 2 seasons with a broken hip !" I didnt know whether to giggle or not !! apparently she wouldnt let them give her a hip replacement until season was over !

And that is indeed a true story, plus, season before last I ended the year hunting with a metal plate in my face after getting 'head-butted' by my horse..........hardy bunch yer in Zummerzet, you know what they say, 'Somerset born, Somerset bred, strong in the arm, thick in the head'

 

[Stormy123456]

When I was 6, and had a little 12.2hh pony, I used to go hunting with a man who ran, and his young daughter, when we got to a jump, we'd get off and climb over the fence, and he'd run with the pony next to him and jump it, then we'd get back on and set off again!

We used to have a very strong young pony, who was had no manners initially, whilst we were visiting another hunt miles away, we were untacking and he just dragged my Mum down a lane, til she finally let go, and he p*ssed off into the next county! We found him a few hours later, luckily unharmed!

When I was 12, I went on a hunting holiday to Ireland with some friends, I wasn't a very strong 12 year old, and got stuck on a 17hh beast that took to rearing vertical when quequing, what was more scary though was some young Irish lads thought it'd be hilarious to attempt to pull the bridles off the horses!

 

[chancing]

Thought the post above might wet a few appetites for the coming season!!



And that is indeed a true story, plus, season before last I ended the year hunting with a metal plate in my face after getting 'head-butted' by my horse..........hardy bunch yer in Zummerzet, you know what they say, 'Somerset born, Somerset bred, strong in the arm, thick in the head'

Yes said person is still questioning my man or mouse tendencies they are also all howling about sponsored hound puppy story no doubt VoR and Meesha-as you will be out saturday will hear about it!!

 

[chancing]

Oh and VoR we dont have that slogan on our young farmers shirts its more along the lines of

somerset born somerset bred
good on the farm
but even better in bed!