| The thing about Hunt Night... I spent a good part of Monday morning at the Penn National Horse Show watching the first- and second-year green hunters being piloted around the ring by professional riders. They looked lovely; many of them put in picture-perfect rounds. They were among the best of the up-and-coming show hunters in the country. The few people watching would applaud politely after each round, throwing in the occasional whoop for an extra good trip. It was fun to watch for a while. Enter the fox hunting crowd. Almost everyone attending Hunt Night either fox hunts, has fox hunted or has friends and/or family who fox hunt. They appreciate riding outdoors, a good gallop across an open field, the thrill of watching the hounds work on a crisp fall day, the sound of the huntsman's horn floating through the air, the sharp crack of the hound whip, the excitement of hearing the music of hounds hot on the scent of their quarry. Hunt Night is an evening for all the fox hunting clubs to get together and compete in the big arena, but more importantly, it's an evening of camaraderie among hunt folk. The atmosphere in that big arena is completely different on Hunt Night. We know our horses aren't necessarily show hunters, and while we like to put in a nice round, we're not expecting miracles. Our horses are not blase about going around in that imposing indoor...Patrick, who rarely spooks at anything, took huge issue with the large TV monitor outside the in gate. Hey, now! He's never seen one of THOSE on the hunt field, and he surely hopes he never has to encounter one again. We were scattering people and horses like bowling pins on our way past that nasty thing. But I digress. In the stabling area, the hunt clubs all co-mingle. We help one another get tacked up. Lend one another equipment, safety pins, help with hair nets, stock ties, tack adjustments. We give one another a leg up. We cheer for one another and are genuinely happy when our friends have good rounds, even if it drops us down or out of the ribbons. We give one another genuine compliments and encouraging words. We're all in it for the fun of doing together this sport that makes us all so happy. IT'S SO NICE! And on that note, I want to extend a HUGE thank you to all of my friends and family who came out to cheer us on. And to my friends who couldn't make it, but who made a point of wishing us luck beforehand, thank you, too. Patrick and I so appreciated your cheers of encouragement (okay, maybe I appreciated it a little more than Patrick did), and it really helped to know that so many people were wishing us the best as we cantered around our course. And a special thanks to Peppie, who gave me a beautiful bracelet that she made from Buck's tail hair. It was a bit of an emotional time for me, doing Hunt Night without Buck and all, and it was comforting to have that bracelet around my wrist. It was a really great evening for us, and that eighth place ribbon may as well have been a first place for as happy as it made me. And heck, brown goes very well with Patrick's coat, so it was appropriate. So thank you again for helping make Hunt Night the special evening that it was. I hope you guys had as much fun as I did. |
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