Your first task as a foxhunter is to ride your horse so that you will not be a menace,
either to yourself or to others; nor to landowners, crops, fences, hounds, staff,
members of the field, and those who follow by car. The hunting field is not a place to
school your horse, nor a place to practice cross-country riding. Follow not only the field
master, but also the more experienced members of the field, never lagging behind,
and do not leave until you have the field master’s permission to do so. The wrong
moment, or the wrong route home could spoil the sport of those still hunting.
In hunting it is not only helpful to stay safe and useful but to also be knowledgeable.
Foxhunting is distinguished from other types of cross-country riding by the presence of
hounds, and it is the understanding and appreciation of how hounds work, with
occasional help from the huntsman and whippers-in, which when achieved, will make
you worthy to be called a foxhunter. There is much to be learned from books, and from
conversations with those who have already arrived, but your education can only be
completed through actual experience. This could start by walking out with the pack on
foot during the summer so that you recognize each individual hound, and its particular
characteristics; or by watching and listening intently during the cub hunting season as
the young hounds are entered; by noting the problems posed by the wiles of the fox, by
the weather, terrain, livestock, machinery; and by observing how the hounds solve
these problems. Once you start to take on these foxhunter like observations, foxhunting
will take on an entirely new dimension, over and above galloping and jumping, while
exciting and challenging, becomes secondary. The measure of what makes for an
outstanding day, changes from speed across country, to the success with which the
hounds surmounted the conditions encountered; to the way they worked together as a
pack; and to the prowess of individual hounds in performing such feats as carrying the
line down a half mile line of tarred road.
Herewith follows the basic precepts for proper decorum in the hunting field. While they
are classified as manners and etiquette, they are actually matters of safety, to which
members of the field will be required to adhere. They will be enforced by the field
master, and no exceptions will be made. These rules and regulations, when properly
observed, will create a safe and pleasant day for everyone.
Next Page
| In all things equestrian there are some do’s and don’ts that if you are planning to fox hunt you will need to be aware of. This will not only allow you to be safe but will ultimately help in understanding and appreciating the full experience of ‘riding to hounds and becoming a foxhunter’. When you follow a pack of hounds you thereby become a member of a very considerable group of people whose activities affect the entire community, (not just you) and that the sport you enjoy is the result of a twelve-month-a-year program, which has been carried on continuously for generations. |
| Foxhunting Formalities |
