30 top foxhunting terms: Vocabulary on-the-sly

Especially in autumn, equestrian foxhunting holds centuries-old traditions for dress, equine grooming, etiquette, and even language. Did you ever wonder what some of the traditional foxhunting terms actually mean?

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Here’s a simple guide to 30 traditional foxhunting terms:

1. Babble – to bark (speak) out of turn (referring to hounds)
2. Brush – the tail of a fox
3. Capping fee – a fee paid by non-members who participate in a hunt
4. Casting – instructing hounds to spread out in search of the fox
   
5. Charlie – the fox (also Todd)
6. Colors – earned adornments for hunt uniforms
7. Covert – any brush or woodsy area where a fox might seek to hide
8. Cub – a young fox
9. Drag – scent left by a fox
10. Drag hunt – a fox hunt in which hounds trace a man-made line of fox scent, rather than an actual animal
11. Drawing – urging hounds through a covert to follow a fox
12. Earth – a den or underground area where a fox might hide
13. Field – a group of mounted huntsmen
14. Field master – the head huntsman, who controls the course of the hunt
15. Foiling – spoiling of the fox’ scent by water, fertilizer or distracting scents.
16. Giving best – awarding the fox the victory, if he has evaded the hounds and hunters.
17. Heeling – racing away from the line of the hunt (referring to hounds)
18. Holding up – restraining the hounds close to the huntsmen.
19. Holloa – the high-pitched scream of the field master or staff, signaling the direction of the fox.
20. Hound – a foxhunting dog
21. Larking – jumping fences when not following hounds
22. Line – the direction in which the fox is heading
23. Mask – the head of the dead fox
24. Pads – the paws of the dead fox
25. Quarry – the fox or other animal being hunted
26. Speaking – the yelping of the foxhunting hounds (similar terms include being in cry, giving tongue or voicing)
27. Stirrup cup – a liquid toast offered at foxhunting meets
28. Tally ho – a call to attention
29. Ware – a warning of potential danger
30. Whipper-in – the assistant huntsman, who helps to control the foxhunting hounds

Those attending fox hunts may be considerably more informed and perhaps enjoy themselves more by becoming familiar with these top foxhunting terms.

Image:

Vintage artwork / Public domain

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Have you seen Carmelo, the Dressage Donkey?

Sometimes divadom may appear in surprising packages. 

Take a look at Carmelo, the donkey that thinks he is a horse. To be more precise, he’s the donkey that thinks he is a dressage horse.

And maybe he’s right.

Have you seen the video yet ?

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Alta escuela / classical dressage in action. 

Nope. That is NOT a horse wearing a Donkey Costume Nose. It's really a donkey.

Whoa! And Hee-Haw!

Equine Spanish-English Pocket Dictionary

Image/s:

Video screenshot – fair use

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Gnats and No-See-Ums are nastier than normal this year.

Bugs are bad at the barn this year. Maybe it’s a result of all of the wet weather we have experienced. Flies, gnats, mosquitoes and the dreaded No-See-Ums are hatching in multiple waves, extending their season of oppression longer than usual.

As equestrians saddle up for outdoor schooling and trail rides, many horsemen and horsewomen may be seen swatting at seemingly invisible invaders. Even the most refined individuals may occasionally spit while mounted or on foot.

Those dreaded bugs are everywhere, and they are particularly attracted to faces. Like mosquitoes, most gnats and No-See-Ums are drawn to the carbon dioxide we exhale. That’s why they seem to want to fly right into mouths and noses.

Ugh! Does it get any grosser than that?

What is a No-See-Um?

These tiny insects are big annoyances to equestrians and other outdoor enthusiasts. Although we can hardly see them, we can sense their swarming. We know they are there.

Scientifically known as Ceratopogonidae, No-See-Ums may also be known as biting midges or punkies. They are related to sand flies and black flies.

No-See-Ums are frequently found in wet areas. Although they feed on plant nectar, the females among these insects bite humans, horses, ponies, donkeys, dogs, birds, goats, lambs, cattle, and other animals to gather blood for developing their eggs.

The resulting bites may become red, swollen, and quite sore. In some cases, bites may grow infected. Horses can have allergic reactions to No-See-Um bites, resulting in sweet itch.

 

Doesn’t sound very sweet, though, does it?

Bug repellants can help to protect humans and horses. Fly masks and fly sheets may minimize bug bites for equines, if they offer sufficient density to shield against these miniscule creatures.

Eventually, the bug season will give way to cooler weather, and the fall’s first frost will ban the bugs completely for another year. But who wants to hasten the winter?

Image/s:

Biting Midge

Creative Commons Licensing Photos

 

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