Foxhunting clubs follow rules of etiquette, most of which are steeped in tradition and many of which are safety related. It's imperative to know and follow these rules. They should be taken very seriously. They will help ensure your safety and the safety of those around you, preserve good sport and help maintain goodwill with our landowners. The purpose of this article is to provide a good overview of the basic code of ethics practiced by the West Hills Hunt. The rules of etiquette set forth here are generally applicable to most hunts, and hunts do vary in their "way of going".Getting to the Meet on Time
The first important rule of etiquette is timeliness. Absent a breakdown of the truck transporting the hounds (we hope an unlikely event) or horrible weather, the field should move off at the appointed time for the meet.
In California, the reason to move off promptly is simple--the hounds hunt better when it is cooler and, in our country, it is almost always cooler earlier in the morning. If we had to wait for people who were late, it wouldn't be fair to those who arrive on time and we would cut down on the amount of sport we could have.
People who arrive late and then ride out to meet the field may, without any intention of doing so, spoil the sport by traversing hunted lines or moving the game which must be hunted in specific directions because of the lay of the land or the boundaries the particular hunt may be required to obey.
It is thus imperative to get to the meet on time and not to move off on one's own if one arrives late unless one can see the field and the hounds and know exactly how and where they are hunting.
Questionable Weather
If the weather is bad or we've had another one of our Southern California events (earthquakes, fires, riots, etc.) and there is some question as to whether or not the meet will take place, the easiest way to find out is to call the West Hills Monitor (213-897-4000). Cancellations, changes of the time or location of the hunt are kept up-to-date on the monitor and may be accessed 24 hours a day. You may also check with one the Honorary Secretaries. On weekdays and during cubhunting, the kennels should have up-to-date information.
Guests
Qualified guests are usually welcome to the hunt. However, you should inform one of the Honorary Secretaries that you are bringing a guest at least two days before and one of the Masters at the meet itself. This way your guest will know what is expected and as the masters make any decisions regarding the day's sport, they can take into account that there will be guests. (For instance, they may plan to add a second field.) It is your responsibility to see to it that your guest is properly attired and has an understanding of the rules and etiquette of the hunt to avoid any embarrassment and reduce unnecessary hazard.
Guests should be promptly introduced upon arrival to one of our Honorary Secretaries and the Masters. The Honorary Secretary will have your guest sign a liability release and collect the capping fee.
Guests will not be allowed to move off with the field until these two matters are taken care of. The Masters will speak with the guest to determine the guest's capabilities as a rider. The Masters can then suggest the field in which the guest should ride. Guests are also traditionally introduced by the Masters before the hunt moves off, so that the field know of their presence and can be altered should they need assistance.
The host must stay with his guest throughout the hunt. The responsibility for the safety of your guest is yours.
Unwelcome Guests
There is one category of guest that is very unwelcome--dogs. It is improper and most inconsiderate to bring your pets to the meet even if they stay in or near your truck. Your pet has been with your neighbor's pets and they may have diseases or germs for which the hounds will not have had recent booster shots or any other form of immunity. You may not realize it, but kennel-kept hounds are unusually susceptible to infections brought in from the outside which can become epidemics.
Even if you don't bring your dog out until well after the field and staff get back, what happens when a hound comes in late? The first thing he does is to sniff strange dogs at the meet. Then he gives the other hounds in the hound trailer whatever gifts the strange dog has given him.
In 1991 following opening cubhunting, we missed three valuable days of hunting because of kennel cough brought in from a strange dog. We love your dogs but not next to our hounds. Don't bring them. If someone else does, tell the Honorary Secretary immediately.
Choosing Your Field
Many hunts have more than one field. In some hunts, and depending the size of the turnout for the day there may be as fast field, an intermediate field and a "hilltopper" field. If the hunt has more than one field, the following rules apply. At the beginning of the hunt you have to choose your field. Find out who the field master is and, if necessary, ask him how he is going to ride for the day. It is improper and causes chaos when riders move constantly from one field into another. Each field master tries to know who is in his field, where that rider is and take each rider's capabilities into consideration at all times. Shifting in and out of the fields makes that impossible and can be quite dangerous.
No matter how many fields there are, if you decide to go in early for the day, you must advise the field master. The reasons for this are twofold. First, the field master, if he is doing his job, should be constantly consulting with the huntsman and will usually know where we are going to draw next. The field master also knows the way back. Thus, he will be able to direct you how to get back so that you do not become the center of attention when the hounds are hunting. Second, the field master will not send a search party but will know you went in rather than got lost.
The Masters of Foxhounds
Masters of Foxhounds or their appointed agents are solely responsible for conducting the day's hunting and are bound by the strict rules and ethical guidelines of the Masters of Foxhounds Association. Their authority and responsibility is absolute and their instruction must always be cheerfully obeyed. The field should remember that the staff is accountable only to the Masters and the huntsman. At no time should the field instruct or interfere with the professional or honorary staff's job in the hunting field, the kennels or the hunt country. Chatting with the staff should take place after the hunt.
One of the most fundamental rules of riding in the field is that you never pass the field master. Circle your horse, turn another direction, do whatever you have to do, but don't pass the field master unless, of course, the "gone away" horn has been blown and it is now permissible to pass if you can!
Colors
Members who have been awarded their colors (scarlet coats for men and dark blue for ladies) have generally earned them after years of membership and service to the club. These members will be the most knowledgeable as to what is happening during the day and are generally happy to answer questions and provide guidance. There are a few rules of field etiquette regarding members with colors.
Gentlemen and ladies with colors have earned the privilege of riding in the front of the field directly behind the master. No one should ride abreast of the Master unless specifically invited to do so.
Deference should always be given to members with colors. If the trail becomes narrow, or becomes necessary to go single file in order to cross a hairy ditch, right of way should always be given to the members with colors. It is considered impolite to cut off members with colors (or any member for that matter) or push in front of them. If they have slowed down, it may have been for an important reason that you are unaware of. Trust their experience and if you feel you must pass, ask permission. Of course, on a "gone away", their rules do not apply.
Holes, Hazards, Warnings
When you come across holes or wire, or any other obstacle, certainly you should point this out to the field. But never do so loudly or with panic in your voice. This only upsets riders and horses and can lead to accidents.
The rule is you should turn your head and say "ware wire" only loud enough so that the person behind you can hear it (ware is contraction of "beware"). If he or she is in the next valley, they will probably see it when they come upon it. We only give out "ware" warning because the first person in a group can usually see the hazard but he obstructs the view of the others.
Hounds and Staff
When the pack of staff goes by, the rule here is to turn your horse around so that he head faces toward the pack or the staff. A horse which is facing something usually cannot kick it.
When hounds are coming up on the right or left you should indicate "hound right" or "hound left" but only once and directed so that the field master can hear it too. Then it becomes his responsibility to alert the field and that is after all, what you are paying him for. Hounds and staff are not hazards, by the way. It is not proper to say "ware hound" or "ware staff" though sometimes we do. If a hound is nearby it is "hound right" or "left" or whatever, and staff is "staff please" or "staff on the right", etc.
You should always make way for staff members and hounds. The staff, if they have been doing their jobs right, probably have been riding twice as much as you have and their horses are much more tired and often less willing to move around you than vice versa. Staff also usually have a task to perform and if you get in the way you may keep staff from stopping a hound or even preventing a riot.
In most hunts you should never speak to the hound excepting only to say sharply and clearly "watch out" when a hound comes very close to your horse and you can't move away from it. The hounds try to recognize the voices of the staff with whom they have trained during the summer and cubhunting. When you speak to a hound, no matter how well intentioned you are, you will often confuse it. If hounds are about, tell your field master don't speak to the hound.
Never ride by or push a hound. Move over and pass the hound (even on a gone away). If there is no room to move over, slow down and stay well behind the hound until there is lost of room to pass. The hounds always have the right of way. Remember, you are on a horse and can see them.
The hounds are about six feet closer to the ground and don't have the same view.
You generally should not speak to staff. The reason for not speaking with staff is that you do not want to distract them from doing their jobs. When hounds are in covert, the whips are quite busy, looking and waiting, even though it may seem to you that they are standing idly by. When hounds need to be moved or stopped and staff are getting instructions from the huntsman, then they are even busier. Thus while the field has plenty of time to relax during the meet, and when hounds are gathered, members of the staff can never rest.
Staff very often have the latest information from the huntsman about hunting conditions and the game. In some hunts, many of them carry walkie-talkies for safety reasons. When the field master has spoken with you and given you instructions and you are heading in, if staff gives you contrary instructions, generally you should follow them. If you are nearby to one of the field masters and something has just been reported to you by staff which seems contrary to what he's told you, tell him what you have been told, being sure to give the credit (or blame) to the staff member.
Larking and Taking Unnecessary Jumps
In many territories, country is not well paneled or paneled at all. This is certainly unfortunate although by no means contrary to foxhunting traditions. Jumps were not introduced until well after the second century of foxhunting. In many traditional countries (the Moors of England, for example), there are no jumps at all. But jumps (when you and your horse can take them) add to the pleasure of hunting. Yet there may be meets when there is little or no jumping. When that occurs and you see an inviting jump or obstacle, it is very tempting to take it, especially on the way in. That's called "larking" and it's one of the great sins of foxhunting.
Often you will be out for several hours. Many hunt members are accomplished horsemen and also know the limits of their horses. Many members--and guests--are city folk who don't have an equestrian background, or they may be using a livery (rental) horse. To make things worse, they may be neither horsemen nor riding their own horses. Some horses are out of shape or get very tired during a meet. Except for the truly accomplished horsemen (and we know who they are), for anyone else to take an unnecessary jump at the end of the meet, or coming in, exposes a tired horse to injury and, consequently, the rider as well. For this reason, in all of the foxhunting world, there is a rule against larking.
The rule of thumb on jumping: if the field master does it (not the huntsman, or the staff, or the rider next to you, but the field master), then the field can do it (and if the jump need not be taken it is optional).
For a member of the field to ask the field master if he can take a jump is very unfair, especially at the end of the hunt. It is hard for the field master to refuse and have it cause hard feelings so the pressure is on the field master to permit it. But injuries and accidents are more likely at the end of the hunt than at the beginning, and larking is simply not permitted in most hunts. Indeed, it is the most unpardonable of all sins (other than calling the hounds "dogs") and demonstrates both an ignorance about foxhunting as well as thoughtlessness.
Most field masters will try to take obstacle when they can, but don't jump when a field master does not and don't ask to jump at the end of the hunt.
Spotting the Game and Letting the Hunt Know
The primary goal in foxhunting is to chase foxes or coyotes (or both). As a result, if everyone is on the lookout for them there is more chance of spotting one and, when the huntsman finds out, of putting the hounds on the scent and running vermin.
When you see the coyote or the fox, if the hounds aren't already on him and if no one else has done so, the proper etiquette is to remove your hat, stand up in your stirrups and holler (and it is best to attempt this maneuver when your horse is not galloping). In old England it's pronounced, "holler" but spelled "holloa". We generally know it as "tally ho!" Your hat and horse should be pointed in the direction of the fox or coyote. Once your do this you will certainly have the full attention of the field master, the rest of the field, and most importantly, the huntsman.
The huntsman, if has not viewed as well, will want to know where the fox or the coyote went. Keep your eye on it. Simply to find the fox or coyote and yell "tally ho!" and then lose sight of the game is frustrating. The huntsman will want to know where he was going, the speed of his going and the first and last place you sway him before he disappeared (the four "W's" who, what, where, and when). If you holler, "tally ho!" you should also be able to answer all of these other questions. If someone else has already hollered and you spot the game, while the natural inclination is to holler as well, it is best only to take off your cap and point and watch so that you can be in a position to answer the four "W's" in case the other hunter cannot.
Sometimes we will already be hunting and someone will already have hollered. From time to time we lose sight of the hunted game. If you see him you should point and not too loudly holler and make sure the field master knows what you saw so that he can get the news up to the staff.
Cleaning Up at the End
Horses do very unclean things in trailers. Some of those unclean things can be shoved out while at the meet so that the horses will have a clean trailer to dump on the way home. But who cleans up around the trailers at and after the meet? The best answers would be "everyone" or "you". The real answer is "no one". If we foxhunters want to keep our hunt country, we have to keep it clean. Most hunts are asked by their landowners not to empty out trailers at the meets.
In closing
Foxhunting is filled with many great traditions some of them make sense and some don't. Many of them are common sense rules of safety or general behavior. But adhering to them adds to the spectacle of the sport and makes foxhunting a little bit more fun and special.
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