Members of Foxhunting Life’s Panel of Experts respond to a reader’s question. (Clockwise from the top: Masters and huntsmen Marion Thorne, Hugh Robards, Jerry Miller, and Marty Wood.)
A reader asks, “If a member who has quit the club returns to cap, is it appropriate for he or she to wear the colors of that club?”
A good question—simple and practical—yet I couldn’t think of any published rule of attire that addressed the subject.
My initially reasoning was that if the ex-member had been awarded the colors and had not been expelled from the club for cause, he or she would technically have the right to wear colors while hunting there. However, I did find published guidelines which, while not specifically prohibiting the wearing of colors in this situation, do contain language that could be construed as such.
Hugh Robards, ex-MFH and former internationally-renowned huntsman, after a lifetime in professional hunt service, opines that “when a person relinquishes membership of any club they forfeit the right to wear any uniform or logo of that club.”
On the other hand, Jerry Miller, longtime MFH and former amateur huntsman, writes, “When a hunt member earns their colors with a hunt it is for life. Much like a college degree, it is always yours once it is awarded. As long as the former member has permission to hunt from the Masters, he or she can wear the hunt colors when paying a cap.”
C. Martin Wood, MFH, former amateur huntsman, and ex-president of the MFHA, writes, “A hunt’s colors and buttons are awarded to deserving individuals by the active Masters of the hunt to wear as long as the recipient is a member of the hunt. Once membership lapses, the honoree should not wear the colors and buttons until membership is restored or the Masters give specific permission to do so. It is sort of the same thing as when visiting other packs of hounds. A visitor should not wear his or her colors unless specific permission to do so is received from the Master of the hunt he or she is visiting. In practice, such permission is rarely denied, although some hunts are very particular about turn-out for their riding fields in which case a plain black or tweed jacket should suffice.”
Marion Thorne is Master and huntsman for the Genesee Valley Hunt (NY), established in 1876 by Major W. Austin Wadsworth. The Major was a founder and the first president of the MFHA. William P. Wadsworth, MFH from 1946 to 1975, authored the well-know booklet, Riding to Hounds in America, an enduring bible of traditional foxhunting practices. He also served as a president of the MFHA. Members of the Wadsworth Family still serve as Masters of this venerable and tradition-minded hunt.
Marion notes that anyone who earns their colors as a member of the Genesee Valley would be allowed to wear those colors at any time while hunting there.
“Colors are awarded for life at GVH,” writes Marion. “I cannot even think of anyone who has had them taken away. This is our policy, but I don’t really know about other hunts.
“Different hunts may have different policies about subscribers who stop subscribing for some reason or another. Perhaps they charge a fee for the interim period? We don’t, but I have heard of hunts who do. We always hope that if someone stops being able to ride with us for a year or two, they will still subscribe and support the hounds. Many people go one supporting us for years after they retire from the hunt field. This helps us a lot, but it is not a rule and some cannot afford it.”
Thus, the opinions of these well-read members of FHL’s distinguished Panel of Experts appear to ratify the lack of a universally-known, firm rule of attire on the question. In the main, however, they do come to a common conclusion as developed below.
From guidelines to hunting attire such as found on Foxhunting Life (under the Resources drop-down menu) or in the MFHA Guidebook (2008), I found no specific prohibition of an ex-member wearing the colors of the former hunt. The guidelines have this to say, however, in speaking of the right to wear colors:
“A gentleman member with colors may wear a scarlet frock coat cut as above with the hunt buttons (generally brass) and the hunt colors on the collar.”
“A lady member with colors may wear the hunt buttons of black bone engraved in white and the hunt colors on the coat collar.”
(Emphasis, ours.)
So, here’s the tally of the experts in response to the question: we have a firm ‘yes,’ a firm ‘no,’ and everything in between. The published literature we have consulted gives no specific rules of correct attire for ex-members. While the wording of these texts could be construed by some to suggest that the wearing of colors is limited to members, the text could equally be construed as not directly addressing the question posed.
Since all authoritative published guidelines clearly state that the Master of any hunt has the ultimate authority to establish the rules for that hunt, this seems to be an appropriate situation in which the ex-member seeks permission from the Master whether he or she is welcome to wear the hunt’s colors, previously earned, as an ex-member in the field.
Posted January 26, 2019