Riding under the influence?

I always feel I should have a drink before doing stressage! Never tried it though. May make a difference to the nerves however I do always get compliments on accurate riding and they may well disappear after a drink :D
 
I suppose you really want to start want worrying when it's the horse which insists on necking a few back before facing the bad scary roads..........:)
 
I hunt and always drink one at the meet .
I then avoid the hip flask rounds if I am driving , but if I am being picked up or hacking home I'll have a few swigs from a hip flask over the day I hate feeling drunk on a horse I don't know how people do it it's easy enough to take someone hip flask and not drink anything from it , which is what many people are doing out hunting .
An old friend of mine used to to say at the meet,one is good , two is ok , three is a mistake and four or more is a disaster.
 
Yes, it's an offence to be drunk and in charge of a horse, carriage, cattle or riding a bike. Where the law differs is that the owner must be drunk rather than just over the drink driving limit for driving a car.
People are prosecuted for riding a horse while drunk in the UK. I am surprised that there's such a laissez faire attitude to people hunting and driving home whilst over the limit though. It's in contradiction to the attitude's expressed on the current Scottish drink driving thread. Is there a difference between someone leaving a pub and a huntsman over the drink driving limit about to drive home ?
 
My friends and I used to stick gin in a lemonade bottle and swig it out hacking when we were teenagers... Eww! Fun though.

When I had to get on my Arab after he'd been off for three months I had a big mug of wine. I'm a better rider with a bit of wine! When I finally get round to competing I'll probably have a swig before I go in.

Funny really, I rarely drink much at all but I think it goes quite well with horses ;)
 
I've never failed to be completely gobsmacked at how many are drunk before even unloading the horses for hunting, how many fall off through being drunk and requiring emergency services and how they are so blasé about getting in the lorry and driving home whilst hammered. An absolute disgrace and gives everyone else a bad name. The local constabulary would only have to wait down the road from a meet and probably bag at least 10 drink drivers on their way home, always wondered why I've never seen them about, easy pickings so to speak!

I also remember going to a Christmas show one year where they had free mince pies and mulled wine, it was a kids show and a lot of the parents were hammered and thought nothing of loading up the ponies and children and driving home. The mind boggles!
 
I always apply the same logic as I would if I'm driving. So I'll happily have one or maybe two glasses of wine if I'm eating too. If I have a lift from the stables I'd probably have a third glass but wouldn't want to be anything more than merry whilst riding H.
 
It's a good few years since I had the courage, or a suitable horse to go hunting. I remember seeing one person so drunk at the meet that they slid off their horse twice. The master sent them off. I took one port and promptly tipped it all over my pristine breeches. Classy look.
 
Some of my best riding moments have been whilst hungover or just had the one - its hard to be scared whilst trying not to be sick ;-D
 
I am sure it is written into English law (somewhere?) that it is an offence to take a horse on the highway when under the influence.

Having said that, nervous riders make for nervous riders and so if I am taking something new and fresh out, in the interests of safety for myself and other road users, I should calm my nerves - YES?

Years ago our family went trail riding in Yosemite National Park. Some of the trail was on sheets of smooth rock with a sheer drop on one side. MY saddle bag was packed with cans of beer. As my horse slithered on the slippery surface, the cowboy ride leader exclaimed "Gee lady nuthin scares you when you got a beer". YEP that's right.
 
FestiveFuzz said:
Ha when at uni I remember taking my old horse to a hunter trial after a particularly heavy night out. It wasn't until half way round when I had to slow her up so I could throw up that I realised that I was quite possibly still drunk. Not my finest hour and had to feign food poisoning but we did come 5th so it wasn't all bad :)
Click to expand...

Oh my word, I had to do that once! Just before the ditch....horse was NOT impressed! :D
 
FestiveFuzz said:
Only ever hunted as a child so never drank but was pretty sure it was standard practice.
Click to expand...
I'm ashamed to recall that when I went hunting as a 15 year old, I used to fill my hip flask with the contents of my parents' sherry decanter :o. It wasn't even a jumping country, so no need for Dutch courage. It did warm my cockles up rather nicely though :D!
 
I used to regularly hack my horse to Hyde park in central London and on one occasion was accompanied by a friend who was an excellent rider and used to exercise other peoples horses for them. One of the advantages of riding in the park is that one gets offered ice creams and drinks by people who like to stroke the horses. Unfortunately on this particular occasion my friend had consumed too many alcoholic drinks and in the hot sun shine rather suffered as a result. On the way back riding along the sand track he slowly slid off his horse. Unfortunately we were being followed by two mounted policemen who arrested him and he was charged with being drunk in charge of a horse in a Royal Park. (His horse was taken to the stables in Hyde Park and on return to our yard I had to arrange the collection of the horse he was riding). He subsequently appeared in court and pleaded guilty and received a large fine.
 
Well my best ever eventing dressage score (24 :O ) was achieved the day after a very erm..cough..cough ...merry..wedding. Not what I'd call hungover but decidely relaxed if not slightly floaty.
 
Regandal said:
It's a good few years since I had the courage, or a suitable horse to go hunting. I remember seeing one person so drunk at the meet that they slid off their horse twice. The master sent them off. I took one port and promptly tipped it all over my pristine breeches. Classy look.
Click to expand...

But popular ,Fatty is an expert in the drink spilling head toss.
 
I hunt regularily and there is always plentiful port at the meet and the sharing of hip flasks.

I used to happily drink on a hunting morning, but learnt my lesson a few seasons ago. Hounds got held up on the way to the meet and the host was handing out tumbler full glasses of port, and yes I had at least one too many.

Hounds finally unloaded and of we set, giggling away and thinking what jolly fun, until I turned the corner to meet my first obstacle - upright pallets over barbed wire. As I kicked on, it suddenly occurred to me I had hold of only one rein, and as I sailed over, promptly lost both stirrups. How I stayed on to this day I don't know, but sobered up very quickly after!

I also jumped my one and only hedge after a few whiskies at a kennels meet - in cold blood I would have never considered it.

All this bearing in mind I hunt a 14.2hh and am 'normally' very cautious over what I jump…

Now a days I stick to a port at the meet and politely refuse hip flasks, as at the end of the day, want to get me and my pony home safely.
 
It is what the "stirrup cup" is for, surely? I haven't seen any over drinking at local meets, but I did hear of one chap who had had too many and fell off and was sent home. Don't know about him driving the lorry home though, that sounds dicey.

I haven't had too much to drink, but there was a local YFC dance held on a Friday night and it was a matter of honour to get up and go hunting the next day, no matter how delicate we were feeling.
 
I have no idea how people can drink out hunting! I broke my "no drinking while riding" habit a couple of seasons ago and had a large port at the meet and then remembered why I don't - my legs went all floppy and I really couldn't kick properly into the first rail. I hate the feeling of having had a few when riding! A glass of mulled wine on a hack is nothing to get wound up about though I wouldn't have thought.
 
FestiveFuzz said:
Only ever hunted as a child so never drank but was pretty sure it was standard practice.
Click to expand...

When my kids have hunted with me, one of the 'perks' for them was to be treated just like an adult - which means the field master offering them hearty glug of port at the meet. They need their nerves steadying too.
 
turnbuckle said:
I suppose you really want to start want worrying when it's the horse which insists on necking a few back before facing the bad scary roads..........:)
Click to expand...

This, given the chance my trotter x will down a whisky, we had to stop having our evening tipple in the stable yard, because my lad would beg my OH for his whisky, first time it happened, OH had to cover the glass, my lad was so determined to get at the contents, have never ridden under the influence though
 
Last edited:
A few years ago a friend and neighbour organized a pub ride for her daughters 18th birthday. The birthday girl had a bit of a problem getting back on her 17 hh ID after one stop, fell over and climbed up the mares leg, she may have been hampered by the high heels on her boots too, as it was a fancy dress St Trinian's ride. Not many entirely sober among the dozen or so company :)
 
I'll often have a gin in a tin before cross country, will to hack to the pub in the summer (I share a pint of cider with the horse), and have had to hop off in a dressage warm up to be rather ill with a hangover before...not my finest hour. Riding is a sociable activity as far as I'm concerned - I'm never plastered on horseback, but don't have any aversion to a tipple or two.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top