What's the funniest hunting incident yoiu've ever seen?

[cptrayes]

Just whiling away a few minutes while we wait for the new season to start, here's my entry for the "funniest thing I've ever seen in the hunting field" award.

We were queing to jump a small timber into a wood. A short distance into the wood, the path skirted the edge of a small pond. Rider after rider followed the path, until someone jumped the fence and carried straight on into the pond to catch up the horse in front. Both he and the horse disappeared completely from view under the water, which looked a foot deep but must have been at least eight or ten. Neither were hurt but the rider was pretty uncomfortable for the rest of the day!


My second entry would be a ten hand white Shetland called Blackie. I was heading for a solid five foot hedge and alongside me Blackie locked on. The look on his face was completely determined. He was going either over or through that Blackthorn. It took all his rider's strength on one rein to pull him off his line to that fence. I swear he looked disappointed.

 

[tractor]

Mine involves water too - friend of mine, who we all called "Dangerous Dave" was showing off taking his horse throug a stream. He cantered in, behind another lad who was riding a horse that was nearly 18hh who was coping fine, swimming along happily. Dangerous Dave, riding a 15.2hh racehorse, didn't fare so well. He kind of hit the first horse's wave, went under the water, paniced, Dangerous bailed out and swam away with us all laughing hysterically...horsey decided he wasn't staying in the stream any longer and climbed out up the bank and under the fence. We were noyl 5 mins from the meet, so not to horrific but I'll never forget him tipping the water out of his boots!

 

[AFlapjack]

Mine involves me!

I was hunting Emmi my 10.2hh shetland (a few years ago now!) and we had just finishing galloping across a field. One by one we were filtering out the field through a gap in the hedge onto the lane beyond.

It got to my turn and the bloody pony wouldn't go through! She planted herself right in the gap and I kicked and kicked her - would she move? Nope!! The people behind me were getting fed up whilst I was going red in the face!

All of a sudden without any warning she started backing up - fairly quickly!! Next thing I know we had backed into a massive HW hunter. Emmi wasn't bothered and would have quite happily kept backing and gone underneath but the rider on the hunter gave her a whack on her bum and at the same time my friend on her shetland came back into view in the lane and Emmi shot forward through the gap!

So embarrassing but I imagine very funny to watch!

 

[hayinamanger]

Well, I've only seen a picture but, God, it's funny...Mike007 buried head first in the mud!

Are you there, Mike, could you pop the photo up?

 

[JenHunt]

mine also involves me, and is quite similar to the story that cptrayes posted...

One of the first few seasons I was hunting Ron, not long after he'd decided that jumping was fun and got very overexcited by the prospect of a 2 foot rail in a hedge line. In an attempt to stop the sillyness I was giving him something to do (walking circles while we waited our turn). All of a sudden, with about 5 horses before us still to jump, he locked his neck against me and set off at full tilt for the hedge. Now, this hedge was quite substantial, nearer to a row of trees really, with bits well over my head whilst mounted, and with pig mesh in the bottom of it. At the very same moment that I decided that was it, I'd kick on and he'd bloody well jump it, he changed his mind. I ended up sat in the blackthorn hedge, looking at him, still holding the reins.

The two or three people still left in the field with me couldn't ride for laughing never mind jump the fence. Once mounted again, having removed a lot of thorns from places thorns shouldn't have been, we popped the rail and carried on for the rest of the day!

 

[cptrayes]

- ain't hunting fun????

c'mon Mike, let's have that pic!

Here's mine - the only two legged horse hunting Cheshire:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IaGqwoQln.../xgkz-m9Vtcs/s1600-h/CFDH+26TH+DEC+08+116.jpg


Just goes to show what happens when your horse chucks off the curb chain. I use karabiners now!

 

[katherine1975]

I was standing at the meet people watching and saw a small boy on a shetland on a lead rein with his mum on her horse. The nibbles came round and the boy took a sausage roll, his mum was busy chatting to her friends and taking no notice of what he was up to. He dropped his sausage roll on the ground by accident and got off his pony, I was thinking he's surely not going to eat that now! He picked up the sausage roll and fed it to his pony, then clambered back on by putting his knee in the stirrup and was sat on his pony as if nothing had happened. His mum was completely oblivious.

 

[TJP]

I took a new horse out on our first hunt. Friends were running late so we waited for them with the intention of catching everyone else up. We merrily set off, came to a stubble field and galloped across. I was looking behind me - talking to friends - when the horse rammed on the anchors in the middle of the field, I went sailing over his head and was left sitting with his bridle in my hand. There was a bl**dy great drainage ditch that we had not noticed and I was sat on the edge. That was when I realised he didn't like ditches and that in future I should really look where I am going lol.

 

[Devonshire dumpling]

I have a disgraceful one.. but I was ermmmm too young to drink... maybe 16?...

Went hunting with my boyfriend and had a few ports at the meet and had my hipflask too... set off with the field and boyfriends horse put his foot in a hole going through a gateway, horse and rider did a somersault and poor horsey had a right old tear down his face which needed suturing, so set off home to call vet.. got a *******ing from the field master for leaving, until he saw horses face and apologised!

The Alcohol kicked in on the hack back, I dropped my stick and got off to get it, bf very pissed off by now as only hunted for 5 mins, wet and cold, muddy.. horse needing vet and there wasi me mucking around, I tried to act sober and got back up and fell right off the other side, that was it he lost it! Started screaming and shouting at me, which made me laugh hysterically and I was literally lying in the country lane with the horse stood over me laughing my head off with him fuming.

Ashamed now I must say, but spirits just took over me lol

 

[LEC]

My mother once got so drunk at a meet she could not get on the horse so someone tried to give her a hand except she went straight over the other side and fell in a heap.

My father had one riding lesson and was sent hunting by my mother on her trusty horse. He had never jumped before so her advice was just make sure you lean forwards over the jump. So my father goes over the first fence and falls off. Gets on and falls off at the next. Getting a bit pissed off he asks someone what is going wrong. It turns out they were jumping stone walls with drops on the other side.

We jump main rhynes so I have lots of stories about people getting wet. Watching my mother being bucked off into a ditch has a special place in my heart but the best was watching a young thruster whose pony liked to gallop at ditches. It was a big main rhyne and it was a very cold day. He galloped this pony at this open ditch. Pony slammed the brakes on and he went flying over its head and did a perfect dive breaking the ice.

 

[EAST KENT]

The first funny happening was when aged eight on my very first mounted hunt.On an aged woolley black 12.2..very overawed by all those huge clipped and smart hunters.UNTIL a very smart red roan decided to rid itself of it`s well turned out lady rider by slowly collapsing and rolling in a ploughed field. It was an eye opener to a small awestruck child.

 

[RunToEarth]

To be fair once cubbing has finished and I have time to come round in the morning before I get on, I find most days incredibly funny and usually manage to get involved with something! This is one of my funniest from two seasons ago with BH:

 

[Devonshire dumpling]

My mother once got so drunk at a meet she could not get on the horse so someone tried to give her a hand except she went straight over the other side and fell in a heap.

My father had one riding lesson and was sent hunting by my mother on her trusty horse. He had never jumped before so her advice was just make sure you lean forwards over the jump. So my father goes over the first fence and falls off. Gets on and falls off at the next. Getting a bit pissed off he asks someone what is going wrong. It turns out they were jumping stone walls with drops on the other side.

We jump main rhynes so I have lots of stories about people getting wet. Watching my mother being bucked off into a ditch has a special place in my heart but the best was watching a young thruster whose pony liked to gallop at ditches. It was a big main rhyne and it was a very cold day. He galloped this pony at this open ditch. Pony slammed the brakes on and he went flying over its head and did a perfect dive breaking the ice.

hehe and I was embarrassed about mine!

 

[cptrayes]

The first funny happening was when aged eight on my very first mounted hunt.On an aged woolley black 12.2..very overawed by all those huge clipped and smart hunters.UNTIL a very smart red roan decided to rid itself of it`s well turned out lady rider by slowly collapsing and rolling in a ploughed field. It was an eye opener to a small awestruck child.

My chestnut pictured above did that at his first ever check! The rest of the field were in stitches. He just dropped with no warning at all, and I stepped off.

Great stories!

 

[JenHunt]

These are great... reminds me that we're all human after all!

My parents used to tell us a story about a huntsman to the Bilsdale (a lot of years ago now). He once got so drunk over a farmhouse breakfast (courtesy of the meet hosts) before the meet that when he was legged up he went over the top and landed on his head on the other side. Took him 3 attempts to get on. It was all taken in the field's stride though, they were quite used to this, and by all accounts a good day was had.

 

[Countrygirl]

I have a few, will try an keep them short!
i) 2 members of staff being caught in a compromising position out on the hunting field.
ii) Whip going up a hill, coming away from a very hospitable meet went to push a hound on and promptly came off backwards.
iii) Lovely old subscriber used to turn up at the meet in full kit with his horse and generally prop up the bar until about the time that 1st horses returned to the lorry. One day came back to find him fast asleep over his steering wheel. I only ever saw him on his horse at the meet. He had to pay his subs to keep the wife quiet and make out he was hunting everyday!!
iv) Opening meet - immaculately dressed - having a small glass of something, next thing I knew I was on my backside in a massive puddle, wet and muddy breeches before we had even left the meet!!. Darling young horse had gone over backwards - don't panic I saved my glass of something by throwing it at the the girl I was talking to, and she caught it!! lol

 

[Devonshire dumpling]

I have a few, will try an keep them short!
i) 2 members of staff being caught in a compromising position out on the hunting field.
ii) Whip going up a hill, coming away from a very hospitable meet went to push a hound on and promptly came off backwards.
iii) Lovely old subscriber used to turn up at the meet in full kit with his horse and generally prop up the bar until about the time that 1st horses returned to the lorry. One day came back to find him fast asleep over his steering wheel. I only ever saw him on his horse at the meet. He had to pay his subs to keep the wife quiet and make out he was hunting everyday!!
iv) Opening meet - immaculately dressed - having a small glass of something, next thing I knew I was on my backside in a massive puddle, wet and muddy breeches before we had even left the meet!!. Darling young horse had gone over backwards - don't panic I saved my glass of something by throwing it at the the girl I was talking to, and she caught it!! lol

HAHA love it!!!!!

I remembered another!! I was at the meet and didn't really know anyone, so was sitting quietly feeling a little alone and intimidated, was on a 14.2 very experienced cheeky ponyclub games pony! Someone came around with a MASSIVE tray of sausagerolls and he shot forward and dipped his nose in the middle of them grabbed a mouthful and knocked the whole tray out of the host's hand! Made a right racket too and of course everyone looked at me!

 

[cptrayes]

i) 2 members of staff being caught in a compromising position out on the hunting field.
lol

How!?!?!?!?! With/without horses????

 

[Rose Folly]

Two, from a long time ago.

1. My VERY smart not-yet boyfriend, tophatted etc. nonchalantly popping his horse over a big Northumrian wall. What we all knew and he didn't was that there was a fast flowing beck about 4 strides after landing. Horse said "Walls I do, water I don't!" and stopped dead on the brink. Boyfriend did Tom Daley dive over horse's head into the water. I can still see him standing ruefully on the bank tipping water out of the top hat.

2. Didn't see this as I was working in London but the story did the rounds. My 75-year old father took a real purler from his cob during a fast run on the fells, and was knocked out cold. As he lay unconscious on his back the local Red Cross committee lady galloped up, leapt off horse, knelt astride my father, wrestling in his mouth and shouting "Get his teeth out!" But they were all his own......

 

[Countrygirl]

Horses stood watching!!!! And yes they had started the day in full hunting kit, as they were both supposedly on duty!!

 

[EAST KENT]

Binoculars are wonderful, are`nt they?

 

[Devonshire dumpling]

Binoculars are wonderful, are`nt they?

unless you want a wee behind a hedge!