Opinions on "Newcomers" hunting...

[Starbucks]

Can i firstly say that I think it is fantastic that so many new people are wanting to get involved in hunting and I think it is great for people to come and have a go if they want to hunt. The hunt I go with are making huge efforts to get new people out.

However, some of the newcomers (even regulars) do get under my skin and everyone else's!! This may be harsh, but here are my issues:

1 - people with no hunting etiquette/manners (mainly kids)

IMO it is not acceptable to gallop round screaming and cutting everyone up into fences - shut up and wait your turn!!!

2 - Bad Turn out

Some one is putting on a meet for us, giving us free drinks and food, then several land owners are being kind enough to let us on their land, the least we can do is look smart!!!

3 - non jumpers in jumping country

Fine, if you don't want to have a go, tag along for as long as you can, then find your own way, i don't see why a paying member should spoil their day to show the non jumpers a way around!!

4 - people who don't want to go out of a walk???

Yes, I thought it was a joke too - someone came to our opening meet and expected someone to look after her - at walking pace - STAY AT HOME LUV!!

Ok, rant over!! anyone else like to add, disagree?? :grin:

 

[Chumsmum]

As a Newcomer I agree with everything you have said!

I was very apologetic the first time I went as pony was rather excited but everyone was very nice and told me I was doing fine and nothing to be sorry for - they were very interested in pony, thought I had sold him at one point lol.

I think I was lucky that I followed on foot for at least a couple of years and things like turn-out and etiquette were very obvious and something that I will endeavour to keep while mounted. Also the friends I hunt with wouldn't let me go with them if I behaved like a hooligan

As for jumping, there is quite a few who don't want to jump (including myself at the moment) who are on the move all the time, finding ways round, so this is quite good if your horse wont stand - and they don't affect the jumpers at all.


As for walking, I'm afraid there would be no chance of staying in walk if out on my pony :grin:

I really believe that Newcomers should follow on foot first - I really enjoy it and you learn so much!

 

[hotellie]

i agree with you...but on the jumping front...i will jump most things except when i feel there is a danger to my horse...so barbed wire...i refuse to jump it...someone from my hunt is still in a coma due to the stuff and so i always go round...the problem is finding a way round...except i dont expect a person who is jumping to help me...it is up to me to go round!

 

[icklemadame]

I've had requests from some of the kids who ride with us to take them out hunting, and I've now spent up to a year preparing them in various ways to ensure they do not cause too much trouble and are aware of what hunting involves... its not a jolly round a very large xc course but a full on day in varying terrain where you will get shouted at if you're not concentrating or in control, you are expected to scramble into the brambles/trees/ditch to ensure a clear path for hunt staff (& hounds who will get under your ponies feet), and you can't have twenty goes at getting over a jump... I've taken them out on very fast rides, taken them onto the toll rides in our area where there are jumps and taught them not only 'jumping etiquette' but also that not all hunt jumps are in nice accessible places on even ground etc. They all have to come out following with me at least once to understand what happens and that its not all just fun and games, but an integral part of the countryside and peoples livelihoods.. on top of all of this I've written a 2 page 'essay' of instructions and etiquette, copies of which have been requested by other people in the hunt as guidelines... god I sound so strict!!

 

[Starbucks]

god I sound so strict!!

too right!

I reckon they will enjoy it more though and be able to get more involved! Well done for helping them!

 

[RunToEarth]

I'm not coming out on Boxing day, opening meet wore me down so much I'm going to sit in the George and have a day of drinking, I'm fed up of little kids now, people who come out just for the social meets, people who are rude and people that generally wind me up, loud people who don't hunt.

 

[Weezy]

This is why I don't hunt on a Saturday :-D

 

[countess]

We dont seem to have any of these problems!! Today there was 8 of us out.....bliss.

 

[RunToEarth]

We had a lovely day on Wednesday, didn't we sarah? Just a very select field of Rockwood's finest, no iddies apart from two lead reins who were bloody fab!

 

[Tinkerbee]

Looks like Xmas eve and Boxing day will be the only days I get out
so will have to put up with the part timers lol :grin:

 

[Starbucks]

Yep!! It was fab!!! :grin: :grin:

 

[aimeerose]

I would agree with it all prehaps with the exeption of jumping - some of us just dont want to jump big hedges, and while we try to aviod big jumping meets its not always possible.

Although I have always been lucky as there is usually someone else happy to find 'alternative' routes.

 

[RunToEarth]

I think really now, Baggage, most hunts should have acted for the non jumpers as well, I know our hunt bends over backwards for all the non jumpers because they make up a huge number of our field, a lot of our older members are happy to sit back and only jump the smaller fences, and on weekends a lot of our members like to bring their children out.

 

[Vicki1986]

i can understand all of your points especially the turn out one, i have been on several mock hunts with a local riding club and me and my friend battle it out to win the best turned out bottle of wine !!! its shocking to see so many tatty turned out people and ponies, it costs nothing to look smart. and even at these mock hunts you get nutters whizzying round out of control being quite dangerous infact and it does get a little annoying sometimes.

but the comments about not jumping make me nervous about going 'hunting for real', something i am eagerly awaiting to do but im quite nervous about for this very reason.
ive only got a 13.1 pony and anything over 2ft9 is just too far out of my comfort zone and am such a worryier about being a pain or hindering someone, you have just confirmed to me maybe better not to go !! :crazy:

 

[Starbucks]

Noooo, sorry, don’t feel like that!! You’ll have a blast. If your willing to have a go at some little things then that’s great – it’s the people that won’t even try to do anything at all that I think are a pain in the bum – BUT that’s only my personal view!! Most other people disagree I’m sure!

 

[Vicki1986]

anything up to rough 2'9 im fine but when i see peoples hunting pictures of huge hedges etc etc i think oh maybe im not cut out for it after all !! I dont think im im jumping country anyway so i'm sure i'll be fine!!

 

[Starbucks]

You don't look to be having many problems in your sig!

 

[Vicki1986]

thanks but thats only 2'6 and had the very scary Graham Fletcher there willing me to make a mistake which i wasnt going to give him the satisfaction of!!

i think it was the west kent's opening meet last weekend, we have been nagging our YO to take us out this year and i have witnessed the fact he tried on his hunt coat and it still fits him so he has no excuse not to take us now so will keep on!! i'm 21 its about bloody time i went out i waited long enough for a pony of my own in the first place so ive missed out long enough!!

 

[AmyMay]

I think that your attitude is fairly typical of many hunts. You want as many people to hunt as possible - but are not prepared to allow the new or novice hunter to make mistakes, or be unaware of what correct protocol is. Generally people hate getting things wrong, and would be highly embarrassed to think that they are either 'misbehaving', being a nuisance or God forbid a bit untidy. And as for not jumping - well not everyone has either the horsepower or bottomless courage.

Most hunts are generally perceived as being snobby and unwelcoming. This attitude very rarely comes from the Master or the hunts staff, rather it's paying subscribers. So you're doing nothing to dispel the myth.

If someone is not told how to behave or how to dress, then how are they to know better? Of course I'm not talking about basic good manners here.

And why shouldn't a paying subscriber show a newcommer a non jumping route, especially if it means they encourage another subscriber to join that season, and possibly many seasons more.

What better PR than for a newcommer to be shown the ropes by an old hand - both in terms of the country, manners and dress code.

 

[Starbucks]

TBH I did expect more of this kind of reaction, but I'm really not trying to sound snobby or unwelcoming. I just think it is worth people doing their homework before they come out, for their sake and for everyone else's. Lets face it it's not difficult to find out what your supposed to wear etc.

As for "If someone is not told how to behave or how to dress, then how are they to know better?" Our hunt have loads of newcomer days where they go through what to wear, how to behave etc. but it still seems to go in one ear and out the other!

 

[Haniki]

Our hunt has a shared mastership of 5 masters - 2 of whom don't jump. Luckily we're not really in jumping country.

 

[icklemadame]

We had our opening meet on Saturday (and vicki you really must come out with us, you'd be fine!!) and there were kids out in blue jods, green numnahs, red girths, no hairnets and dyed bright purple hair (!!), and no accompanying adults despite no one knowing who they were - firstly it just kinda ruffles your feathers, but you just think well maybe they'll be told and will know for next time, and everyone has to start somewhere, but typically the same group spent the day chatting loudly and obnoxiously at all times, even when the hounds were working and everyone was quiet, being completely out of control, continuously putting their ponies at jumps they had already refused 10 times, and when they decided to head for home charged flat out away from the quietly waiting field screaming their heads off... even our normally cheerful huntsman was getting annoyed

 

[icklemadame]

Oh and they also cheered and whooped when someone broke a hunt jump as it mean't they no longer had to attempt to jump it!!

 

[Weezy]

Oh Christ, I have dyed bright RED hair

 

[icklemadame]

Its not the hair (believe me, I've had mine red and purple in the past) more it was long & wasn't tied up or in a hairnet, and although even that sounds snotty, it really did stand out a mile and look a mess!!

 

[Weezy]

I always wear a hair net when hunting *insert shiny halo smilie here*

I agree, loose hair with hats on horseback looks dreadful...without a hat it is fine *looking sneekily sideways at avatar*

 

[xspiralx]

When I went hunting with my first pony when I was younger I was clueless. I wore dark jodhs, and I didn't even own a hunting jacket so I wore a dark blue raincoat. Oh, and my pony had a blue numnah. Shame on me eh?

These days if I went, I do have the equipment so I would wear correct clothing, but god forbid somebody doesn't have something? How dare they turn up?

I had a fantastic time, I had good manners and nobody could have been more welcoming to me. I agree with your points that people shouldn't be rude and get in the way and all the rest of it, but I think looking down your nose on somebody because they're not wearing the right clothes is a bit unfair.

 

[icklemadame]

Ah but i did say that at first it didn't matter, and I honestly believe that a couple of bits and bobs out of place really doesn't make any difference but as someone else has said it doesn't take much even with the wrong stuff to at least try and make an effort and look tidy if not correct, and again it was just unfortunate and slightly coincidental that the same group of children then caused nothing but hassle all day...

 

[icklemadame]

I'm also very used to small children on scruffy ponies and growing up with no proper stuff and no money to buy it... my mum (and now me) runs a rescue centre and riding school, she was a primary school teacher who started letting the children who would never otherwise be able to ride come and help with our ponies, and 30 odd years on we now have 37 ponies and over 100 children... but growing up she would never let us go out to shows etc. without looking smart, I remember her sitting up through the night cutting up jods that were too long for me and sewing elastic in the back, making white numnahs out of old sheets and cushiony stuff, and even (though this was for fancy dress) dying my 12hh white pony's mane & tail with the coloured paint she used to use in her classroom so it was all stripey and looked like rainbow brite's pony, and then rode him for 10 miles along the main road to the show with this long flowing multi coloured mane and tail - not one person passed without making comment!! I know I was lucky to have a mum like that, but even our kids now make black/brown/white girth sleeves out of old fleeces etc. to cover their coloured girths when we go to shows, and many things are dunked in dye to make them more appropriate colours!! I'm always so proud of them all when we take them out to things and they've all tried so hard and look so smart - even for sponsored rides and things they plait up and wash tails etc. All anyone's asking for is a little effort

 

[RunToEarth]

The thing is Spiral, I take a long time in a morning to turn out horses for hunting, its quite a traditional sport and a lot of the hunts comply with this. It makes me angry and a little fed up that the people who are up at the crack of dawn fluffing sheepskin numnahs, scrubbing the stable stains out of horses, plaiting up and brushing jackets down are turning up to the meet how they should when there are so many people who don't. We have many introduction days for children and adults alike where the correct dress code is stressed again and again.