Quarter marks on foxhunters

[J Swan]

I asked this on FOL - but there did not seem to be a consensus, and I don't recall if I've asked this question on this BB before - or if I did, what folks said. (my memory isn't that great - getting old sucks....)



Question: On field hunters (NOT show hunters), are quarter marks appropriate? Not clipping a clover leaf on their butt - but quarter marks.

[SteeleRdr]

I've never put them, nor seen them on foxhunter's. I'm not sure of a rule of whether they are proper or not.

I've only ever put them on race horses. Every horse that leaves my care to go to the paddock at the races has quarter marks! I did learn a few tricks about them over the last few years, most were from European trainers.

[fernie fox]

But,,,since I have been here in the US,I have seen lots of strange things done.

Clipping patterns on horse's bums being one of them.:eek:

Hunter braids in the field.:yes:

Tails braided like cart horses.

Tails clipped at the top with clippers,instead of pulling them .;)[I really hate this one,please learn to braid or pull a tail correctly].

[SidesaddleRider]

Question: On field hunters (NOT show hunters), are quarter marks appropriate? Not clipping a clover leaf on their butt - but quarter marks.

Yes.

But you rarely see it done in the US; you see it occasionally in the UK, but its usage has sort of fallen by the wayside in the past 40-50 years. Therefore, you really only see it on show hunters, with even that being rare, and mostly incorrect, in that to do quarter marks properly, it has to be done with a fine-toothed comb (and dandy brush for shark's teeth), not a stencil pattern.

[fernie fox]

my thoughts are on field hunters.

Yes we used to do quarter markings on show horses and ponies years ago in the UK..

But not out hunting.

[J Swan]

The reason I keep asking this is that I had seen them as a kid (ahem - not 50 years ago), but not in recent memory - except in eventing. I don't even think it's common in show hunters anymore (still done, I'm sure - but not commonplace)

I was taught to do them with a piece of comb, too.

So is it fair to say they've gone the way of buttons on britches and hay wisps? Arcane?

Opening Meet is coming up and I was thinking of putting a small pattern on his haunches - just because it's such a special day.



ferniefox - I've seen hunter braids too. I thought that was odd, because I find those braids more difficult to do than button braids; and certainly more labor intensive.

[Beverley]

Back in the 80's, one of my fellow whippers-in did the checkerboard pattern on her mare. The turnout gods did not strike her down. I thought it looked nice.

[Beverley]

Tails clipped at the top with clippers,instead of pulling them .;)[I really hate this one,please learn to braid or pull a tail correctly].

Sorry to displease you, I 'do' know how to braid or pull, but nope, I use clippers up top and on the bottom to bang the tail. When I am galloping across yonder field, you won't be able to tell the difference. And presumably you'll be watching the hounds, anyway!:cool:

[Jaegermonster]

We should be so fortunate that some people in our hunt cared enough about their turnout to do quarter marks or hunter braids, or clip/pull or otherwise tend to their tails. I would fall off my horse to see half of them wearing a hair net, instead of hair sticking out everywhere.

I think if someone goes to the trouble to do something extra to improve their turnout, it shouldn't be looked down upon or pooh poohed, just because it wasn't done 200 years ago.
My button braids look like a flock of pigeons left a deposit on my horses neck, but my hunter braids look pretty good. I think a nicely pulled mane or nice hunter braids looks better than a long sloppy mane or crappy braids, even if they aren't "correct".

That said, I think I would drop dead if an adult actually "clipped" quarter marks on their horse. But I don't think the OP was asking that, she was asking about real quarter marks. That's not quarter marks, just a design clipped on the horses butt, which if you are not on a pony and wearing jodphurs you are beyond that. But correctly done quarter marks look very nice.

[fernie fox]

:D:lol:


Sorry to displease you, I 'do' know how to braid or pull, but nope, I use clippers up top and on the bottom to bang the tail. When I am galloping across yonder field, you won't be able to tell the difference. And presumably you'll be watching the hounds, anyway!:cool:


To be honest at my age it is becoming increasingly difficult to see the hounds.:winkgrin:

But I can still hear them.:yes:

I have always loved my hounds and hunting.I cant help being a turnout witch.

It is going to really irke me, going out cubbing in the morning in a polo shirt,but here in Florida it does make sense.I would far rather wear a lightweight hacking jacket,it just feels right for cubbing

Now,I will wear my 35 year old brown boots complete with garter straps,even though they look short compared to modern high tops.

I am sure they all snicker at me,but I honestly dont care,so long as I dont fall off my pony,I will be the happiest person alive.:yes:

It is our first day of cubbing tomorrow.WHO,HOO

[SteeleRdr]

I don't know about most, but my horses will all be freshly clipped for opening day. It is quite a task to put quarter marks on a freshly clipped horse, quite near impossible. Trust me, tried it many times ata the early spring pt2pt's when all my charges were freshly clipped.

I do the "hunter" braids, but you just make them thicker and it saves your fingers some cramping!!! The picture in my profile is of a little mare with 12 braids in her mane (proper number) and they are "hunter" style, but definitely not the number! My hands would completely cramp up with how many I've had to braid for past opening meets if I did true "hunter" braids!

Disclaimer- by "hunter" braids, I mean the bazillion tiny button braids you see in the show ring.

[SLW]

:D:lol:
but I honestly dont care,so long as I dont fall off my pony,I will be the happiest person alive.:yes:

It is our first day of cubbing tomorrow.WHO,HOO

Enjoy, I've always admired your gusto.

[Beverley]

:D:lol:

Now,I will wear my 35 year old brown boots complete with garter straps,even though they look short compared to modern high tops.



Ah, well, I DO still wear the garter straps, so maybe I get some brownie points.

My field boots are likewise 'too short' but soooo comfortable I don't care. Unfortunately they are about 80 years old- given to me 20+ years ago by a friend who found them in his grandmother's attic- and the boot surgeon told me on the last fix that the 'vintage leather' is just not going to stand up to any more repairs.:(

[Jaegermonster]

Well....I hunt regularly with the same hunt that Fernie hunts with occasionally, and many of us wear hacking jackets. I have one that I wear when it isn't too hot. Fernie, if you feel better or more comfortable in your hacking jacket by all means wear it tomorrow. You won't be the only one, especially if it's a little cool or wet (and it looks like it might be) of course, cubbing is informal (and it's still so hot here now) so our MFH lets us wear polos if we wish, but it doesn't have to be a polo as long as it's a white shirt. I usually just wear a white show shirt. And many folks wear their hacking jackets, including most of the staff. We need all the folks to set turnout examples we can get :)

nobody snickers at your brown boots, I think they are really cool. One of the whippers in has some beautiful ones that she wears cubbing and on informal days, and she looks smashing

[War Admiral]

Could swear I saw them at Myopia on the really formal days - Opening Meet, TG and Boxing Day - back in the 60s?? Not on *every* horse but certainly on more than a handful....

(My tip for quarter marks: dissolve sugar in water. Apply the sugared water to the quarters with a sponge. CUT a piece of fine-toothed comb to the width you want the squares to be. Checkerboard happily away, and let dry. You'll have to experiment w/ the formula to get the amount of sugar in the water just right. Too much sugar will turn the hair white and speckly when it dries! :D)

[Beverley]

Could swear I saw them at Myopia on the really formal days - Opening Meet, TG and Boxing Day - back in the 60s?? Not on *every* horse but certainly on more than a handful....

(My tip for quarter marks: dissolve sugar in water. Apply the sugared water to the quarters with a sponge. CUT a piece of fine-toothed comb to the width you want the squares to be. Checkerboard happily away, and let dry. You'll have to experiment w/ the formula to get the amount of sugar in the water just right. Too much sugar will turn the hair white and speckly when it dries! :D)

Yes, 70s to early 80s too. I haven't tried the sugar water approach before! Maybe I'll confound some horses over the weekend...

[Beverley]

with 1930's flat bridle, fitted white pad, and a sandwich case .. and wire cutter case if you have one .. firmly attached to the saddle.



1930s? They were still commonly available and used for showing through the 70s, and still easy to find in the 80s for less than a fortune. Nothin' 'that' retro about it. Come to think of it, they are easier to find these days than canary breeches...

And actually, 'real' hunters wouldn't have the saddle pad:).

[wateryglen]

I don't know about this for sure but have not see quarter marks but rarely in the hunt field. HAVE seen some fun clipped patterns on some butts. OK I admit it......I did a star once.......on both cheeks......horse was embarassed cuz it made his butt look fat!!! And who wants to bring attention to the "rear view" in any case!!?? :D I got to thinking about that rear view thing and decided it wasn't good to call attention so came home and clipped them off!! Buh bye stars!! :cry:

I think they are strictly an eventing thing. But they ARE seen on horse butts at point-to-points here & there around here. Mostly I love the clipped things kids do on ponies - usually a heart!
So, JSwan, STEP AWAY FROM THE CLIPPERS!!! ;) Go clip a pig!! :lol::winkgrin: You'll have a large canvas to work with!! :yes::lol:

[J Swan]

I could NEVER clip Kevin. The horses use him as a scratching post. Oddly enough - Kevin doesn't seem to mind. Kevin might also get chilly without his boar bristles - and then I'd have to deal with a cold, hungry 300lb pig when I'm trying to get ready to go hunting in the morning.

I'd also not clip a pattern on my horse's butt - nor put glitter on his hooves.



Opening Meet is coming up. Such a festive day - it would be nice to put an extra bit of polish on my turnout. Quarter marks (real ones done properly with a comb) may not work as I think I'm going to have to do a fresh clip on him this week.

I don't have colors, I don't own a derby, I don't own a 30K horse, and I basically come to Opening Meet with the same turnout I do for any hunting day - except that I braid. In short - nothing stands out as anything special.

So I'm trying to think of anything that I can add to my turnout in recognition of Opening Meet. All I could come up with was quarter marks.

If garters would be a nice formal touch - please advise. I don't have a loop on the back of my boots but can get one added if necessary.

Soooo - if quarter marks would result in a Hunt Country Smackdown, then perhaps y'all could offer some other ideas?

[War Admiral]

GTD - It probably has more to do w/ the type of clippers you're using.

You need these (http://www.wahlanimalstore.com/product_detail.asp?T1=WAH%209961-701%20BLUE). They are the only way to go for fine detail work! :yes:

Then you just make a stencil of the graphic you want to use, cut out the middle bits, I usually use a dry-erase marker to copy it onto the quarters, then trim around it.

I did this (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/goonrgrrl/afc_logo-1.gif) on HRH Avery's quarters one very bored winter. And trust me, I'm so graphically illiterate I can't draw a circle with the circle tool in MS Paint! So if I can do it... :lol:

[SidesaddleRider]

If garters would be a nice formal touch - please advise. I don't have a loop on the back of my boots but can get one added if necessary.

Soooo - if quarter marks would result in a Hunt Country Smackdown, then perhaps y'all could offer some other ideas?

Quarter marks *are* proper. Just because you don't see them much anymore doesn't make them less so. But, as others mentioned, it's pretty much impossible to do them on a freshly-clipped horse.

To really pull off garter straps, you need to have buttons on your britches too (garter goes between the 3rd and 4th button). But since pre-buttoned britches are hard to find (unless vintage or you're sewing some on), and you want to still use them even if you don't have a loop on your boots, just buy an extra pair of spur straps for garters and make it "look" like you have the loop. ;)

[Beverley]

Ooh. Now you've got me thinking dangerous thoughts. May be called upon to be part of an honor guard when the Gov. unveils the new Utah quarter in November. Horse isn't clipped...must ponder some art...beehive? Golden Spike? I'm not going the clipping route though, may just try that sugar water approach if I can figure out how to do a good stencil.