Closing Hunt
Sunday was the closing hunt for Malborough Hunt Club, the foxhunt i ride with. Exciting for me, since i am normally not allowed to attend the special hunts( my mom worries about the inexperience of the other riders and horses). So yesterday was one of the largest hunts i have even been to, about 70-80 some hunters, with about half again as many guests. After the traditional stirrup cup, which is normally sherry or brandy served by the host to all the riders when they are mounted in the hosts front lawn, we set off round about 10am to hunt along the scenic Anne Arundel County power lines, which consist of LOTS of roling hills nd tons of nasty jumps...and a small swamp. Even has a gun club next to the power lines, with bunches of shot to hell targets on the trails. The day was warmish but very very windy, up to 30mph gusts, which really got some of the more nervous horses spooked as the wind ran up their butts. and having 70 horses spook because a few start it is not fun. I rode in the second field again, which is the medium pace field, and did fine, except for a few really high jumps, one which my horse decided he would stop, plant all his feet, and bound over like a polejumper...other behind me said i went totally airborne and cleared the jump with about a foot to spare. But the last one i did was the worst..a huge raised log jump that i really screwed up on. I misjudged, and came out of my seat, lost a stirrup and was hanging on my horses neck by shear force of will. and anyone who has jumped a horse knows that after they clear a jump they normally canter away, well since the bennan was so off balance he gallops off very fast(horse instinctivly run faster when they lose their balance) and me with no stirrup on the side (some can ride without them, i hate it) and the other horses fast approaching. somehow, through yelling and pulling reins i was able to stop just in time. that was the closest call of the day, only one bruised chin out of the whole thing. we chased one fox, but the wind was so bad that the hounds couldnt get much scent, so we packed it in after 3 and a half hours.
After, we had hunt breakfast, which is always in the afternoon, so it always escapes me why it is hunt breakfast. but some decent food at the club, got to meet way too many people, and my son sean spend half the time running aroubd with the other kids. the funniest thing was at the end i meet one of the hunters young daughters, about 5 or so, who told me some of the funniest gossip i had heard all night. here daddy, who is now really fat, ran away one day and now one of the other hunters stays with mommie and likes to sleep over alot... she told me and the other hunt master, who is about 10 years older than me and an old friend of my sisters, this out of the blue and while we were sitting catching up on all the other news and gossip. hopefully i have taught my son not to talk about me to other hunters...or is that why they stare abd giggle when i walk in?
all in all, a fun day for me...and now, a day afterwards, my back still hurts...i think i wrenched it pretty bad on that last jump.
but it should be all ready to go for next season, which starts back up in august
After, we had hunt breakfast, which is always in the afternoon, so it always escapes me why it is hunt breakfast. but some decent food at the club, got to meet way too many people, and my son sean spend half the time running aroubd with the other kids. the funniest thing was at the end i meet one of the hunters young daughters, about 5 or so, who told me some of the funniest gossip i had heard all night. here daddy, who is now really fat, ran away one day and now one of the other hunters stays with mommie and likes to sleep over alot... she told me and the other hunt master, who is about 10 years older than me and an old friend of my sisters, this out of the blue and while we were sitting catching up on all the other news and gossip. hopefully i have taught my son not to talk about me to other hunters...or is that why they stare abd giggle when i walk in?
all in all, a fun day for me...and now, a day afterwards, my back still hurts...i think i wrenched it pretty bad on that last jump.
but it should be all ready to go for next season, which starts back up in august