I was recently present in the hunt field for a rather unfortunate injury. It was not life threatening but painful and rendered the rider incapable of retiring while either mounted or on foot. Murphy’s Law dictated that this injury should occur in the furthest flung part of our fixture, complicating evacuation. While I am certain there are times in which this situation might have been an agonizing misadventure, it was resolved quickly and with nary a pause in the hunt. Our adventure did not become misadventure because hunt staff were prepared with a plan.
An injury in the hunt field is, of course, a matter of not if but when. We are never surprised when a rider is badly down. But are we always prepared? We can be. A serious accident with injury can be a rattling experience for everyone involved, and trying to sort out the details in the heat of the moment invites anxiety and frustration and sometimes poor decision – making. It behooves hunt staff to plan for the inevitable in order to respond confidently and with cool – heads.
Establish acceptable risk…
Safety first is a common enough phrase that people mutter practically unthinkingly. A great irony, however, is that it is never true in any practical sense. To put safety first means to never participate in something involving the possibility of physical risk. There is no adventure where there is no risk and fox hunting will never be a low risk activity. Incidents and injuries will happen. No club should make a goal of removing risk entirely because that is not feasible. However, each club must, with deliberation, establish which levels of risk are acceptable.
First, staff must be cognizant of what and where (and sometimes whom) the risks are. Staff may choose to discuss and take inventory of the risks that are associated with hunting generally (horses, coops, ditches, etc.) and issues related to your hunt and fixtures specifically (Major Dalrymple and his OTTB). Steep banks and creek crossings, downhill coops, dauntless and foolhardy riders should all be on the minds of staff. Second, discuss these at staff meetings or over hunt breakfast. That steep bank going into the creek near the clubhouse? Be careful there, and watch for nervous riders. That coop that puts riders onto the county highway? Only staff should be using it. The spooky woods where there is a bunch of old wire on the ground? Avoid going in at all costs. When ole’ Dalrymple comes out to hunt, ***. The best risk management is, of course, prevention.
In short, decide what sort of risks will be the normal part of your hunt experience, and which risks should be avoided, and make sure everyone knows.
Look for best practices…
Your hunt staff is not charged with reinventing the wheel. There are already other hunts, equestrian organizations, and outdoor clubs that have thought – out every conceivable issue that might happen. Make contact with them. Ask them questions about how they manage things. You may also choose to look into the research that is done by organizations like National Outdoor Leadership school who dedicate vast resources into wilderness risk management.
In short, find out how other organizations, similar to your hunt handle emergencies.
Make a plan…
Once you have gathered best practices, it is time to consider what are best practices for your club. I find it helpful to brainstorm as a group – ask people what they think might likely happen and how to fix those happenings, (e.g. Where are the areas of the fixture that might be most difficult to evacuate an injured rider?). Better yet, have a war – gaming session with hunt staff during which you play out likely scenarios, (e.g. Major Dalrymple and has fallen off of his OTTB, yet again, and he was knocked unconscious for a spell. He’s quite insistent he’s ok to ride back by himself. How do we respond?). Difficult decision making should
If you wish to take this to the extreme, you might compile a field guide that is specific to your hunt, including the details and procedures for a myriad of scenarios. However, most hunt staff are volunteers and most hunt members do so once or twice a week. The more complicated your plans are, the less likely they will be followed. Emergency plans must be memorable to be functional, especially when given to volunteers. Strive for simplicity. You might create a single page document that covers (very broadly) issues that are likely to occur ::
- Rider down and needing care / evacuation
- Rider wishing to retire who is unfamiliar with the fixture
In short, know how you will respond to the emergencies that are likely to happen well – before the emergencies happen.
Provide first aid…
Hunt fixtures are remote and difficult to travel by design. While those deep ditches, narrow pathways, and gateless fence lines make for a thrilling day on horseback, they become menacing obstacles when suddenly off horseback. Help may not be as simple as a call to EMS, and an ambulance may take some time to reach you. Hunt staff should be prepared to provide some first aid in the field. Further, a downed rider may need to be kept warm, dry, and comfortable while waiting for help. Imagine you have a downed rider who cannot stand, it’s thirty five degrees, and beginning to rain. In a situation like this, a simple broken leg can cascade into a number of other medical issues such as hypothermia.
Identify members of the club who might be helpful. First, go with what you’ve got. For whatever reason, hunts seem to be well stocked with EMTs, nurses, and physicians who might prove invaluable in an emergency situation. Have a plan for how to reach them and engage them when the time comes.
Consider inviting hunt staff and members to receive outside training. I believe an appropriate level of training for hunt staff and members is Wilderness First Aid (or, in the parlance outdoor leadership, “WFA”). This is a level of training that covers many of the maladies a foxhunter might present in while in the field. In fact, a large portion of the training is how to manage possible neck and spine injuries.
Both professionally and avocationally I’ve observed an increased use in helicopters for evacuating people with adventure sport injuries. While this is both convenient and expedient, it is not economical. Even a short ride to the hospital can carry an astronomical bill. Beware that many health insurers specifically do not cover helicopter evacuation. You may want to recommend your membership enroll in a special air – medevac plan. These usually run less than one hundred dollars a year.
In short, be prepared to help an injured person be safe and comfortable before they are reached by EMS.
Document incidents and near misses…
I suspect the hearts of hunt secretaries dropped at the sight of this subheading. Fear not! Documenting accidents should not be a burdensome task. The goal of documenting injuries and near misses in the field allow hunt staff to make changes in areas that need attention.
The goal is not to create a bureaucratic paper trail and documentation need not be extensive. It can be as simple as a quick group email sent out following a hunt or a shared google.doc where people might make very short posts :: Another green rider stumbled at the creek crossing near the clubhouse. Did not fall, but came close. With this information, you may observe patterns developing and make changes (either topographical or behavioral) to avoid what might eventually be an accident involving injury.
In short, keep track of the situations in which emergencies occurred or nearly occurred, look for patterns and make positive changes.
Summation…
Some of the ideas that I present here may seem fanciful and overwrought. Certainly a member of the staff could make a full time job of managing everything I have shared. But I hope at the very least I might prompt your hunt and your staff to begin a discussion on managing the risks associated with fox hunting. We represent an outdoor adventure sport in a similar fashion to people who white water raft or mountain climb. I believe we can maintain a standard of risk management similarly to these sports.
Gentleman Afield 