Night before a Fox Hunt it’s always good to pull your horse from the field and remove the top layer of mud with a stiff brush. After, apply a sheet or blanket. Unfortunately a blanket for my horse is just a challenge for he and his donkey friends to spend the evening collaborating to remove the blanket, preferably to shred it into pieces and then roll in the mud until dawn.
The night before a hunt, it’s also recommended that one clean their tack, polish boots and iron the stock tie, but for me this level of organization is a fantasy. My reality is rushing out to the barn in the morning to clean up my horse whose usually caked in several layers of dried mud. He seems to know it is hunt day just by the way I enter the barn because he spins and frantically runs out the door to his paddock and refuse to cooperate until I succumb to his demands (Grain). Once the peace offering is consumed the countdown begins.
Its one hour to the hunt (meet) and nothing’s been cleaned. Nothing ironed, and my hunt coat is covered in mud from my last fall. The hunt waits for no one, and as a person who struggles with chronic lateness, here is my playbook on how to get to the meet on time looking fabulous…
It’s game day and I have an hour until kick off so here is how I roll
IMPORTANT NOTICE before you begin – if you are already dressed in your britches, shirt and boots – I highly recommend adding a skirt over the top to keep your britches clean.
1. The horse. Remove the top layer of dirt with stiff brush. Then take a damp towel and wipe down the entire horse again. Spray ShowShine on all areas except where the saddle goes (or your saddle will slip). Repeat step #1 as necessary because it may take several tries to remove the loose dirt and matte down the dirt that remains. If you add enough Showshine it acts as GLUE to hold down dirt. Don’t forget to Showshine the tail. Sparkle is key.
2. If you have a grey horse and plan to hunt, I would suggest selling that horse to a show rider and buying something black or brown with no white markings. However, if you have a groom, keep the grey, because grey’s are stunning when they are properly turned out.
3. If you have any white on your horse – shampoo it. I have friend who admits she skips this step and uses white spray paint. Another confessed to a white-out Magic marker. Whatever it takes, white must be SPARKLY when you arrive at the meet.
4. Next braid the beast. Using elastics is way easier. The most important part is to make sure each braid is roughly the same size. Measure it with a finger – don’t worry about the protocol of number of braids for a mare versus a gelding. Just get the damn braids in, time is ticking! Braid the entire mane, then roll the braids up consistently so they all (hopefully) appear the same size. Apply three elastics – one for the braid, one for the roll up and then a second just in case. Keep extra elastics in your huntcoat if you are one to grab mane when you jump. Finally, any straggler hairs – just city them off. Then add massive quantities of hair spray to the mane. Top it all off with ShowShine to make it sparkle too. Braids DONE!
5. Throw on the saddle. If it’s not clean – no worries, your butt covers most of the saddle anyway, but give it a quick wipe while it is on the horse. Be sure to polish your brass buckles. AND polish your boots – only on the outside. No need to waste time on the inside where no one sees (unless you fall off – so stay on!)
6. What you are likely to forget, but shouldn’t…. your hairnet! On our hunt we have “HairNet Police” – I swear you could show up in a western saddle, on a mule and the hunt would say nothing. But show up without a hairnet and you will be pulled aside. The other piece that I am prone to forget is the stock tie pin, so I buy them in bulk at JoAnn’s fabrics for $1.99 for a box of four. Keep them handy in the ashtray of your truck. Finally always add grease/oil to your horse’s hooves. Something all good Pony Clubbers do…
7. Next the trailer. I use a stock trailer because my horse is finicky about a two horse. When I say finicky, I mean he is a pain-in-the-a$$. He seems to take great delight in refusing to load on the days we are running late for the hunt. I can see him smirking as he plants his hooves and braces himself in a stubborn stance that he obviously learned from his donkey friends (the stance that I am sure they all practice in the paddock at night). I quietly & patiently coax him, then try grain, them implode until he realizes that the only safe place for him at that moment is on the trailer. After years of battles, I finally compromised and got a big boxy stock trailer. Everything loads on a stock trailer. Plus when you arrive at the hunt you can jump in the trailer for last minute adjustments before you unload.
8. Before you unload. In the trailer you will need: ShowShine, a towel, a can of saddle oil & rag, and a roll of toilet paper in a plastic bag. Use the ShowShine and towel to wipe off the horse and glue down the dirt one more time, the rag to wipe off your tack & boots, and the toilet paper to do quick Pee as it may be several hours of hunting on your small blatter.
That’s it – game over. Unload, mount up and go look fabulous.
Hello,
My name is Rose Sabbagh and I am a senior at York Preparatory school in Manhattan. As my scholar project, I am looking to raise awareness to horse rescue organizations and the necessity for them. From research that I have done I have learned that there are horse slaughter houses in both Mexico and Canada, from which much of the meat is sent to Japan. This infuriated me and so I would like to create a short film or possibly a piece of art that raises awareness to the crucial need of horse rescue organizations. I would also like to research the horse carriages in NYU. I know that you have researched them and I admire the work you do for horses. Please let me know if you be able to help me in my mission, I would really appreciate it.