Epic Day Foxhunting

First off, thanks everyone for your well-wishes! Hubby and I spent the weekend on the couch with our delicious antibiotics and are both feeling nearly 100%.

Since we were obviously not up to hunting this weekend, these pics are actually from LAST weekend (how do I get so behind, anyway?). We had a super awesome day out with the hounds - fast hunt, perfect weather (if you like good Irish weather), and great company, although we didn't have any Tally Ho's.

Getting ready to head out. Another perfect day - cool, breezy, with just a hint of rain. Hubby is adjusting Brego's breastplate.

All the horses were pretty amped up for the first few gallops - we played bumper cars with some of the less experienced mounts, but everyone stayed on board. Paddy also learned that some mares do not appreciate geldings in close proximity, lol!

Paddy watches the hounds work this copse of trees. The tiny grey dot is the huntsmistress.

We ended up going first flight since there really was no second flight. Since first flight jumps 3' coops to get from one field to another, and I haven't jumped Paddy since his injury this summer, I took him around through the gates. This meant we ended up traveling significantly more distance that the rest of the horses. Good thing that a) the Haffie can keep up with the TBs and b) I can actually gallop in a dressage saddle!!!

Nice butt(s)!

Hubby eventually decided to try one of the coops, with a bonus overhanging branch. Brego was a star, as usual.

Hubby had to duck for this one!

The boys were quite steamy after our hard gallops, and once we were back at the trailer realized that Brego doesn't yet have a fleece of his own. He had to borrow Paddy's.

Brego is not really a size 75. 

We've really come to love foxhunting season - it's so much fun to just let the horses open up. It's also REALLY nice to have two solid citizens when you're hunting. Such good boys!

Foxhunting Foto Dump

On Saturday, we went foxhunting for the second time this year. The weather was absolutely PERFECT for this part of the world - mid 60s, light breeze, cloudless day. Not to mention a perfectly GORGEOUS fixture and lots of good friends!

We had a slight snafu leaving the house - the fixture required a PRINTED Coggins, and at 5:45 a.m. our printer decided that it simply couldn't go on after 6 years of faithful service. We panicked a bit, then hubby had the great idea to stop at a nearby hotel to use their business center to print copies. Thank you local hotel for saving our butts!

Sunrise on the road.

Brego looks pumped and ready to go (ha. ha.)

Waiting for the hounds to be released.

Milling about...

A leisurely stroll after first field.

The all-important flask.

Brego and Paddy watch the hunt mistress and hounds.

A successful day!

Noses.

Hope y'all had a great weekend with your horses too!

Foxhunting in NH with longtime friends, on an Interwebz-famous horse!

By now you're probably wondering what I'm doing in New Hampshire when I was in Vienna and the Czech Republic last week, but I promise it makes perfect sense! My husband's family was spending the last weeks of summer up in Cape Cod, so on my way back from my work trip I flew into Boston to join everyone. Not a bad way to end a trip!

The fox hunt was really just a happy coincidence. Some of you really old-school bloggers may remember Brego, the original Eventing Percheron. He had his own blog back before blogging was cool, and he was barefoot before barefoot was A Thing. He and his mom used to live in Austin, and I think she was the first blogger I'd ever met IRL. She and I once went cross-country schooling together, and I got to ride him once before they moved up to their current location in New Hampshire.  He is one super-cool dude - not only does he have the best airplane ears EVAR, but he's got tons of experience hunting and eventing, and he's as honest as the day is long.

Hubby and Brego. Note The EARZ. How can you not love those?

So imagine my excitement when Brego's mom contacted me a month or so ago and, after exchanging a number of emails, kindly arranged for hubby and I to go hunting with her! Hubby got to ride Brego (lucky man), and I got to ride a fantastic Pinto named Trinidad (we all know how I loves me some spots!) There is truly nothing more fun that riding a horse that knows his job and loves it, and both Brego and Trinny fit the bill perfectly.

Hubby on Brego and Brego's mom on Sterling.

This was the first drag hunt we've ever been on, and it's quite different than our hunts in Texas. Whereas Texas hunts are huge open fields with smaller copses of trees, the hunts up here are in thick forests criss-crossed by trails, with the occasional field that one must go around the edge of (out of respect for the farmer's crops). I can't even imagine trying to get through such thick country on a live hunt - you'd lose the dogs in minutes. But the super amazing fun part of such a hunt is that there are loads of smaller jumps along the way, instead of the 3' coops set on fencelines that our regular hunt has. Riders can also choose to "gap" (go past) the jump, and it's really nice to have that option. I was a tad worried about how we'd do since neither of us has jumped seriously since this spring, but Brego and Trinny were foot-perfect, jumping everything in stride just as nice as you please. Hubby even did a log with a pretty big drop on the off side, and was grinning ear to ear after that one!

A quiet moment on one of the trails. Lookit all the trees!!! (And Trinny's ears and Brego's butt, lol)

Edging 'round one of the fields. You can sort of see the hounds down at the bottom of the hill.

Our lovely hostess on Sterling.

As an extra bonus, I met the owner of the Foxhunting Fresian blog!  Totally random, I had no idea she was even in the same part of the world. She and her mare were both lovely and very welcoming - it was such a pleasure to meet them! It's definitely been a whirlwind blogger meet-up for the past week.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled blogging at Wyvern Oaks. My travels are over, for the time being - it will be nice to be home!

Sure, take the new horse foxhunting. What could possibly go wrong?

This weekend was our hunt's blessing of the hounds. I'd planned to ride in the hay wagon with MC, while hubby rode Red (after all, Red is actually hubby's horse) and Fuzzypony rode Taran. But suddenly, we had a Paddington! Maybe I could ride in the hunt after all!

Here are the reasons this was a bad idea:

• We'd had him for less than a week
• I'd only ridden him 3 times, including the tryout
• He'd never been hunting before (but he had walked out with the hounds)
• He's ... uhhhhmmm ... a little out-of-shape. Unless you consider round a shape.

Here are the reasons this was a good idea:

• He has a great brain.

You know that exercise they tell you to do when you're trying to make a big decision, where you list the pros in one column and the cons in the other? Obviously I didn't get the message about what to do when the cons outweigh the pros, 'cause I stuffed Paddy's fuzzy butt in the trailer and off we went to the opening hunt.

As it turned out, he was AWESOME. We ended up going second flight (slow, no jumping, but still a good gallop or two) and it was perfect for him. He watched the hounds but was not at all bothered by them - one even came loping up behind him and he barely flicked an ear. He was a little uncertain about the cows, and he had a tendency to leap over ditches, but otherwise he never put a foot wrong. He was more than willing to keep up with the 2nd flight leader, who was riding an ex-Intermediate level eventer! I definitely need more brakes hunting, because when we were galloping he completely ignored the loose-ring snaffle I was riding him in.  Ooops!

He got a TON of compliments on the hunt, mostly involving how cute he is. Good thing HE thinks "cute" is an acceptable compliment! The huntsmistress even commented on how well he did, and said that in another three outings he'd be an old pro at it. Coming from her I'll take that as a compliment of the highest order!

MC generously took some pictures from the hay wagon, so of course I must share:

Easy to pick out in a crowd!

We did a lot of walking during the holds... he hasn't figured out that he can stand around and relax yet.

Fuzzypony on my right on Taran, Hubby on my left on Reddums.

I love this shot!

Gratuitous ear pic. Because, how can you not?

Post-ride, Paddy decided it was time for a roll. MC is holding Paddy (and the camera), I'm in the background holding Red.

I had a super, awesome fun time and am SO glad we decided to take Paddy after all. Now we just need to get a bit more fit, find some brakes, and we'll be set for the season.

Tally Ho!

Show postponed due to rain? Go foxhunting instead!

The LOPE benefit show was postponed until next Sunday, due to all the rain we've gotten in the last few days. While I was a bit bummed that the show was postponed, we really needed the rain. It's been almost 6 weeks since it last rained, and the ground was starting to crack pretty badly.

Besides, despite the wet conditions, the first real foxhunt of the year was ON! Well, OK, it's only cubbing season, which means polo shirts and a much more relaxed atmosphere. BUT STILL! We got to take the hounds out to my favorite fixture, and  it was FANTASTIC!

I took Oberon instead of Saga, since he's never actually been on a real hunt before. We started second flight, but first wasn't going too fast so we moved up after about 10 minutes. OMG, Oberon is a natural-born hunt horse. He just keeps up with the group, no matter what they're doing. He also totally "gets" the hunt thing.

Hey mom? The hounds are over there in the trees. 

Fuzzypony went too on Taran.

We only had one silly/spooky moment. Those dots you see in the pond are hounds swimming (they were cooling off and getting a drink). Oberon was fine with hounds on land, but hounds in the water were a bit much. He had to stop and stare a bit.

The hunstmistress goes by with the hounds.

The only bad thing about this fixture is the mesquite. The grey spines you see in this picture are thorns - they are each about an inch long. There were small shrubs like this EVERYWHERE. Oberon for the most part went around it or hopped over it.

We were out for a good two hours, which is pretty great for the first of the season. First flight saw FOUR Talley-hos! Well, OK, it was probably the same two coyotes twice, but still. The hounds kept catching the scent and losing it, and then we'd see one of the coyotes go sauntering off from one copse to the next. We actually had one where the coyote went perhaps 20 feet directly behind the huntsmistress as she was cantering along! The hounds were nowhere to be seen, and the coyote was headed downwind so of course they did not catch the scent at all. Coyotes are very, very crafty creatures!  Good thing too - it means there's always something for us to chase next time. :)

The hunstmistress and hounds on the left, and second field on the right, headed home.

Oberon was an absolute blast to ride. He trotted when the lead horse trotted, stopped when he stopped, and cantered when he did too. I never had to haul on him to slow down, and the one time when I felt him accelerate into a flat-out gallop, I stood up a bit and half-halted, and he came right back to me. He was very balanced, even cantering down hills (Saga tends to sort of roll down them). He was happy to stand when the others stood, but caught on quickly that he was to move off with the group. I was worried that he'd have a problem keeping up with first flight, but I shouldn't have - he had no trouble at all. What a star pony!

 

 Yes, I'm all that and a bag of chips. Feed me now?

The hubby might not be getting his horse back. ;)

Every ride should be this much fun!

Hubby and I went roading with the hounds again today. They were short on whippers-in and the MFH was traveling, so instead of staying out of the way of the huntsmistress and hounds, we were actively encouraged to help set up a perimeter and discourage the hounds from leaving the property in case they caught the scent of anything. It was a good thing too - they flushed three rabbits, and we were actively engaged in holding a perimeter twice.

Saga now knows exactly what's going down when we unload him at the huntsmistress's barn. His ears were on high alert as we tacked and groomed.  Fortunately, he was pretty chill once I got on, and was cool to hangout chatting. Naturally, Oberon just looked around for more foods.

The hunt started off going counterclockwise from the kennels. As we made our way down along the northern fenceline, the hounds flushed a rabbit, which headed straight for us. The leader of second flight and I got there first, and did our best to stop the hounds, but they were quite keen on their quarry and didn't listen to our shouts of "LEAVE IT" and "GET TO HER". About half the pack made it past us before the whippers-in and ATV got there, and there was much excitement as they laid about with rat shot and hunting whips (note, I've never seen anyone hit a dog, it's just used for noise to distract them). We were in among the hounds and the ensuing chaos, and I remember thinking that Saga was being SO GOOD about all the commotion. He went where I asked, didn't flinch at all, and just sort of waded in and did his job. He's such a good boy!

After that excitement, we rounded up the hounds (well, I got out of the way while others rounded up the hounds) and got them back to the huntsmistress. We continued our ride over to the southern fenceline, when another jackrabbit popped up between us and the hounds. The rabbit was downwind of them and I'm not sure if they saw it, but when we started yelling "rabbit" and got into position to potentially head the hounds off, they figured it out and started going after it. Fortunately, it was much too fast for them and they left off the chase pretty quickly.

Because the hounds were cueing off of things that move instead of scent, they were put up for the day. As usual, we got to go play on the XC fences. I'm still sticking to the smaller ones, but I'm definitely feeling much more confident over them. Saga is staying much more balanced under me for longer, and I can tell he's getting more fit. I, unfortunately, can't keep up with him. He's getting really strong when there are horses in front of us, and the waterford that I'm using just doesn't give me enough brakes. I'm thinking of bitting up to a kimberwicke, or possibly a pelham with a converter on it. One of the other riders even commented that I'm so little and he's just yanking me around. It's embarrassing not to be able to stop your horse, you know? It's also way embarrassing to have to pull off because you are gasping for air. I HATE jogging, but I'm going to have to do something to get more fit. Sure, I can buck hay with the best of them, but that's clearly not going to be enough if I want the fast ride up in front.

Anyway, the XC fences. We did our usual little logs, and did the training-level doghouse into the water with a log coming out. There were a couple of other training fences that I wanted to try, but there was nothing really straightforward (that is, not funny-looking, and either on a flat area or uphill) that caught my eye. Next time. ;)

Oberon is also getting more confident, and for some reason today was really putting forth a lot of effort on the jumps. Well, OK, some of the time. This one 2'6 log pile he cantered up to, broke to a trot about 2 strides out, walked about 1 stride out, and then delicately hopped over from a walk. It was quite tidy, he didn't touch a thing, but he was clearly going over it in his own time, thank-you-very-much. Goofball. He also launched off the bank (normally he just drops down), although his effort up was less than stellar (more of a climb than a jump, really). I think he just needs more time and more miles - this is really only his 15th or so ride over fences, so I'd say he's doing pretty damn well all things considered. And he takes good care of hubby, which is really the important part.

Oberon and hubby on the final jump of the day - a coop on a fenceline. Not too shabby!

Next weekend is more roading and possibly some trails... we'll have to see what the plan is. I am SO looking forward to it!

In which I convince my H/J trainer to come over to the dark side

Today Fuzzypony, my H/J trainer Paige, and I went roading with the hounds. We also got in a number of XC fences while we were at it, and man did we have a BLAST!

Roading was significantly calmer this time than last. For the most part, we stayed even with the hounds for about 30 minutes, helping to set up a perimeter around where they were working. We got some good trots and canters in, and Saga was much happier right behind the leader than he was last week at the back of the pack last week. We had another moment of excitement at the end where the hounds flushed another jackrabbit and we tried to head them off, but we were really too far away to be of any use so after a brief uphill gallop, we pulled off and let the whippers-in go after them. Oberon lumbered along gamely enough, and Paige seemed happy to have a horse that didn't need to be at the front of the pack. I asked her a couple of times if he was fast enough for her and she said yes - I know he can keep up and really get going, so I think she was holding him back a bit. Totally fine for someone who is used to being in an arena all the time!

After they put the hounds up, we went off to do some XC fences. I was feeling pretty brave after yesterday's fantastic jump school, and opted to do a few of the easier Training level fences. Saga and I were not as balanced and together as we could have been, and I'm learning that he gets like that when he gets tired. If we want to do any eventing this fall or next spring, we are really going to have to work on fitness for both of us!

When in doubt, go for the really long spot?

We started off playing in the water jump. Oberon was pretty sure that he was DONE, and Paige had a lot to do convincing him to go forward to the jumps. He did actually jump them all, he just sort of trotted up to them and flopped over. *Facepalm*

I did a Training-level "doghouse" style jump into the water, then a log coming out. Saga really made the effort over the doghouse but lost momentum in the water. Oh well, he gets an "A" for effort over the element that really counted.

Next we headed off to do a couple of logs. Once Paige convinced Oberon that it was time to jump, he was really nice and steady to the fences. He's jumped all these before with the hubby, but a refresher course was good for him.

Next up was the stairsteps that I had caught my eye last week. We came around, but about five stride out Saga threw his head up in the air and said "OMGWTFBBQ!" He veered off to the left, but I managed to stop him before he got past it. We went up the side of the first step instead of the main part. I really think he just looked at it and had no idea what he was supposed to do - stair steps look kind of like a solid wall when you're coming at them. We came back around again, and the second time through he jumped it quite well. There was a bit of a shuffle in between, but he got up it well enough. Good boy!

saga-stairs-8-12-12

Awwww yeah.

After that success, I was ready to call it a day since I knew that Saga was tired. Paige wanted to see if Oberon could do the stairstep, but from about 50 feet away he decided he didn't want to even get near the side of it. I gave her a lead and we walked across the middle of the first step, parallel to the jump. On the far side, I went down a tiny hill, then turned around, expecting to see her following after. Instead, Oberon had taken exception to a clump of grass (!?!?!) and was handily backing away from it - right toward the step down! It was one of those slow-motion things you wish you had on tape - he got to the edge, backed down the 2'6 drop, and then nonchalantly brought his front end down with him. Luckily, Paige had the forethought to grab his neck, and they landed tidily, with Oberon still staring at the suspicious clump of grass. We all agreed that's the first time we'd ever seen a horse do a drop backwards, LOL!

After that bit of fun, we decided that Oberon needed a little practice with single banks, so we went over to the bank up/down that I did last week. Paige picked up a nice canter, and all was going so well, until...

My favorite part is when Oberon realizes that the grass is RIGHT AT NOSE LEVEL! You can see his ears flick forwards and he's like "Oooh! FOODS!" just before he decides to heave himself to the top of it. We were all laughing at his antics.

Paige turned him around and went down the bank, which he did quite handily.

Nice and tidy.

We decided to call it a day after that, and watched some of the other riders do a couple of Training-level fences. Once Saga is a bit more fit, I think we'll be able to do a few more of those, too. :)

On the way home, Paige informed me that I'm not allowed to do the 2'3 hunters anymore. Something about watching us do those Training-level XC fences, I guess? She's also planning to look at her calendar to find the next available Sunday so she can come back, and is contemplating which of her horses might work for hunting.

I HAVE BROUGHT HER TO THE DARK SIDE! MUAHAHAHAHAAA! And I didn't even need any cookies!

Screw that show stuff, let's bust out with some XC

After the hunter show on Saturday morning, I repacked the trailer so that we could head out Sunday for some XC schooling. I had contacted the hunstmistress with Independent Foxhounds to see if we could join them for roading (since Oberon has never seen hounds before), and instead she invited us to come school on her private XC course. She has about three dozen jump complexes from BN through Training, including banks, water, ditches, trakheners, nice bendy lines, coops... you name it. It's a super nice course on rolling hills with a path mown through it - just perfect.

We pulled in around 9 am Sunday and tacked up, then headed out with the huntsmistress, hunstmaster, and their three working students. We somehow lucked out with the weather - it was in the mid 80's, cloudy, with a nice breeze. For Texas at this time of year, that's FANTASTIC! I was a little nervous to be out on course, so Saga was a little jiggy, but settled down after the first few jumps. Hubby followed me on Oberon for every fence - since Oberon had never seen a solid fence before, we wanted him to have extra incentive to jump it.

Both horses were complete and total rockstars! Saga never batted an eye at anything, and the huntsmistress commented on how nicely he jumped and how tidy he was with his front end. I remembered to look up and count "one... TWO... one... TWO" in front of the fences so I wouldn't screw up the rhythm. I made sure that Saga was going the rhythm I wanted and not bolting at the fences, and for the most part it really worked out. Hooray!

Naturally there aren't any pics of me, since I was the one with the camera, but I did get some video of hubby with Oberon.

First up, the log pile. This was actually Oberon's best jumping effort, despite an early attempt to go around (not caught on video).

Oberon over Log pile

Next up, a mini-trakhener. Hubby had to learn to balance him since it was coming down a slight hill and he tends to get long and cruise-y if you let him.

Oberon over Trakhener

And then of course, the Ditch of Doom. Oberon followed Saga over it with no problem the first time. When hubby tried it on his own the first time, Oberon hit the brakes, but he turned him around immediately and tried again:

Oberon over Ditch

Finally, we did the water complex. Oberon once again followed Saga in the first time and then cheerfully trotted through. This was the second or third time they went through - jump in, jump out. Not bad for a horse who has never been XC!

Oberon in the water

We finished up our day by doing an entire course. Unfortunately by then, Saga was pretty done. When he's tired, he ends up being a train wreck, sprawling along on his forehand. He can't balance himself and I can't balance him, so he just runs faster and longer. I pulled him up after the second fence, when it became pretty clear that I had no brakes and minimal steering. He had been a really good boy all day, so I can't fault him for the bit at the end. Oberon was still going strong, and hubby followed the hunstmistress over about 7 fences. I think there was a fence or two where Oberon decided that going around would be easier than jumping, but hubby turned him around, set him back up, and got him over.

On the drive home, hubby and I enthusiastically recounted the highlights. We were both really pleased with our horses - for never being out on course before, Oberon was a total star. The hunstmistress really liked him and said he seemed like a good match for hubby, although she did laugh at one point and called him a "minimalist" when he cleared a jump by about 1/2 an inch. At least he gets the job done! Saga was he usual bold self and carted me over everything. When I rode him steadily he gave me great jumps. I do need to get more used to riding at speed though - I'm spending too much time in the arena going at hunter speeds. Luckily, we've been invited back every Sunday, and starting August 5th they'll be riding out with the hounds on course.

Gee, it's just TOO BAD that the Sunday foxhunting stuff coincides with those hunter shows, don't you think? I wonder which one I should do... ;)