Hunt Etiquette | bear-creek-hounds

Hunting Etiquette

The proper conventions and etiquette that participants are expected to follow are essential for the safety of the hounds and staff and to maintaining the privilege to ride across private land. Please become familiar with these guidelines and follow them in the field to ensure a good day of sport for everyone. Any unsafe, rude or unsportsmanlike conduct will be addressed by the Master up to and including removal of a rider from the field. The Master is the final authority in the field, any requests by the Master must be followed immediately and without discussion.

Before the Hunt

Be prompt
When arriving at the meet, introduce your friends to the honorary secretary, pay the capping fee (if applicable), and then go to the Master(s) for an introduction.
Greet the huntsman while he or she is gathering hounds and greet the Field Master before he or she gathers the field. Thank them both before the end of the day.
Your horse and tack must be clean and neat and in good repair.
You should be clean and neat as well. Do not wear anything that could get caught on trees or other obstacles and cause injury to you or your horse.

During the hunt

If you choose to ride in the First Flight Field, please maintain the pace of the Field Master. Those who wish to pick and chose their jumps should ride at the back of the First Flight.
When jumping, don't approach the take-off area until the preceding horse and rider have taken the jump safely and advanced three or four strides.
If your horse refuses to jump, try once again. If it refuses on the second attempt, go to the back of the field. Never go around a fence as it is being jumped.
In the course of a refusal, don't allow your horse to run into a cropped field. Remain in the rear of the jumping field until you are confident your horse will not refuse again.
Any non-riding members are always welcome and encouraged to follow the hunt by car or on foot, with supervision or after discussing proper protocol.

Conduct in the Field

The Master, hunt staff and hounds should be given the right of way at all times. Always turn your horse so that its head is facing hounds, Master or staff as they pass.
Stay behind your Field Master at all times and follow his or her line. Never pass the Master or ride an alternate route without his or her permission. If he or she crosses a field by hugging the edge, do likewise. Keep up with the Field Master, since leaving large gaps can interfere with the day’s sport.
Please be quiet while hounds are being cast. Speak in a low tone of voice, so as not to raise hounds from hunting. All hallooing, calling out to and attempts to give direction to a hound by members of the field are not only bad manners, but apt to spoil sport for everyone.
However, if a hound comes in between horses or you see that a hound will be coming close to other horses let others know by calling "hound(s) please" to alert members to give the hound the right of way. If the hound does not appear to be in a position to encounter the horses, no call is necessary.
If you see a danger to another rider, such as a hole or a low tree branch you should call out "Ware hole" or "Ware branch".
If a Whipper-in or the huntsman is coming up from ahead or behind and will need to pass through the field of riders, let others know by calling "Whip please" or "Hunt please". ALWAYS turn your horses head toward the rider so as to prevent your horse from kicking out as it passes.
If you view a fox and the hounds are on the line, do nothing to interfere with the hounds or the fox. If you view a fox as he breaks covert and the hounds are not on the line, do not make a sound and wait for him to be well away from the covert. Then signal the Field Master by raising your cap so he may choose whether to "Tally-ho" or to send a rider to the huntsman. Do not lose sight of where the fox broke covert. You may be asked to show the huntsman exactly where you viewed.
If your horse has a tendency to kick, put a red ribbon on its tail. This warning symbol does not relieve you from the primary responsibility of keeping the mount at a safe distance from others. Horses that kick should be ridden in the back of the field, even when a red ribbon is worn.
If you get lost or separated from the hunt, go directly to the nearest public road. Stay on the public roadways until you are able to rejoin the field.
Do not ride over crops, and keep off all seeded fields. Close any gates you open. Do not close any gate you find open. If you take a rail down, put it back. Leave everything as you found it.
Members of the field waive all claims against landowners for injuries to themselves or their mounts. If there is an injury a few members of the field may volunteer or be designated by the Field Master to stay with the injured party and coordinate any needed help. The rest of the field should follow the Field Master and continue hunting.

On non-hunting days and off-season

When a hunt has been given the privilege of riding over a landowner’s property, it does not mean that members of that hunt or anyone else have the right to trespass without specific permission from the landowner, the appointed agent, tenant or farmer, whether hacking on non-hunting days, going to a meet or not keeping up or returning from a hunt. Always be conscious of ground conditions and do not ride across land where conditions are poor.
Be courteous and friendly to the public. A smile, wave of the hand or tipping one’s cap does wonders for the good of our sport. Do not impede traffic while on your horse. Public relations are everyone’s responsibility.

These guidelines are published by the Masters of Foxhounds Association. MFHA.org

Bear Creek Hounds Respect for Land Guidelines

Our generous landowners are the key to the sport we love and enjoy. Please be thoughtful of their property at all times. Be sure to thank landowners for the privilege of hunting on their land.

*The landowner is always right. Smile and be congenial no matter what.

*Give way on roads and say “Thank You” when traffic slows down for you.

*Leave all gates as they were found. If a gate needs to be closed, pass on the cry “Gate Please” to the rider behind you. The last two adult riders through the gate are responsible for seeing it is shut properly.

*If you knock down or damage a fence, report it immediately to a Field Master, accidents happen, but the sooner we know about it the sooner we can fix it and it may well make the difference between the hunt’s continued welcome on the property or being asked to stay away.

*Stay off crops or planted fields, ride around the edge in single file if directed to do so by the Field Master. In short if you are unsure, treat the field as planted and keep off!

*Move quietly and slowly around livestock, do not go through them. If they start to run, STOP and let things calm down.

Please make it a priority to be respectful of the land and the landowners. Damage to property and/or livestock is inexcusable. Not only is it expensive, but it can also result in the loss of hunting privileges for our hunt.

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.