# Opening meets



## aimsymc (21 October 2012)

Hi, Ive never posted in here before as quite new to hunting. Been out about 5 times this year with my girl who hunted before i got her. Just wondering if I should expect anything different at the opening meet? My horse is very well behaved, jumps etc just like to be prepared. Should I also now wear blue jacket and plait up? Thanks for any info


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## AdorableAlice (21 October 2012)

Things have changed since I last went to opening meet, but in my view, a horse should be plaited, clipped and shiny clean, as should the tack and rider be.

Ladies wear a dark coat and a well fitting stock with a pin, no flowing hair ! all hair should be well stuffed into several hairnets, no earrings - very painful if you go through woodland and fail to duck under branches!!  Gloves, hunting whip and boots well polished.  Spurs worn on the seam of the boot, not John Wayne style.

Remember to put a warm rug in the lorry and a flask of boiling water to take the chill off the drink you give the horse on his return to the lorry.

Have a lovely day and don't do what I did many many years ago and fall off at the first fence of the day into the deepest mud ever and then watch my horse run on and jump several large hedges without me.


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## aimsymc (21 October 2012)

Thanks for replying, thats what i thought with regards to smartness, i better start polishing my pony! Im really looking forward to it feel like ive found something we both enjoy doing!


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## spotty_pony (21 October 2012)

If you want to wear navy/black jacket then you must plait but you don't have to plait if you wear tweed. Opening meets are usually pretty busy and have a lot of jumping. Stay away from the front unless you are up for jumping anything and everything! Have fun


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## Maesfen (21 October 2012)

An Opening Meet is classified as a lawn meet and as such you should be turned out exactly as AA suggested; the only legitimate reason for not plaiting is if you're riding a native breed.  Saying that, many people don't have the same standards now which is a crying shame, nothing nicer than seeing well turned out hunters and riders and I have to clamp my mouth shut tight if I see coloured numnahs or even worse, saddle cloths let alone being unplaited at any sort of meet; I fear I am an awful snob when it comes to correct turnout for hunting, sorry, it comes from a lifetime of working at some of the best hunting yards with very high standards!

Hope you have a great time, it really is worth the effort when you turn you and your horse out well even if, like Alice, you end up covered in mud not many minutes later!


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## Lizzie66 (22 October 2012)

as per Maesfen, although I'd qualify further



Maesfen said:



			An Opening Meet is classified as a lawn meet and as such you should be turned out exactly as AA suggested; the only legitimate reason for not plaiting is if you're riding a native breed.
		
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The only occasion where it is OK not to plait for a lawn meet is if your horse is hogged or you are on gates.


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## aimsymc (22 October 2012)

Thanks for replies! I will most definitely be plaiting up and have sparkley clean horsey. No chance of anything brightly coloured as I hate anything not traditional colour. Really looking forward to sat now, will have the hip flask full for sharing and will let you know how I get on. thanks again for advice!!


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## Lizzie66 (22 October 2012)

I forgot to say enjoy the day !


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## Maesfen (22 October 2012)

And I forgot the gate shutters, whoops!


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## monkeybum13 (22 October 2012)

OP, sorry to hijack your post but is it ok to wear a poppy at the opening meet?


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## Maesfen (22 October 2012)

Definitely MB and if you didn't wear one in the vicinity of the 11th, you'd probably be sold one, lol!


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## monkeybum13 (22 October 2012)

Maesfen said:



			Definitely MB and if you didn't wear one in the vicinity of the 11th, you'd probably be sold one, lol!
		
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At the opening meet there is a collection for Earl Haig Poppy Fund so I'll probably end up buying another one for the horse, lol.


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## Dizzle (24 October 2012)

Just to clarify, do you plait a native or not? Pony has quite a lot of mane and as she lives out I'm loathe to pull or hog it over winter.

I have a NF pony, hoping to hunt a bit over the winter, ideally would also like to wear tweed as my dark blue jacket is far too big, but don't want to be wearing the wrong thing.

How should pony and I dress? (I'm an adult not a junior or pc member)


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## AdorableAlice (24 October 2012)

Maesfen said:



			And I forgot the gate shutters, whoops!
		
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And we forget - hat tails.  Anyone wearing a velvet cap should stitch the tails inside the hat.  Only hunt servants wear tails.


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## GoblinPony (24 October 2012)

Please excuse my ignorance, but who is allowed to wear bowlers or top hats out hunting? I've seen people of both sexes wearing those. Are top and/or bowler hats just an option with some hunts or is it some sort of privilege, like colours?


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## AdorableAlice (24 October 2012)

GoblinPony said:



			Please excuse my ignorance, but who is allowed to wear bowlers or top hats out hunting? I've seen people of both sexes wearing those. Are top and/or bowler hats just an option with some hunts or is it some sort of privilege, like colours?
		
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There is no ignorance at all, hunting tradition is centuries old.  You may see a lady in a bowler and veil matching the colour of her habit side saddle.  A gentleman will wear a bowler with ratcatcher for cubbing or gate shutting in the main season.

A top hat will be worn with a tail coat and in the years when I hunted, masters and major landowners would wear top hat and tails at opening meet,  lawn meets and boxing day.

It probably is still possible to see this at the premier packs in Leicestershire but the last time our local pack trotted past it was more rag, tag and bobtail.  Unplaited horses, women with flying hair, coloured or blingy saddle cloth's and my pet hate - dressage high cut boots, which are fine if you are Carl Hester or a pole dancer, but out hunting it has to be straight cut boots with garter straps.


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## Maesfen (24 October 2012)

Blast, it's just ate my reply!

Around here several hunting farmers wear bowlers and we also have a lady member who has always worn one whether in tweed or her navy hunt coat (before we changed to our tweed)


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## spotty_pony (24 October 2012)

AdorableAlice said:



			There is no ignorance at all, hunting tradition is centuries old.  You may see a lady in a bowler and veil matching the colour of her habit side saddle.  A gentleman will wear a bowler with ratcatcher for cubbing or gate shutting in the main season.

A top hat will be worn with a tail coat and in the years when I hunted, masters and major landowners would wear top hat and tails at opening meet,  lawn meets and boxing day.

It probably is still possible to see this at the premier packs in Leicestershire but the last time our local pack trotted past it was more rag, tag and bobtail.  Unplaited horses, women with flying hair, coloured or blingy saddle cloth's and my pet hate - dressage high cut boots, which are fine if you are Carl Hester or a pole dancer, but out hunting it has to be straight cut boots with garter straps.
		
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It is indeed quite common to see people out in bowler hats/top hats in the Leicestershire area - also we have a lot of side saddle riders!


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## AdorableAlice (24 October 2012)

spottypony said:



			It is indeed quite common to see people out in bowler hats/top hats in the Leicestershire area - also we have a lot of side saddle riders!
		
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Long may it last and good hunting to them.


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## GoblinPony (24 October 2012)

Thank you so much for your explanations!


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## Sherston (24 October 2012)

Couple of points:

Masters also wear ribbons down, not just hunt servants.

When plaiting please remember to plait to the right (even if mane does go to the left).

Finally hope you all have a fun opening meet - conditions are looking great, slightly better than this time last season!

Tally ho

Sherston


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## Juniper Jack (25 October 2012)

aimsymc said:



			Thanks for replies! I will most definitely be plaiting up and have sparkley clean horsey. No chance of anything brightly coloured as I hate anything not traditional colour. Really looking forward to sat now, will have the hip flask full for sharing and will let you know how I get on. thanks again for advice!!
		
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Is it hip flasks now?  What happened to
http://www.tackagain.co.uk/mall/departmentpage.cfm/TackAgain/_303941/1
?


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## Maesfen (25 October 2012)

Ooh, what's your tipple aimsymc?  Our galloping vet used to have port and cherry brandy, another had whisky and ginger, another had port and ginger; all very warming but could be quite lethal if you can't leave it alone!


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## Amymay (25 October 2012)

And for you OP - make sure your hair is in a hairnet - unless it's short.


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