USE YOUR EYES:

• Watch the horse in front of you, and stay a horse's length behind him. If he has a red ribbon in his tail, he might kick. A green ribbon in his tail means he is new to hunting and he might get excited if you bump him or he might kick if scared.
• Watch the line in front of you. If you get ready to change speed when a horse four to five horses ahead of you does, you won't open a gap and the ride will be less like crack the whip for the people behind you.
• Watch out for holes, or wire, or any other hazard.
• Watch the hounds work - that's the fun part. Some of them are best in a covert; some of them are best when running a line in the open field; some of them are good with a cold line and others are great with a hot one; some of tthem go on their own and others need the encouragemnent of the Huntsman.
  Watch for the fox - but if you "view" him, don't "holloa" (holler); just let your Field Master know, quietly.

USE YOUR EARS:

• Listen for warnings: 'Ware wire; 'ware hole; hole on the right; 'ware Staff (or Huntsman, or Maser); 'ware hounds.
• Listen for instructions: Gate, please! Reverse field! Hold hard! Stay on the edge of the field!
• Listen for the horn and the hounds to tell you what's happening, and for the sheer pleasure of it. A pack in full cry is a spine tingling sound!

USE YOUR NOSE:

• When the temperature rises and the scent is high, you can smell a fox (a mild skunk like smell).

USE YOUR VOICE only when necessary and then only softly:

• When you arrive at the Meet, go up and say "Good Morning" to the Master(s), and at the end of the day, say "Thank you" to the Master and, if he is nearby, the Huntsman.
• Pass on warnings to the person behind you. Don't try to yell it to the end of the line - yelling lifts the hounds' heads and takes their minds off their business. It is your responsibility to make sure the person behind you knows what to expect. If you are warning about a hole, etc., say "'ware hole" and point at it AS YOU PASS IT. If the message is "Gate, please" or "Gate open," say it to the next person AS YOU GO THROUGH THE GATE.
• If you see a fox, don't "Tally ho," because that fox might not be the hunted fox, and even if it is you might scare him and make him turn around right into the pack of hounds. Get word to your Field Master - quietly - and, after making sure the fox is safely on his way, he/she will signal a Whip or the Huntsman by pointing his/her horse's head and cap at the spot the fox was last seen and, if necessary, calling "Tally-ho."
• Although it is okay to talk softly at a check if you are not near the hounds or near the Field Master (who is trying to hear the hounds or the horn), "coffee-housing" (or idle chit-chat) is generally discouraged.
• BUT, never hesitate to ask a question about what is going on or what you should do, and always tell someone if you have a problem!

WHAT TO WEAR:

CUBBING (the early season, before opening meet) and BY-DAYS (extra, not regularly scheduled, days - and, for Farmington, all Thursdays: "RATCATCHER."
During cubbing season, if it is cool enough for sweaters, sweatshirts, or jackets, then "proper" ratcatcher (tweed jacket with a turtleneck, tie, stock, or choker) is appropriate. After October 1st "Coats are Requested." When we expect visitors, or you visit another hunt, proper ratcatcher is always proper cubbing attire, unless the Master invites you to remove your coat due to heat.
• ADULTS: A tweed coat (or plain, dark colored "show coat" in warm weather); with a turtleneck, a shirt and tie, or a stockshirt with a choker or colored stock; beige, tan, canary, or brick britches or jodhpurs; polished black or brown dress boots or field boots, or paddock boots; black, brown or string gloves, depending on the weather; a hunt cap or a derby (the derby is proper, but Farmington, like most hunts today, permits the wearing of hunt caps, with a chin strap if the rider so desires). N.B. During the cubbing season, FHC permits the wearing of "polo" shirts, sweatshirts, and windbreakers in conservative colors (never red, the Staff color), but a member of FHC should never assume that to be the case if visiting another hunt and should also dress in more "formal" ratcatcher if FHC is entertaining visitors from another hunt.
• JUNIORS: The same as adults, except: hunt caps with chin straps should always be worn, and jodphur straps, and paddock boots are always proper for younger members of the field.

FORMAL MEETS:
• LADIES: Black, oxford gray, or navy coat (With FHC buttons and the Belgian blue color if the wearer has been awarded colors); white stock with plain gold stock pin; a shirt suitable to the weather, neatly arranged and/or pinned so no neck shows between it and the stock; a canary or tattersall vest (or Belgian blue is permitted at FHC); beige, tan, canary, or brick britches; polished black dress boots (with or without patent leather tops); black, brown, or string gloves, depending on the weather; hunt cap or derby (see note above). On very formal occasions, ladies might wear a shadbelly with a top hat.
• GENTLEMEN: Same as for ladies, except: Gentleman who have received colors wear black coats with FHC buttons only, or hunting "pinks" (scarlet) with FHC buttons and the Belgian blue color. White britches are proper with the pink coat and with some cuts of black coat, as are black boots with tan tops.
• JUNIORS" Ratcatcher is always proper, but older juniors sometimes wear the same attire as ladies and gentlemen.

"NEAT AND TIDY" is the main requirement, and in freezing weather appropriate layers may be added, the French rubber insulated boots that look like dress boots may be worn, etc….

BUT IT IS NEVER OK TO:

• Forget your hairnet, unless your hair is braided or only an inch long….
• Wear wild colored ribbons which don't match the rest of you attire….
• Wear gaudy jewelry (any earrings may get caught on a branch!)….
• Leave your coat unbuttoned,,,,
• Or have dirty, sweaty boots when you arrive at a Meet….

WALK AND TALKS

A summer tradition continues -- Whether you have a green horse to school or an old horse (or old legs, for that matter) to keep fit, or you are a hot-weather freak, or you want to learn the country better, or you just enjoy good company and beautiful scenary, Walk-and-Talks are for you! We start slowly, and pick up the pace as the greenies get acclimatized and the need to leg up hunters intensifies (heat slows but doesn't stop us). Whenever there is a demand, we add some jumping for those who are interested, and there is always someone along to hlep you try something new or solve any problem you may have.