My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Three hundred years ago hats were considered to be protective headgear for the hunt field. While you don’t see too many top hats today, some of the same hatmakers are still in business and still producing bespoke (custom) head gear. The top hat was designed specifically as a crash helmet for the hunting field. Tall […]
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Spring hunting passed in a flash, moving onto the next season of activities: Hunter Paces. Zelda and I got to hunt four or five times this spring, and an ulcer-free Zelda was back to her happy, agreeable self for most of it. She still can be a handful. I’m always amazed by how she can […]
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In New England we can be blessed with a few warm days in November. Last Saturday, we were blessed with one: sunny and low 50s, with perfect footing. Even better, the territory was only a few miles from my barn. Zelda was in fine form. With the help of our Butterfly Pelham her exuberance was […]
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Thanksgiving is one of the “high holy days” of foxhunting. While most sane people are roasting turkeys and juggling dishes in their kitchens, foxhunters are up with the dawn, eager to get that few hours of hunting in before returning to stuff stuffing in turkeys and turn the ovens up high to make up for […]
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This is a time of year when Zelda gets hot and itchy. Always one to enjoy a roll after a ride, she sometimes barely waits until I get her saddle off. This is what happened on Saturday. After a vigorous and exciting hunt on a warm November day, I dismounted in the host’s sand arena. […]
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Bitting up for hunting can mean the difference between a fun ride and a continuous tug of war. Whenever someone says you should be able to ride every horse in a snaffle, I chuckle and think, “you’ve never been foxhunting.” That’s not to say you can’t hunt a horse in a snaffle. My Trakehner was […]
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Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to jump downed trees in a single bound. Look! Running after the hounds! It’s Zelda! For sure, Zelda had the locomotive part down pat. Riding her was a bit like being on a runaway train. Without brakes that worked well. Zelda and I had […]
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Tally ho! The fall foxhunting season has started and Zelda and I have been getting out a bit more. After staying close to home this summer, the fall hunt season kicked off and the last two hunts were quite close by. I was on the fence about hunting. Truthfully, my left ankle is still not […]
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