What Do I Need for Hunting
With hunting season just around the corner, here at Discount Equestrian, we thought it’d be super helpful to create a list of ‘must-haves’ for the hunting field. Whether this is your first ever season, or you’re a seasoned hunt rider, we hope you’ll find this list useful.
In UK law, it is illegal to hunt foxes with a pack of dogs. However, drag hunting is proving to be a popular alternative, free from the controversy surrounding fox hunting. For those of you unfamiliar with drag hunting, here is some information about it…
Instead of pursuing a live animal with a pack of hounds, drag hunting follows a pre-determined route marked with a powerful scent laid out by a person. The format of drag hunting requires a route to be pre-determined, which means that even if it’s your first time drag hunting, you know where you’re going. There are optional fences too, so there’s no pressure to fly over 6ft hedges. However, we do advise you are confident your horse is comfortable and capable of jumping up to around 3ft – should you both get caught up in the atmosphere and wish to have a go! There are plenty of options to leave out certain jumps and follow shorter routes, as well as chances to take breaks when needed. If you’re just introducing your horse to drag hunting and have any concerns or queries, you should contact your local hunt to find out more information.
While drag hunting, you follow the Field Master – never get ahead of them. Not getting ahead of the Field Master is an important safety feature, as it allows the hunt organisers to keep everyone involved as safe as possible. Sometimes, hunts have a second Field Master to support less experienced horses and riders around the route at a more leisurely pace.
Drag hunting days usually last around 3 – 4 hours. With options for shorter routes and avoiding certain obstacles, it is possible to take your horse to a drag hunting meet if they aren’t event-fit. However, we advise that both you and your horse possess a decent level of fitness prior to drag hunting; you’re likely to be in the saddle for at least 2 hours and don’t want your horse to feel overwhelmed by the level of work expected of them, as well as by the new atmosphere they suddenly find themselves in. If you’re in any doubt about yours or your horse’s fitness, please contact your local hunt, riding instructor, and perhaps even ask your vet’s advice.
It is also important to note that there are charges applied to individual meets, though if you join your local hunt, there’s the possibility of a discount if you pay for a season’s membership upfront.
Horses should be plaited to attend a hunting meet, and we strongly advise using protective boots. We’re beginning with kit for your horse, before covering what you’ll need for a day of drag hunting. Since we cannot fit absolutely everything into this post, to discover useful ideas for preparing your horse for the day, please visit our ‘Competition Essentials – Horse’ post [Insert Link Here]. All the information contained in that post is relevant here too! We also suggest checking out our ‘Competition Essentials – Rider’ post, available here [Insert Link Here], to ease hunt day preparation stressors.
Riding Wear Required for Hunting
* Plaiting Essentials
Whether you use traditional needle and thread or prefer using plaiting bands, here are just a few of our favourite plaiting products:
- Harlequin® Plaiting Bands
- Effol® Non-Snap Plaiting Bands
- Equetech® Crystal Plaiting Bands
- Elico® Plaiting Needles
- Lincoln® Plaiting Thread Reel
- NAF® Plait It Up
- IV Horse® Plait Perfect Plaiting Gel
- Lincoln® Plaiting Kit
- HyShine® Perfect Plaits
- Weatherbeeta® Stretch Neck Rug
* Brushing Boots / Overreach Boots
It is wise to protect your horse’s delicate legs in all disciplines, though the importance of that is no more prevalent than on the hunting field. We strongly suggest using protective boots for your horse if you intend to go drag hunting with them.
- Tri-Zone® Impact Sports Boot – Front
- LeMieux® Stealth Air XC Boots Mark III Front
- HyIMPACT® Brushing Boots
- Woof Wear® Club Brushing Boot
- LeMieux® ProForm Ballistic Over Reach Boots
- JHL® Over-Reach Boots
- Kitt® Over-Reach Boots
- Woof Wear® Club Overreach Boot
* Hunting Jacket
Only hunt officials wear red jackets, though it is your choice as to whether you wear a black jacket with white stock or tweed jacket with a tie.
- Equetech® Ladies’ Hunt Wool Frock Coat
- Equetech® Men’s Hunt Wool Frock Coat
- Equetech® Junior Claydon Deluxe Tweed Riding Jacket
- Dublin® Albany Childs Tweed Jacket with Suede Collar
- Equetech® Mens Foxbury Tweed Riding Jacket
* Tie
- Equetech® Adults Lurex Stripe Zipper Tie
- Kingsland® Classic Men's Tie
- Equetech® Junior White Show Tie
* Stock
- ShowQuest® Tied Hunt Stock
- Rodney Powell® Neck Support Stock
- Equetech® Custom Riding Stock
* Show Shirt
For some, an everyday plain white shirt might suffice. However, it is worth considering that high street or supermarket-bought shirts designed as office wear are unlikely to remain comfortable throughout a long day of drag hunting. From our experience, finding the right shirt can make all the difference to your drag hunting adventure.
- Equetech® Ladies’ Foxhunter Shirt
- Equetech® Junior Foxhunter Shirt
- Atak Equus® Compression Shirt Junior
- LeMieux® Amelie Show Shirt
- Dublin® Longmoor Men’s Hunting Shirt
- Tredstep® Solo Air Shirt Long Sleeve
* Gloves
- Uvex® Ventraxion Gloves
- Dublin® Cross Country Riding Gloves
- Atak Equus® Equestrian Gloves Junior
- Hy5® Children's Leather Riding Gloves
* Breeches / Jodhpurs
Whilst buff (yellowy beige) breeches are the traditional choice for hunting attire, modern breeches and jodhpurs are both seen on the drag hunting field nowadays. However, we advise steering clear of white jods or breeches.
- Equetech® Ladies Foxhunter Hybrid Breeches
- Equetech® Men’s Foxhunter Hybrid Breeches
- HyPERFORMANCE® Melton Childs Jodhpurs Beige
- John Whitaker® Miami Kids Breeches Full Silicone Seat
* Hunting Crop
- Fleck® Hunting Whip with Staghorn and 150cm Lash
- Elico® Hunt Crop Ladies
- Elico® Hunt Crop Men’s
- MacTack® Hunting Whip Deer Hook H9 Gents 16 Plait
- MacTack® Hunting Whip Deer Hook H8 Ladies 12 Plait
* Long Riding Boots.
- De Niro® S2600 Traditional Boot
- Brogini® GB651 Kids Modena Piccino
- Dublin® Arderin Tall Field Boots
- EGO7® Orion Tall Boots
* Short Boots & Chaps
- Brogini® Pavia Jodhpur Boots Adult
- Brogini® Pavia Piccino Jodhpur Boot Child
- Dublin® Elevation II Jodhpur Boots
- Brogini® Marconia Synthetic Leather Gaiter
- Dublin® Easy-Care Half Chaps Childs
- Mark Todd® Adult Toddy Synthetic Stretch Half Chaps
- HyLAND® Ladies Roka Chaps
* Body Protector
It may not offer a traditional hunting look, though the safety of both horse and rider should always be number one priority. Here are just a few of our favourite body protectors:
- Champion® FlexAir Body Protector Adults
- Airowear® AirMesh Body Protector
- Hows Racesafe® PROVent 3.0 Childs Body Protector
- USG® Flexi Body Protector Child
* Riding Hat. Apart from your Horse of course, a Riding Hat is pretty essentail. We stock a vast range on our Riding Hats page.
Saving the most important item for last, a correctly fitted riding hat that is manufactured to the latest safety standards is essential for all riding. If you are local to our Discount Equestrian store, we would be happy to help you find and fit the perfect riding hat.
- Charles Owen® Beagler Riding Hat Child
- Charles Owen® Beagler Riding Hat Adult
- Gatehouse® Jeunesse Velvet Riding Hat
- Champion® CPX Supreme Riding Hat
You can browse our Riding Wear categories to see the full range of Riding Wear we stock here at Discount Equestrian.
