Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Tally Ho!


What do you do when preparing for the biggest competition of your life to date?
Throw everything out the window and go for a hunting lesson!

The Fort Leavenworth Hunt Club offers “8 Easy Lessons” as an introduction to foxhunting.  I have dreamed of riding with the hunt since I read the book “Cinnabar the One o’ Clock Fox” in my youth.  I don’t know how many times I’ve read the book, but my copy was well worn before I lost track of it…

My first lesson started out feeling much like a drill team practice.  It was all about proper spacing.  I need to see the hocks of the horse in front of me between my horse’s ears.  This is not as easy as it sounds.  What they didn’t say is “If you can see the horse’s heels in front of you, you are getting left behind!”
The second part of the lesson was “TROT all the things!”  Always trot.  Long trot, short trot, middle trot…  Trot!  Trotting will conserve your horse over the course of a day of hunting.  We practiced trotting in line.  We practiced trotting over jumps in a line.  We practiced trotting around trees in a line.

OK, everyone else practiced it at the trot…  Whisper decided, “This is just dumb!” and proceeded to play the game at the world’s slowest canter! Rather than get left behind, I finally just let her canter.  I figure, on the hunt, she’ll figure out how to trot when she gets tired….  *IF* she gets tired…

Because, if I learned nothing else, I learned that the most important thing on the hunt is not to get left behind!!



We did the tree exercises 2x2...  then 3x3...  Oh, how fun!!
Tandem jumping was involved, as well!  The Fancy Pony didn't think that was anything new...

All in all, it was a great time, and I can't wait to go back!  Hunting sounds like it will be a BLAST!

10 comments:

  1. sounds like a blast - i'd love to try something like that one day too!

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    Replies
    1. I couldn't be with a more inviting group of huntsmen! (And women)

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    2. I couldn't be with a more inviting group of huntsmen! (And women)

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  2. Replies
    1. It's kind of like drill team with a purpose! Whisper even figured out reporting instead of cantering by our second lesson! I'm already having so much fun, and I haven't even ridden a real hunt yet!

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    2. It's kind of like drill team with a purpose! Whisper even figured out reporting instead of cantering by our second lesson! I'm already having so much fun, and I haven't even ridden a real hunt yet!

      Delete
  3. Yay! Another convert. I have been hunting about a year and every time I go I just feel lucky to be alive.

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    Replies
    1. That's how I feel even at these practices! I can't believe how responsive and cooperative Whisper is, too!
      "Hold hard" comes back, and that mare sits on her butt and stops!!

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    2. That's how I feel even at these practices! I can't believe how responsive and cooperative Whisper is, too!
      "Hold hard" comes back, and that mare sits on her butt and stops!!

      Delete

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