When I bought Jabbar, I knew that he was going to be very green in the arena. His previous owner didn't take lessons or do shows - he was a foxhunter. I've done my share of lessons, I've done some shows, and I've done plenty of trail rides, but I've never foxhunted. Most of the adult riders at my barn participate with the barn owner Diane and her assistant trainer Sally being very involved with Misty River Hounds, one of the local hunts. So I had plenty of opportunity to get involved if I wanted to, I just wasn't sure I wanted to.
It always sounded a little intimidating, barreling across pastures on a horse following a pack of hounds while they chase a scent. You never know what's around the next turn and you jump coops and logs rather than navigate around them, all at a rather quick pace. Control freaks like me prefer going in circles in the arena over a course of jumps working on form and precision, not galloping across the countryside. But since Jabbar was a very experienced foxhunter - he was a whip horse, meaning he was even more experienced than your average - I decided to give it a shot for him.
Harvard Hounds is another local hunt that our barn is friendly with, so when a small group elected to go to their opening hunt at the end of October, I decided it would be a good place to start. Sally assured me that this hunt was pretty slow paced so it would be a good opportunity to get my feet wet without overwhelming me. I was game. When we showed up and began to tack the horses, the atmosphere was amazing. We were at a pretty homestead with a misty fog, and they even had someone playing bagpipes. The hounds were baying and as we mounted up, a priest came out to do a blessing. Someone handed me a cup of port wine and called it a stirrup cup. Thank you, may I have another?
Jabbar came alive. He couldn't stand still and I had to circle him over and over. Typically in fox hunting, there are several "fields" or groups of riders. First field is the fastest paced with lots of galloping and jumping. Second field doesn't jump but does gallop. And if there's a third field, it's mostly walking and trotting. This hunt was small enough that there was only a first and second field. When first field took off, I had to remind Jabbar that while he was experienced, I was totally not. We hung back in second field.
The hounds caught scent immediately, and there went our idea of a low key hunt. We tore up and down hills, we cantered through open fields, and we even hopped over a few logs. Jabbar was in a really soft snaffle bit so I had a lot of trouble holding him back. And my saddle slipped about halfway through, so I spent the entire second half of the hunt trying to straighten it out. Thank goodness for my flask - it really eased my nerves.
I was lucky enough to have a great friend Kerstin going along with me. She's hunted a few times so she could help me understand what was going on. A big part of the hunt is watching the hounds work a scent and we got a firsthand view of that. Honestly, the whole process was the most terrifying and exhilarating thing I've ever done. Jabbar loved it and I vowed to get a little stronger bit before the next time. But the scenery was amazing, the horses was beautiful, the hounds were impressive, and I survived. What an experience!
