Hunt Protocol for the Field
This is the riding order for everyone!
1.) The Fieldmaster is always first and DO NOT pass the fieldmaster! If you do, you owe them a bottle of their favorite drink!
2.) Adult members with Colors, first year Colors ride behind more senior members
3.) Adult members without Colors
4.) Juniors with Colors
5.) Juniors without Colors and junior guests. Juniors should have an adult responsible for them riding in every hunt, this can be one of the Junior Committee reps.
There's always exceptions to the rules, if a member with colors invites a guest, they may ask other members with colors if it is okay to have the guest ride with them. A parent with colors may want his junior with colors to ride with them in the front. A fieldmaster may invite a guest to ride at the front. Other than the Colors protocol. it is at the discretion of the MFH's and Fieldmasters to allow changes in protocol, and each hunt could be different due to the varying levels of riding ability. Always ask you Fieldmaster if you are uncertain where you should be riding!
Please note, if as a member, you see a guest or someone you don't recognize that is what you consider out of order, or their horse is misbehaving, NEVER call them out or reprimand a guest or other member in front of the field. That is the job of the fieldmaster who will do this discretely after the hunt or during the hunt but out of earshot of other riders. Always be kind, you were in their position at some point in your hunting career! We attribute our increasing membership year over year to the graciousness of our members being so welcoming and sharing their love of the sport with others! Well, that and the awesome hunting we are providing!
1.) The Fieldmaster is always first and DO NOT pass the fieldmaster! If you do, you owe them a bottle of their favorite drink!
2.) Adult members with Colors, first year Colors ride behind more senior members
3.) Adult members without Colors
4.) Juniors with Colors
5.) Juniors without Colors and junior guests. Juniors should have an adult responsible for them riding in every hunt, this can be one of the Junior Committee reps.
There's always exceptions to the rules, if a member with colors invites a guest, they may ask other members with colors if it is okay to have the guest ride with them. A parent with colors may want his junior with colors to ride with them in the front. A fieldmaster may invite a guest to ride at the front. Other than the Colors protocol. it is at the discretion of the MFH's and Fieldmasters to allow changes in protocol, and each hunt could be different due to the varying levels of riding ability. Always ask you Fieldmaster if you are uncertain where you should be riding!
Please note, if as a member, you see a guest or someone you don't recognize that is what you consider out of order, or their horse is misbehaving, NEVER call them out or reprimand a guest or other member in front of the field. That is the job of the fieldmaster who will do this discretely after the hunt or during the hunt but out of earshot of other riders. Always be kind, you were in their position at some point in your hunting career! We attribute our increasing membership year over year to the graciousness of our members being so welcoming and sharing their love of the sport with others! Well, that and the awesome hunting we are providing!
1.) If you choose to ride in First Flight, please maintain the pace of the fieldmaster. This is a jumping flight, if you wish to pick and choose which jumps you'll jump, ride at the rear of the flight. Make sure the jump is clear before you jump, and if your horse refuses, look to the other riders as to whether you can attempt it one more time or should go to the back so as to not slow the flight.
2.) Huntsman Jennifer Hansen and her staff ALWAYS have right of way. If they are coming towards you, back your horse off the trail and always face staff and hounds to avoid a hound getting kicked. You may be asked to reverse the field, then you back into the woods if you are on a trail, and turn your horse in the other direction while keeping your spot in the line of horses.
3.) When hounds are being cast, please be quiet so they can hear our huntsman and not be distracted.
4.) If a hound is coming alongside a flight on a trail, warn others by saying "Ware hound on your right" (as in "beware" of hound on your right or left). NEVER call out to a hound! If you can, let the fieldmaster know there is a hound in the flight and describe it to the best of your ability (white, black and tan, tri-color) they will alert the huntsman or whips, the hound could very well be on its way to re-joining the pack and doesn't need our help!
5.) If your horse has a tendency to kick, put a visible red ribbon towards the top of its tail. If it doesn't kick but just needs space as many mares do, put a green ribbon in its tail. Green ribbons are also good for horses new to the sport, sometimes green riders like to have one, and we always have a supply of red and green ribbons at the hunt, just ask the field secretary for one! Horses with red ribbons must be at the back of the field, horses with green ribbons may ride in the flight.
6.) If a rider falls, the fieldmaster will assess the situation, and may ask one or two members to help while the field continues hunting.
7.) And from a natural horsemanship trainer who hunts, this advice: Never let your horse go up to and touch noses with a strange horse before you leave, they're not shaking hands like humans do! They are establishing dominance, a pecking order within the herd. The horse that stomped and squealed the loudest and made the other look away or back up, is the leader. And if that dominant horse finds himself behind the lower horse in the pecking order, he can become completely unglued because he has found himself the follower. That's also why it's safest to always stay in a single file, even when cantering or galloping in the open prairie, a horse passing is a threat and can very often result in a kicking incident from a horse that would under normal circumstances never kick another horse. Herd mentality is at work in the hunt field, and we owe it to our horses to recognize and honor this!
2.) Huntsman Jennifer Hansen and her staff ALWAYS have right of way. If they are coming towards you, back your horse off the trail and always face staff and hounds to avoid a hound getting kicked. You may be asked to reverse the field, then you back into the woods if you are on a trail, and turn your horse in the other direction while keeping your spot in the line of horses.
3.) When hounds are being cast, please be quiet so they can hear our huntsman and not be distracted.
4.) If a hound is coming alongside a flight on a trail, warn others by saying "Ware hound on your right" (as in "beware" of hound on your right or left). NEVER call out to a hound! If you can, let the fieldmaster know there is a hound in the flight and describe it to the best of your ability (white, black and tan, tri-color) they will alert the huntsman or whips, the hound could very well be on its way to re-joining the pack and doesn't need our help!
5.) If your horse has a tendency to kick, put a visible red ribbon towards the top of its tail. If it doesn't kick but just needs space as many mares do, put a green ribbon in its tail. Green ribbons are also good for horses new to the sport, sometimes green riders like to have one, and we always have a supply of red and green ribbons at the hunt, just ask the field secretary for one! Horses with red ribbons must be at the back of the field, horses with green ribbons may ride in the flight.
6.) If a rider falls, the fieldmaster will assess the situation, and may ask one or two members to help while the field continues hunting.
7.) And from a natural horsemanship trainer who hunts, this advice: Never let your horse go up to and touch noses with a strange horse before you leave, they're not shaking hands like humans do! They are establishing dominance, a pecking order within the herd. The horse that stomped and squealed the loudest and made the other look away or back up, is the leader. And if that dominant horse finds himself behind the lower horse in the pecking order, he can become completely unglued because he has found himself the follower. That's also why it's safest to always stay in a single file, even when cantering or galloping in the open prairie, a horse passing is a threat and can very often result in a kicking incident from a horse that would under normal circumstances never kick another horse. Herd mentality is at work in the hunt field, and we owe it to our horses to recognize and honor this!
Other Tips for New Members and Guests:
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