HUNTING
So many books have been written on “Hunting” and the subject so
exhaustively treated, that I shall only attempt to discuss under this
head a few points of particular interest to women.
When a woman hunts she enters a masculine field of sport, and in the
hunting-field she is meeting men on their own ground and on even terms.
In the hunting-field, therefore, a woman must expect to take her chances
with the men, and she is not entitled to that courtesy and deference
which she may expect on other occasions.
[Illustration: OVER POST AND RAIL]
For example, if a woman loses her hat or stirrup, she should not expect
any man to pick it up for her or to pay her the slightest attention.
Again, if a woman and a man are both going at the same fence, she should
not expect him to pull up and allow her to go over first or to treat her
otherwise than as he would another man. It is not field etiquette. So,
if a woman has a tumble and is not disabled, she need not expect the men
to give up the hunt to help her into the saddle. They are not supposed
to do anything of the kind. It follows, therefore, that if, for
example, a woman and a man are going at the same panel and the man has
the right of way, the woman should yield to him and follow him over.
[Illustration: A HIGH JUMPER AND HUNTER (TACONITE)]
The following are points of hunting etiquette which must always be borne
in mind; indeed, I may almost say that they are rules which must be
strictly observed:
Two riders should never go at the same panel at the same time. While it
is quite right for two or more riders to go at the same fence at the
same time, it is not only against etiquette, but quite dangerous, for
two to go at the same panel. So in going at a single panel--where, for
example, there are trees or wire on both sides, or for any other reason
there is only one panel in the fence which can be jumped, or where it is
what is termed in hunting a “trappy place,” so that the field have to go
over it one after the other--if your horse refuses you should not put
him at it again, but turn him away from the panel and then take your
turn as soon as you have a chance to swing in; otherwise you not only
violate hunting etiquette, but you are in great danger of causing an
accident to the rider who is immediately behind you. Moreover, the whole
field should not be held up while your horse is trying it again.
At a check all the field should, if near the hounds, stand still and
keep quiet, for noise and motion disturb the hounds when they are in the
act of picking up the scent.
The type of hunter suitable for a woman is described in Chapter X--“The
Saddle Horse.” No woman should go into the hunting-field at all unless
she is a thoroughly experienced rider and has complete confidence in
herself. Even then she should not attempt to ride a green hunter until
she has had years of hunting experience. She should ride a qualified
hunter and, however experienced she may be, she should bear in mind
that, in all probability, the horse knows how to take the jumps better
than she does. The maxim, “Let your mount have his head while you keep
your own,” will carry a woman safely and surely to the finish.
[Illustration: GIVING HIM HIS HEAD OVER A JUMP (HEATHERBLOOM)]
As a general rule, unless a woman knows her mount thoroughly and has
ridden him many times, she should not attempt to help him over his
jumps. Every horse has an individual style of jumping, and it is nearly
always best to develop his own natural style and not to attempt to make
him jump in a way that is unnatural to him.
There are three quite different ways in which horses jump: one by
rushing, one by taking the jump in the stride, and the other by popping
over. One cannot say that any one of these styles is best, for it all
depends on the individual horse. Some horses do best in one way, others
in another; and a horse who naturally rushes his jumps can hardly ever
be trained to pop over them quietly, and the horse who has jumped in his
own natural style for years can jump far more safely in that style, even
if it be rushing, than if his rider attempts to make him jump in any
other style.
For a woman the best style of jumping is that of the hunter who swings
along and takes his jumps in a steady stride, and who is neither too
fast nor too slow; who is up with the hounds, yet not on them.
What I am about to say with regard to the seat and hands in jumping
applies to hunting in this country, not in England, for there the horses
are very differently trained; but in any case a woman should always find
out how a horse has been trained before attempting to jump him.
[Illustration: POSITIONS OF HANDS IN HUNTING
Gathering reins before taking off
Giving him his head over a jump]
When in the field the best position in which to hold the reins is to
take them in both hands, the near snaffle and the near curb in the left
hand in their usual position, and the off curb and off snaffle in the
right hand in their usual position, the snaffle and curb in each hand
being separated by the little finger. The ends of the reins come through
the right hand between the thumb and forefinger and the ends are
gathered in a loop which passes between the second and third fingers of
each hand. While it is not necessary to hold the reins in this position
all the time in the field, it is the best position to hold them in when
jumping. When the reins are held in this position the elbows should be
in their usual place, unless you are riding a horse who needs to be
given his head a little more, in which case they must be a little to the
front. Before coming to a jump the arms should not be stiff and the
hands should not be held as far apart as the loop in the reins will
allow.
[Illustration: SIDE-SADDLE, POSITION RISING, HANDS AND BODY FORWARD]
The position of the body and legs is the same as I have described in
chapter I, but, if anything, the stirrups should be one or two holes
shorter than for ordinary riding, so as to have the left knee well bent
and the leaping horn touching the left leg about five inches above the
knee.
[Illustration: ASTRIDE, POSITION OF LEGS, HANDS, AND BODY AT TOP OF
JUMP]
When approaching a jump the horse should be kept well in hand and should
be gathered about two strides before the take-off. The moment he takes
off he should be given his head by dropping the hands and carrying them
well forward with the elbows nearly straight. This will carry the body
well forward, and both body and hands should be kept in this position
until the horse has cleared the jump, when the body should be thrown
back, so that, when the horse lands, the rider’s body will be well back
in the position that it was before he took off.
In jumping, the reins should never be long and must always be held at
such length that if the horse touches or stumbles he can be pulled up,
and this can only be done by carrying the hands well forward in the way
I have described. They must be carried forward in order to give him his
head, for, when a horse comes to a jump, he throws his head very far
forward so as to get his balance and exert his greatest strength.
What I have said above applies equally to a horse that rushes his jumps,
to one that takes them in his stride, and to one that pops over. It is
particularly important to keep a rusher well in hand and not allow him
to get such speed before the take-off that he cannot rise, for, in that
case, he is almost sure to crash into the fence and have a very bad
fall. While most horses need a good deal of speed to carry them over the
jumps, they should not be at their top speed, for if they are they will
not rise.
What I have said above applies to an American-trained hunter.
If you are riding an English-trained hunter, the manner of approaching a
jump is entirely different. With them, if you give them their head too
much they stop, so that in order to make them jump you have to lean
back and pull on the reins. If you attempt to jump an English-trained
horse in the American way or an American-trained horse in the English
way, you are very apt to come to grief.
[Illustration: SIDE-SADDLE, FRONT VIEW, RISING]
What has been said above with regard to the manner of jumping a fence
applies equally to jumping a ditch or anything else.
The higher or the broader a jump, the more important it is to take it
correctly. The difference between the various jumps is well expressed in
the old maxim, “Fast at water and ditches and slow at timber”; but
there is so much timber and so few ditches and water jumps in this
country, and the pace is so fast, that this advice is hard to follow.
When I say fast I refer to drag hunting.
[Illustration: COMING DOWN]
In hunting, a woman should be at either the front or back. It is better
for her not to be in with the field, and she should regulate her pace
according to the horse she is on. If in a strange country, the best
thing for her to do is to follow some good rider who knows the country
well rather than attempt to pick her way as she would in a country which
she knew.
[Illustration: A GOOD TYPE OF HUNTER, BRED IN VIRGINIA (PHILOSOPHER)]
In hunting it is most important to save your horse, to keep him fresh
for the jumps, and not tire him out at the start. Don’t ride to the
“gallery,” and if you have the choice between a sensational jump and a
gap, take the gap and save your hunter. Remember that you are not giving
an exhibition of high jumping, nor are you in a horse-race.
Bear in mind that the master or huntsman sets the pace and that,
ordinarily, particularly at the start, he should be in the lead. One
should not pass the huntsman and, above all things, one should never
ride up on the hounds. If you come to a ploughed field, go around it if
you can, and, if you have to cross it, spare your horse as much as
possible.
[Illustration: A GOOD TYPE OF HUNTER, BRED IN THE NORTH (RIPPLE)]
Somehow hunters go better for a woman than for a man. Perhaps it is
because a woman’s hands are lighter, either from ignorance or
knowledge, or perhaps it is because a woman is not so insistent and is
less domineering. It is always better to let the hunter jump than to
jump the hunter.
Ordinarily a good hunter may be hunted at least twice in a week, but so
much depends on the country, on the rider herself--to say nothing of the
horse--that one cannot lay down any rule in regard to this. Between the
hunts, unless after an unusually stiff run, a hunter may be larked a
bit, or driven to a light trap, or walked for an hour or two. This will
ordinarily keep him in better condition than letting him stand in the
stable. In fact, in my own experience, I have known hunters that were
hunted one day and driven to market the next, and the market I have in
mind was not at all near home. Many heavy-weight hunters are driven from
time to time in the wheel, and light-weight hunters in the lead, both of
a four and tandem. Indeed, the leader of a tandem was originally a
hunter. So that a hunter may be a useful horse in the stable.
If one has a thoroughly reliable and seasoned hunter well up to one’s
weight, he ought to be able, barring accidents, to carry one through the
season, unless one is attempting to hunt more than twice a week, and
there are few women in this country who are strong enough to do that.
[Illustration: CORRECT HUNTING COSTUME
Note the way the thong is carried]
In chapter VIII I have indicated the costume for the hunting-field, but
for convenience I will restate it here. The correct appointments for the
side-saddle are:
Breeches of either dog-skin or buckskin or white cloth or of the same
material as the habit.
The habit should be very dark gray, almost black, hunting cloth. The
collar should be of the colors of one’s hunt.
The buttons should be black, with the name, design, or monogram of the
hunt in white or gold. The correct coat is made without a seam in the
middle of the back and with two vents at the side instead of one in the
middle, and is somewhat shorter than the habit coat that many women
wear. It may be made with five or three buttons, according to the
wearer’s fancy, but preferably with five.
An apron or half-apron skirt should be worn, for safety’s sake.
The boots must be of black calf. Patent-leather or russet boots are not
correct in the field.
A silk hat is correct, but a derby or a hunting hat, such as I have
described in chapter VIII, may be worn, and a hat guard, such as I have
there described, is necessary.
Either tan dog-skin or white buckskin gloves are correct.
An Ascot stock should be worn with a plain bar gold pin.
Attached to the two D’s on the off-side of the saddle should be a
sandwich case with a flask in it, a sandwich in the case, and a drink in
the flask.
[Illustration: SANDWICH CASES AND FLASKS]
A pair of white woollen gloves must be carried on the off-side under the
flap.
In England a crop is always carried in the field. In this country it is
correct, but a cutting whip may be carried instead. If a crop is carried
it may have a thong, although, personally, I think it a great nuisance.
The saddle and bridle are the same as I have described in chapter IX,
except that, in the field side-saddle, a woman should always use a
breastplate, and if she has a horse that cannot carry a breastplate she
had better not hunt him.
As I state in chapter IX, a standing martingale should never be used in
the field, but a running martingale may be used if the horse requires
it, as is often the case. For many horses the best bit to use in the
field is a plain snaffle, with very large rings, so that the bit cannot
be pulled through the horse’s mouth. The bridle should have a cavesson,
instead of the usual noseband. Other horses go better with what is known
as a four-ring snaffle; that is, a snaffle which, instead of having the
cheek pieces attached to the snaffle rings, has them attached to
separate rings, the rings to which the cheek pieces are attached and the
snaffle rings being of the same size and both much larger than the rings
of an ordinary snaffle-bit. The reins only are attached to the snaffle
rings in this form of bit. This bit is more severe than a plain snaffle,
but much less severe than a curb.
Generally speaking, only riders with very light hands should use the
curb bit in the hunting-field, unless with horses having unusually hard
mouths, or “pullers.” In going over the jumps it is very difficult to
keep an even pressure on the curb, and there is great danger of bringing
up the horse too short on landing.