Millbrook Hunt opens on misty day

AMENIA —The Millbrook Hunt’s 102nd Opening Meet and breakfast took place Saturday, Oct. 3, at David and Connie Clapp’s Coole Park Farm in Amenia.

The cloudy skies and occasional sprinkles of rain evoked an Old World feel, like a novel by Trollope, or a hunt in misty Ireland.

The Opening Meet signals the beginning of formal hunting season and is marked by (among other things) a change of attire. The gentlemen members of the hunt wear scarlet riding coats (referred to as pinks) and the ladies don black coats with green collars — denoting that they’ve received their “colors.�

Derbies or top hats may be worn but safety helmets are required for juniors.

The terminology of the hunt takes everyday words and gives them slightly different meanings.

First of all, they’re hounds — not dogs.

The “field� refers to all the riders on horseback. There were more than 80 mounted riders on Saturday, including many children and ponies.

“Whips,� or whippers-in, are the riders who assist the huntsman in managing the hounds.

“Colorsâ€� are awarded to members of the hunt who have hunted consistently for at least three years and are in good standing. When a man gets his colors, he is entitled to wear a scarlet riding coat — his pinks.  When a woman gets her colors, she puts green felt on the collar of her black riding coat.

“Couples� is the term for a pair of hounds. Generally, the huntsman brings out about 14 couples on a given day. For the Opening Meet, Philhower brought 17-and-a-half couples.

The Opening Meet concluded, after more than four hours of hunting, with a hunt breakfast attended by riders, their families and friends and members of the community.

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