Proper Attire for Fox Hunting
Every piece of clothing customarily worn in the hunt field has a purpose. For instance, the stock tie and pin can be used for a sling if someone is injured. Red hunt coats make riders more visible in the distance. Long boots are comfortable to ride in and protect a rider's legs from branches and trees.
The most experienced foxhunters wear their colors on the collar, so a less experienced foxhunter will know who to rely on for help or advice on a hunt day. Masters wear four buttons on their coat instead of three, so landowners can identify who is in charge if there is a problem.
Our Hunt Season lasts from September to March and there are attire guidelines for different times of the year. For the purposes of the guidelines, “children” are 12 years of age or under and all others should follow the guidelines for an adult.
Autumn Hunting and Informal Attire
Autumn Hunting is the season from September until Opening Meet. Informal Days are the weekday hunts during the hunt season from Opening meet until mid-March.
Shirts: In warm weather wear a solid color polo shirt. In cold weather wear a turtle neck or riding shirt with colored or patterned stock tie with a coordinating hacking jacket.
Jackets: “Hacking” jackets also called “ratcatchers” are riding jackets in tweed, plaid, hounds tooth, herringbone, stripes, etc. Jacket may be wool, gabardine or a blend. A lighter weight is best in the South where you can always add more layers underneath.
Vests: Wool front or all wool, in any variety of plaids and all colors; should coordinate with hacking jacket.
Gloves: Tan with crochet backs, tan, brown or black.
Breeches and Boots: Adults wear breeches or riding pants designed to be worn inside tall boots. Breeches should be beige, olive, rust, dark burgundy, grey or slate blue. No patterns, no contrasting knee patches. Riders in this age group may wear nice half chaps with matching paddock boots; black, brown or burgundy dress boots (tall); or black, brown or burgundy field boots (tall).
Children wear jodhpurs or riding pants designed to be worn over paddock boots. Jodphurs should be beige, olive, rust or grey. Riders in this age group may wear paddock boots of black or brown and have “garters” in the same color.
Head Gear: Ladies and girls should wear hair nets to keep their hair neat and in helmet. No hair should be hanging loose. Children may wear braids with ribbons or hair nets depending on hair length.
Helmets: All riders should wear an “ASTM Approved” black velvet helmet with black boots, brown velvet with brown boots, or burgundy velvet with burgundy boots.
Formal Season
All weekend and holiday hunts are formal attire starting with opening meet.
Shirts: White shirts (turtle neck or riding shirt) with white stock ties. Do not buy pre-tied stock ties-they cannot be used for a sling or bandage. Wear gold stock pin on stock tie. Stock pin should be plain and look like a large safety pin. Also have two regular safety pins to hold ends of stock tie to shirt.
Jackets: Hunt coat should be plain black with plain black buttons. Tropical weight works well in the south.
Vests: Canary (yellow). Wool front or all wool. Vests are somewhat optional in our climate.
Gloves: Ladies and girls: Black, tan with crochet backs, white, tan, brown. Gentlemen and boys: tan with crochet backs, white, tan, brown.
Breeches and Boots: Adults wear breeches in beige. They should be worn with black dress boots. Children wear beige jodhpurs with black or brown paddock boots with matching garters.
Helmets: Black velvet “ASTM Approved”
Members who have earned their colors wear black velvet with a royal blue piping on their collars. Men wear white breeches with their scarlet coats while women wear beige breeches with black coats. Also, the ladies’ boots have patent leather tops and the men’s boots have brown tops.
