{Photo courtesy of Sophiea Bitel}
So if you’ve all been wondering where I have been, well, I literally and figuratively had gone to ground. First I “hit” the ground, then I went underground till I could sort things out. I took a bad fall out hunting and broke my back, thank God no spinal cord injury, but a bad enough fall that it has given me pause.
So I’ve had some time to reflect on this crazy sport we all love. So the question I have had rolling around in my mind has been the age-old question. Do you Hunt to ride, or do you ride to Hunt? Well, I ride to Hunt.
We all know there is a ton of riding that goes into getting ourselves and our horses ready for the season, but at the end of the day all I really want to do is get dressed up and go, Hunting. If you’re cut from the same cloth as me, you know it’s just a part of who you are. People that truly ride to Hunt live the whole lifestyle. Our close friends are Foxhunters, we decorate our homes to reflect the sporting lives we live, we basically eat, sleep and dream about Hunting.
I drove my truck to the barn for the first time today since this happened. I wanted to visit my horse, I think he was glad to see me. When I looked in the back seat of my truck this is what I saw.
Dirty jacket, muddy helmet and oiled wool gloves decorated with leaves. My sandwich case was on the floor because that had gone with me in the ambulance. All week things have been showing up at my house and the farm. Horse folks are the best, too many good people that day to mention them all. My wing girls were with me taking my horse home and following the ambulance with my truck so my husband would have a ride. This was all a freak accident, not Sage’s fault or mine.
We all know tucked in the back of our minds; it’s a dangerous sport. Lucky for me this was the last meet of our season so I can spend the winter healing and forgetting about how scary that day was. Today I have a Doctor’s appointment to see if I can fly to Virginia on Friday to be a spectator at Christmas in Middleburg, obviously no riding for me till spring. Fingers crossed I get to go; we’ve been planning this girls trip for months…..
So we want to know, do you ride to Hunt or do you Hunt to ride?
Yikes!!! Take it easy and don’t rush the return to riding against doctor’s orders…wishing you a full recovery
So sorry for your very serious injuries but glad you are on the mend. While riders will tell you (or at least they have told me) that if I don’t want to come off then I shouldn’t get on..BUT…I love the hunt field and love my hunt pony.. and in the end, I’m back in the saddle, on my own terms and no one elses. .Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
rhonda
Wishing you a speedy recovery!! We love to follow your adventures.
Audrey & Joanna
Having come off my guy (again just a silly accident) I broke my pelvis in 5 places, I have not ridden since. I couldn’t ride for months and I’ve lost my nerve. Take time, take care and allow your body and mind to heal. Our local legend, Mrs. Hannum knew when it was time . . . and so will you.
Anita
Thanks for sharing this story! You’ll be back in the saddle in no time!
First of all — so sorry to hear of this terrible accident. I know well the shaky feeling when you fly off your horse at speed. We never think it will happen TODAY – even though we know there will be falls. Hope your recovery is swift and pain free.
About riding to hunt and hunting to ride. Even though I trail ride, take many lessons, three day event, go to schooling hunter jumper shows — I ride to hunt. Now to be honest I am a latecomer to the sport – started near 50 years of age so I do my best to “hunt” from the second or sometimes third field but as to living the lifestyle by your definition I do live to hunt even though I don’t get a view from way back there very often! The friends, the social aspect and just the love of our traditions, horses and hounds keeps me in the saddle. I have lived in Maryland, Illinois and now California but I return again and again to hunt in Aiken where “fox hunting is spoken.” The thrill of the chase is indescribable. The goosebumps on my arm as the huntsman sounds his horn and the hounds are in full cry is just a never ending high. The tired we all feel as we take care of our horses at the end of the day is so satisfying because on that day we were ALIVE, out there doing IT, an keeping alive the great sport that is fox hunting.
Wishing you well in your healing process. It’s a long road, but spring really will be here before you know it!
Glad you are OK. (And I know that a guy subscribing to your “little black dress” may seem a tad, well, weird, but I subscribe to just about everything to do with fox hunting.)
Ride to Hunt. Like the last post, I also came to this later in life. In 2008 at age nearly 50, we bought a farm-ette in No. VA. One day the Loudoun Hunt came through. Pretty women, handsome guys, lovely hounds, you know. I immediately told my wife that this was my next mid-life crisis. I found a local barn, learned to ride (well enough to grab mane and hang on anyway), and eventually bought Steinway – my big black and white Percheron. Our horses live on our property, so every day begins with a nicker and ends with a snort as they wonder where I’ve been all day. And my wife and I now hunt together with Loudoun – it’s “what we do.”
Sounds as though you’re going to recover from the injury memorialized by your muddy – TG is was on your head strapped in place, no doubt – hunt cap, jacket and gloves. Having spent more time than I care to remember in plaster, I am most assuredly a rider to hunt and have been for 40+ years. It’s an “affliction” I’ve never regretted or outgrown. Yes, my hunt friends are lifelong and my house is filled with hunting prints, books, attire, saddles, tack, etc. I wouldn’t change a thing. I consider myself blessed in many, many ways.
Hope that you mend well and are able to get back in the tack soon!
Hope you mend quickly and are easily back in the tack in spring.
Love your blog.
Cheers
E
I know its not chic or fashionable, but those inflatable vests really work! I was in North Carolina and noticed that in one of the hunts a good portion of the field was wearing them. I’m the only one in my hunt that does (so far), but when I came off, only my ego was bruised. It worked like a charm.
Hunt to ride or ride to hunt? I echo the sentiments of those above: ride to hunt!
Hope you heal well and quickly!