Post-Ban Attire

[Starbucks]

I'm new to the Meynell and people seem to wear a bit of a mixture really. Minimal people in red/pink/scarlet/whatever you want to call it, think mainly masters/hunt staff. Most people in back/navy but a few quite old school looking men (i.e. older, can ride, nice horse and look a bit important) wear rat catcher for some reason - they still look really smart though, guess it's down to personal preference with meynell? For e.g. Milo who is lord something or other, and was in "Thruster of the week" in H&H wears tweed.

Everyone is however, is turned out correctly, tweed people not plaiting etc.

Think I'll stick with my hunt coat though - keep warm!

 

[rosie fronfelen]

If my old boss was still alive and going like a bat out of hell on the hunting field he'd still be in his topper and red coat!!!

 

[combat_claire]

I saw the fact the Wynstay are wearing Ratcatcher all season in yesterday's Horse and Hound.

There is one pack, possibly one of the Scottish packs that shows in their hunt tweed with a white stock, it just looks really peculiar. Mind you who am I to criticise, when I help show hounds dressed as a smurf...

We all might as well give up on any form of dress code and go out in exercise blousons and chaps. Better still ‘High Vis’ florescent Police Officer style jackets.

We could go even further and have 'Is this horse ridden well? Call 0800 678 456'

 

[Doormouse]

We could go even further and have 'Is this horse ridden well? Call 0800 678 456'

I've just spat my coffee all over my keyboard ...................

 

[MissySmythe]

I've just spat my coffee all over my keyboard ...................

Hahaha! Tea on my keyboard!

 

[Dogstar]

Me too! Whats the smurf thing about though?!?

 

[combat_claire]

Apologies to people now drying off keyboards!

The smurf was a reference to the hunt kit of the Eastern Counties minkhounds, which I think you will agree leaves the dull colours of the foxhound packs standing!

http://flic.kr/p/9ipGcu

We wear blue shirts with a red tie, blue moleskin breeks, blue waistcoats, red socks and a blue cap or a straw boater. Technically we are supposed to wear royal blue hunt coats as well, but given recent summer temperatures and my habit of falling into the river we have mostly ditched them! Photo was taken at Peterborough 2010.

 

[Judgemental]

Any problems or diminution of conduct always starts at the top. Does not matter whether it is a company, or parliament or wherever, if the top dogs take a slack position then it all implodes.

Frankly I blame the Speaker of the House of Commons.

The man will not wear the robes of office, sits there looking like schoolmaster, allows all sorts of 'robes of office' to worn in public by his OH. If you can call a bed sheet a robe of office?

Perhaps describing it as her, ‘tool of trade’ might be more appropriate.

So hunts now think they can do the same?

The next thing we will see is some hunt wearing the robes of The Knights Templar to fool the public they are really off on a crusade.

Actually that might upset certain religious sects, so I must quickly withdraw that idea.

Perhaps the forum can come up with some innovative and imaginative ideas as to the alternatives – whatever we do, we must keep the boots (especially dressage boots, one lady I know, confided in me she thought they were more sexy than normal tops - so that's what it is all about!) and spurs of course – there are a number of ‘trades’ that would, in any event be opposed to any change there. LOL.

I like the idea of 'Well Ridden' but I suppose that too could be open to abuse in certain quarters.

I would like to bet and give very short odds, that when that most excellent master and huntman of the Wynstay, Robin Gundry (who is pictured in the same H & H) he would not have given house room to 'Tweed'. Much less his late father and equally excellent joint master of the Beaufort, Major Gerald Gundry.

 

[FairyLights]

I want to wear head-to-toe hi-Viz so long as its Pink , LOL, oh the irony...................

 

[Maesfen]

I would like to bet and give very short odds, that when that most excellent master and huntman of the Wynstay, Robin Gundry (who is pictured in the same H & H) he would not have given house room to 'Tweed'. Much less his late father and equally excellent joint master of the Beaufort, Major Gerald Gundry.

Just shows you how wrong you can be.

 

[combat_claire]

I want to wear head-to-toe hi-Viz so long as its Pink , LOL, oh the irony...................

Hunting pinks???

 

[Judgemental]

Just shows you how wrong you can be.

So with pages 38-41 of H & H 10 February devoted to the Wynstay and their 'Tweed' and Robin one of your former masters in Pink on page 111.

What message does that send?

 

[Maesfen]

So with pages 38-41 of H & H 10 February devoted to the Wynstay and their 'Tweed' and Robin one of your former masters in Pink on page 111.

What message does that send?

Oh dear. The picture you're talking about was before he came to the Wynnstay, some 20 years ago, hardly relevant to this conversation.

He has a right to wear Pink as an ex Master if he visits other packs but he was not in office when the Tweed became uniform so although he could use it in theory if he wanted, would you bother having an expensive coat made when you only hunt very rarely now?

 

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

Oh dear. The picture you're talking about was before he came to the Wynnstay, some 20 years ago, hardly relevant to this conversation.

He has a right to wear Pink as an ex Master if he visits other packs but he was not in office when the Tweed became uniform so although he could use it in theory if he wanted, would you bother having an expensive coat made when you only hunt very rarely now?

^^ Good Points ^^

FWIW we have ex MFH's out with us and they wear their red/pink (delete according to preference) coats with us. We also get visitors from "tweed" packs and they wear theirs- all are welcome

Personally i am out hunting to follow hounds- NOT an endless fashion parade. My turnout is my best effort that i can do, out of respect to the hunt/staff/landowners and myself. My pack continues with tradition so i normally wear navy but if i visit a tweed pack then my sturdy ratcatcher comes out. I also appreciate that hunt staff may feel safer and more able to do their job if they blend into the landscape.

Every hunt makes its own decision as to their prefered uniform, so i suppose if it matters THAT badly as to the colour of your coat, then vote with your feet and find a pack to suit your wardrobe

 

[Judgemental]

Oh dear. The picture you're talking about was before he came to the Wynnstay, some 20 years ago, hardly relevant to this conversation.

He has a right to wear Pink as an ex Master if he visits other packs but he was not in office when the Tweed became uniform so although he could use it in theory if he wanted, would you bother having an expensive coat made when you only hunt very rarely now?

Yes, I am perfectly well aware when the picture was taken with the South Dorset.

Nevertheless, tradition and history are the yardsticks by which hunting has evolved and is what it is.

Do those gentlemen entitled to wear the pink coat or hunt button, wear Hunt Evening Dress to the Hunt Ball, or is the preferred dress now a sports jacket and casual trousers?

 

[rosie fronfelen]

bit of a sarcastic note there, JM, no of course its not, our ball is this saturday and the hunt staff will be dressed accordingly!!!

 

[combat_claire]

Do those gentlemen entitled to wear the pink coat or hunt button, wear Hunt Evening Dress to the Hunt Ball, or is the preferred dress now a sports jacket and casual trousers?

Interestingly it is very rare for the gentlemen in our hunt to wear hunt dress for formal functions; our masters wear a hunt dinner jacket in red with green cuffs and facings and I believe we are the only pack to have these as opposed to tails. Gentlemen generally wear black tie.

On the flip side the foot packs I hunt with can't wait to get their hunt tails on for an evening sashaying about on the dance floor and it looks great when we have the red of the local foxhounds with the green of the beagles and the blue and red of the mink hounds. I do love a man in hunt tails!!

While we are talking about drops in standards I can't bear to see the skimpy, short dresses that seem so popular nowadays. Nothing wrong with long dresses for formal functions.

 

[Maesfen]

Yes, I am perfectly well aware when the picture was taken with the South Dorset.

Nevertheless, tradition and history are the yardsticks by which hunting has evolved and is what it is.

Do those gentlemen entitled to wear the pink coat or hunt button, wear Hunt Evening Dress to the Hunt Ball, or is the preferred dress now a sports jacket and casual trousers?

So why bring it up, it wasn't relevant?

 

[scrumpyjackles]

what is ratcatcher ? East kent hunt wear tweed and unplaited when autumm hunting and black jackets (red coats ) and plaited rest of season

 

[combat_claire]

what is ratcatcher ? East kent hunt wear tweed and unplaited when autumm hunting and black jackets (red coats ) and plaited rest of season

Ratcatcher is the tweed dress with unplaited manes. Some hunts have opted to wear this through the main season as opposed to swapping to black/navy/red hunt coats for the Opening Meet and afterwards.

Does anyone know why it is called ratcatcher?

 

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

I think of it as a tweed jacket but wiki says its actually a shirt:

The supposed history of the name involves rat catchers in London hundreds of years ago. These men bound their necks for protection from the vicious rats they were hunting. The neck wrap was pinned in place. How this shirt made its way into the equestrian community is a mystery

or nicked from an American forum:
It is called a rat catcher because in the old days there were people that were called "rat catchers." They would clear out rats and mice from buildings for people. They travelled with a pack of terriers which the rat catchers would cast into the buildings to flush out and kill the rats. Their typical dress was breeches, gaitors, tweed coats and colored shirts. Beacuse they were hunting rats they were hunters too. When people would show up for hunts in a country look, and informal look they would say "Oh he is in his rat catchers." This became a term for informal hunting attire and was eventually related to the informal shirt which came in much later to refer to a colored shirt, which is very informal. You wear a ratcatcher when showing because shows are less formal than hunts.

 

[combat_claire]

Thanks DDD, most interesting.

 

[tootsietoo]

Maesfen, at least you can be reassured that JM will never be seen out with the Wynnstay!!

DDD - "find a pack to suit your wardrobe"

One problem I have discovered with wearing tweed out hunting is that it is very difficult to get blood stains out of it. If I had been wearing my black coat, they wouldn't show!

 

[Maesfen]

ROFL! There's that to said for it but it would be a shame if J or anyone else for that matter, couldn't see how well our hounds work because they don't like the idea of our family tweed.

 

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

ROFL! There's that to said for it but it would be a shame if J or anyone else for that matter, couldn't see how well our hounds work because they don't like the idea of our family tweed.

I loved the Wynnstay tweed in the H&H article- is it wrong my first thought was "oh what lovely jackets, they would double up for showing too"

Tootsie- you are right about blood- i was wearing my keepers tweed jacket and myself and OH got off to help a faller who had banged his face- he bled all down the front of my jacket (which i ended up having to dab with vanish to get it off)i am always happy to help but was a bit annoyed when someone else (who didnt even pull up) took the credit for helping him whilst i was sat there wearing his blood

 

[tootsietoo]

oh dear. that's cheeky.

did the vanish get it out? I spent ages scrubbing mine with vanish, but there are still faint stains all over the front.

 

[combat_claire]

ROFL! There's that to said for it but it would be a shame if J or anyone else for that matter, couldn't see how well our hounds work because they don't like the idea of our family tweed.

So is it heavier weight than a normal tweed jacket, more like a hunt coat? Do you wear white stocks with it (I am too tight fisted to buy Dog & Donkey regularly!) and is it a lot more expensive than normal hunt coat? Oh and does your hunt country cover Eccleston near Chester?

 

[combat_claire]

he bled all down the front of my jacket (which i ended up having to dab with vanish to get it off)i am always happy to help but was a bit annoyed when someone else (who didnt even pull up) took the credit for helping him whilst i was sat there wearing his blood

Were you hugging him better! lol

 

[Maesfen]

So is it heavier weight than a normal tweed jacket, more like a hunt coat? Do you wear white stocks with it (I am too tight fisted to buy Dog & Donkey regularly!) and is it a lot more expensive than normal hunt coat? Oh and does your hunt country cover Eccleston near Chester?

It's a proper hunt coat weight and styling and the tweed's the only thing that's changed about the dress code. Ties and normal tweed (ratcatcher) only for cubbing.
Yes, we cover Eccleston, it's part of the Grosvenor estate but it's pretty unhuntable nowadays because of busy big roads going through plus the Dee and railway too.


DDD: that was a liberty, hope you put them straight!

 

[Steeleydan]

The Masters, Hunt staff, secretary and chairman at the Burton Hunt wear tweed, same style as a hunt coat but theirs is a heavy weight keepers tweed, with white stock. Rest of the suscribers/field wear black, navy or red.