Rockbridge Hunt Newsletter November 1998
Huntsman’s Report
David Conner, Katharine Sanford and Lauren Keating did the annual physical exams and vaccinations of the foxhounds on October 25th. Our chief hound vet, Lauren, reports that the pack is in extremely good condition physically although David might have his doubts about their mental condition. Hounds received booster shots for distemper, rabies and the other normal canine vaccinations. Heartworm checks and fecal checks were both negative. Our huntsman deserves an incredible amount of credit for keeping our pack so healthy. Vaccines were donated by Natural Bridge Hospital for Animals and Dr. Keating worked gratis.
David has 12 new hounds trying out their noses with the pack this fall and expects to keep approximately 9 of them through the winter at least. Turkey has been retired and Mark is next on the retirement list, probably sometime this winter. Mark has done some traveling in his day; he started his career with RH; was passed on to two other hunts, and eventually found himself back with his buddies at RH.
Lauren also reports that she has picked the hounds for the 1999 show season but has not named any names; maybe as a prevention against any more 'tail' accidents (a previous hot prospect (Lead) for the show circuit can be seen in the pack minus that appendage). We encourage members to walk down to the kennel and visit our hounds and to thank David for taking such good care of them.
Lauren Keating / Erica Jones
Committee Reports
The column to the side lists the standing committees that we (the Newsletter Committee) know about. Please notify us of any mistakes or omissions! Members who are interested in helping with any of these projects or serving on any of these committees should talk to someone on the relevant committee.
A Grounds Committee has been formed with Dick Ford serving as chairman. You've probably already noticed that things are looking better around the ring and the Lodge. Dick and fellow committee members Laura Jarvis, Lee Jarvis, and Dorsey Davis hope to get the place cleaned up in short order but it's a never-ending job. They would be happy to have some help from any members who can spare the time. A list of available jobs will be posted on the outside of the hunt lodge. Members are encouraged to read this list and check off, initial, and date any jobs that they finish; or call Dick Ford if that is more convenient.
The Kitchen Committee, headed by Lois Farmer, met October 2nd and came up with some great ideas. How about wearing name tags to the first few hunt breakfasts? There tend to be big crowds with lots of guests, visitors, and new members at breakfasts during the early part of the season, so this really makes sense. The committee members have also volunteered to provide a portable table for after-hunt snacks (when a breakfast doesn't follow the hunt). If everyone can bring edibles once in a while (or contribute to the fund), no one will have to do it all the time.
The Kitchen Committee is also charged with organizing hunt breakfasts for the year. Members who hunt regularly are expected to help by preparing at least part of one breakfast per year. Members’ costs are reimbursed by the Hunt but you might not want to serve lobster. Jobs include: decorations, appetizers, vegetables, salad, main dish, bread and desert. For more information talk to one of the committee members: Lois Farmer, Carol Atwood, Jeanie Jeffer, Lauren Keating, Viola Wise and Judy Imhoff Mundy. And please remember to make reservations for a hunt breakfast by calling Viola Wise with your name and reservation by the Thursday preceding a Saturday hunt and breakfast.
Lois Farmer / Dorsey Davis / Cindy Morton
Rockbridge Hunt June Horse Show
The June horse show was a resounding success, as usual, bringing in over two thousand dollars. We’ve come to expect excellence from show manager Joan Alberti because she always delivers. It would be great to see the same kind of responsibility and hard work from more hunt member volunteers for the show in 1999 as those painful few that helped out in 1997. Volunteers will be needed to work the gates and adjust the jumps for the show. The show used two rings and ran for twelve hours last year. If people will commit to working a gate for one or two hours, we’ll need about two dozen volunteers. And no one will have to stand in the sun for too long!
Next year’s show will feature a slightly modified schedule but otherwise few changes. The new venue, Fancy Hill Farm, was tremendously popular with participants. A date has already been picked for the 1999 show and has been reserved (guaranteeing no conflicting sanctioned shows for that day) with the Southwestern Virginia Hunter-Jumper Association. At present, Lauren Keating is in charge of organizing sponsorships for the show. Division champion-ships may be sponsored for fifty dollars and individual classes may be sponsored for fifteen dollars. Sign up early before they’re all taken.
Joan Alberti / Cindy Morton
Rockbridge Hunt Ball - Feb 20, 1999
The 1999 Rockbridge Hunt Ball at Washington and Lee University's Evans Dining Hall promises to be more special than ever! A new band for us, Encore, from Roanoke, will play. Those who heard their tape at the November 4 meeting were very enthusiastic about their great sound, pep, and versatility.
The dinner will be buffet this year with delicious beef and chicken entrees and all the rest. Of course, there is a host bar all evening until 11:30, beginning with cocktails; and an always exciting Silent Auction with bidding starting at 6:00 p.m. Please be responsive and creative when Nancy Conner or others ask for your contribution to the Silent Auction.
This is still really the best deal in town at $45.00! And, in honor of the Hunt's Fiftieth Anniversary, each guest will receive a stenciled wine goblet. Additionally, sets of wine glasses may be ordered in advance by calling Buster Lewis, chairman of the Hunt Ball Committee, at 540-348-5197.
The way to make all this happen in a festive, fun, and most enjoyable way is for each of you to invite friends to join your table at the Ball and to get the numbers up. Let's have a Ball!
Buster LewisStanding Committees Newsletter Committee
Blair Jones (abjones@bev.net)
Erica Jones (emjones@vt.edu)
Cindy Morton (cmorton@wlu.edu)
Sharon Ford (faerewnd@cfw.com)Grounds Committee
Dick Ford
Lee Jarvis
Laura Jarvis
Dorsey DavisKitchen Committee
Lois Farmer
Carol Atwood
Jeanne Jeffer
Lauren Keating
Judy Imhoff Mundy
Viola WiseHunt Ball Committee
Buster Lewis
Signe Lewis
Frank Hartis
Beverly Bowring
Nancy Conner
Brenda BairdHound Show Committee
David Conner
Nancy Conner
Lauren Keating
[Carol Atwood]Horse Show Committee
Joan Alberti
Lauren KeatingEndurance Ride Committee
Kathy Eichelberger
Stan Eichelberger
Brenda Baird
Kevin Baird
David Bolen
Jeanne Jeffer
Betty Baird
New Members (11/4/98)
Ms Erin Dickinson
Mrs. Louise Dooley
Ms Rachel Hicks
Ms Terry Poff
Mrs. Joseph Moskal (Pam)
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Streaker
and familyMs Tish Vest
Ms. Donna Green
Keep you and your equine up to date!
Hunt members are reminded that state law requires that all persons following hounds on horseback or on foot must have purchased a state or county (small game) hunting license. The 'default' type of license covers everything except deer, turkey and bear and those finned things. If you are new to the license purchasing business, you either have to sign an affidavit that states you will ONLY be employing your license in pursuit of fox without a gun, OR you can take the one time hunter safety course (not a bad idea) and then your license is good for all the small game critters. A hunting license can often be purchased at feed stores and establishments selling hunting supplies. Some salespersons in large department stores may not have a clue as to what you are asking for (or at least I've gotten some very blank stares) so a better place to purchase one might be your local feed store. The cost for a 12 month license is $12.50 and it is good until the end of June, 1999. It is not totally unheard of for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to do a spot check at a fox hunt. The rules state that folks hunting should be carrying their license at all times. They do fit inside your helmet for the legally inclined.
Hunter safety courses are offered in most counties and listings for class offerings can be found in the local newspaper. You can also get more information from the local Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries offices in Forest (804-525-7522) or Marion (540-783-4860).
Your horse needs to be kept up to date with an annual Coggins test, too. This is also a state regulation. And while you are contemplating a Coggins test, you might want to give a booster for equine influenza and rhinopneumanitis. If your horse has ever come down with either of these you will become a true believer in keeping your vaccinations current. And remember, vaccinations for EEE and WEE don't do much good in the fall after the bugs have died down as these are spread by flying-type vermin. Do these in the spring.
Erica Jones
Trail Etiquette
Rockbridge Hunt has had seven new members join this year and perhaps it is time for a friendly reminder for existing members concerning trail conduct. Members bringing out prospective members are encouraged to give their guests a brief review of the purpose of hunting (hopefully including the 'have fun' part) and a brief review of what some of the common terms mean. Guests are much more comfortable if they have some clue as to what is expected of them.
'Ware staff: Basically this means to let the staff pass. Often it is painfully hard to distinguish staff from regular folks but if someone is saying same then just get out of the trail and ask questions later. At Bath County some of the staff were quite 'short' making them a little less impressive than normal; but they were still in need of getting down the trail in a jiffy. If you can align your horses' head to face the passing staff, all the better.
'Ware hound: Folks say this more for the horses' benefit, but also the riders'. Hounds get the ultimate right of way, and riders shouldn't cut them off. You can reduce the surprise factor for your mount by keeping an eye on surrounding hounds. If the hound nonetheless collides with your horse, maybe then the poor (dumb?) hound is less likely to get kicked. Hounds can get discouraged and distracted if you cut them off and they loose track of what they are supposed to be doing so slow up and let them go first.
Reverse field: This happens when the field goes up a dead end trail, or when simply the field master wants to reverse direction but not in such a hurry. This is easier on the horses than the other way of reversing field by pulling off the trail and standing patiently while the front of the field races past your horse's nose. If someone calls 'reverse field,' reverse and backtrack briskly to a wide spot (often trail intersections or better yet an open field).
These instructions should not be bellowed out for the whole county to hear as this is distracting to hounds and staff alike. Passing the warning onto the rider in front or behind of you should be sufficient. Softly announcing "'ware hole" is particularly useful so other riders can get an auditory clue as to where that hole has gotten to. When everyone starts shouting 'ware hole at the same time, those holes can propagate rapidly.
Other basic trail and track etiquette can involve not tailgating fractious horses, generally not passing the person in front of you without requesting permission, and keeping the rider in front of you in your sights. Passing another rider's horse, especially at gears faster than a trot, can lead to some quite interesting airs above the ground and other antics and almost guarantees a probably unwelcome horse race. Virtually no horse likes to be reminded that the next horse is faster than they are (one might suspect equines have egos) and therefore is more likely to become a meal for that ever present tiger that is out there waiting to have them for lunch. And of course there is the old adage about 'don't pass your field master.' If, as can happen, you have no clue WHO that really is, then just don't try to lead the field yourself and you should be fairly safe.
If you venture forth to hunt with other clubs you will likely hear some variations on these themes. One variation of 'ware staff' we have heard is 'trail please.' The translation of this became quickly apparent when the Field Master simply ran over dawdlers who could not get their horses out of the trail fast enough. Effective, anyway.
Erica Jones
Introductions
We hope to provide brief introductions to Rockbridge's newest members as time and space allows. If you're a new member, don't be surprised if you hear from the Newsletter Committee sometime soon. Better yet, please feel free to approach one of us and introduce yourself.
The Streaker family has recently joined Rockbridge Hunt after moving to the Brownsburg area. Previously they lived (and foxhunted) in Maryland. Bill Streaker was a whipper-in at Howard County Hunt (now Howard County - Iron Bridge Hounds) for eight years. He subsequently hunted at Goshen Hunt. He and Susan met at a hunt breakfast at Goshen.
The Streakers are dealers for MD Enterprises of the MidAtlantic. Their territory covers Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, and Delaware. The receiving barn at Colonial Downs was one of their projects. Look for some of these barns to appear locally in the near future. Bill and Susan also breed and train horses, primarily Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. They have two stallions, a Thoroughbred and a Paint, standing at stud.
It's a pleasure to welcome such experienced foxhunters to Rockbridge Hunt. We've all especially enjoyed seeing Bill and Susan's two sons, Joe and Vijay, participate with enthusiasm and courtesy. Joe deserves special thanks for closing gates and rounding up stray soft drink cans. After the recent excursion to Bath County he's considering becoming a huntsman when he grows up. I'm sure we all wish him the best of luck with his career plans.
Erin Dickinson, another new Hunt member, is a native of Buena Vista. After spending last year enrolled at Emory and Henry College, she's now a junior Biology major at Virginia Tech. Erin hopes to pursue a career in animal science, possibly as a wildlife biologist.
Erin has quite an extensive riding background having ridden many different breeds (including Quarter horses, Appaloosas, Thoroughbreds, and most recently Morgans) over a span of many years. She started taking lessons eleven years ago from local horsewoman Sue Woundy. Although she probably won't be able to attend too many Wednesday hunts, we can expect to see her regularly on Saturdays.
Joe Conner is a longtime member of Rockbridge Hunt who has returned to hunting after a prolonged absence. Back in the ‘60s he whipped-in to then huntsman Viola Wise. He has also hunted with several different hunts throughout Virginia at various times. It’s fabulous to have an experienced foxhunter who thoroughly knows the territory riding with us.
Mary Lyn Camper and Donna Green have both resumed hunting after a period on the inactive list. Donna has been participating in endurance riding since she last hunted. Louise Dooley has also rejoined the ranks of active members. She does quite a lot of long-distance running (on her own two feet) which may have given her an edge in the recent Rockbridge Hunt Endurance Ride. These folks are undoubtedly ready for another dose of fine foxhunting, Rockbridge style. It’s great to see familiar faces returning to the hunt field.
Cindy Morton
Hunt Attire: In General (first of a series)
Let's keep in mind the main reasons to require specific attire: to insure safety for all riders and to present a neat appearance. Hunting has a long tradition as a beautiful sport as well as an exciting one. The reasons for a dress code are to honor that tradition and to show respect (and gratitude for their generosity) to the owners over whose land we hunt. It was not designed to keep people from enjoying hunting. Members can be proud of hunting with a well turned-out group and landowners can look forward to seeing the Rockbridge Hunt on their land.
Everything should be done to make guests feel comfortable. If they do not have the proper attire, please ask around. Many people have spare clothes. Consider inviting guests to hunt on a day when informal attire will be appropriate. For a variety of reasons it's best to avoid bringing riding guests to larger, more formal meets like Opening Hunt, New Year's Day, and joint meets.
At Rockbridge, we tend to be led by example. People are seldom prohibited from hunting if their attire and equipment can be considered safe. It's unlikely that anyone will point out deficiencies in turnout. Hopefully if you're interested in hunting you'll also be interested in doing your best to turn out neatly. It may be useful to ask the Master any questions you have about attire (or anything about hunting) but it's probably more helpful to observe his turnout.
Every hunt has its own standards of dress. At Rockbridge, the standards are relatively flexible. Considerable leniency is allowed for guests, juniors, and newer members. On the other hand, a few minimum requirements must be met to ensure everyone's safety. Proper headgear is required. Safety helmets are encouraged; hunt caps are acceptable. Black is preferred for both. If a harness is present on the hat, it should be fastened. The ribbons on hunt caps should be sewn up on the hat; they should not hang downwards. Safe footwear is the other requirement. Sturdy boots with a distinct heel are required. Anything else is not acceptable.
Formal meets require formal attire. Adult members are expected to wear black coats unless they have earned the privilege of wearing scarlet. With a standard hunting coat, breeches in a "natural" shade are acceptable: beige, rust, gray, or brown. Adults are expected to wear tall, black boots. Plain, black dress (or butcher) boots are traditional. Black field boots are also accepted and widely used at Rockbridge.
A white shirt and stock or hunting tie are part of formal attire. Stocks should be correctly tied. A plain, gold safety pin should be worn horizontally, pinning the stock to the shirt. The ends of the tie should be pinned down to keep them in place.
Vests are optional. Canary or tattersall vests are traditional.
Gloves are optional. Brown leather or yellow chamois are traditional. White or offwhite string gloves are also traditional and are often used for wet weather with formal attire. Black gloves are acceptable and widely used at Rockbridge. In general, "natural" colors are preferred, bright colors are to be avoided.
Cindy Morton
Minutes from November 4th Open Executive Committee Meeting
The Rockbridge Hunt met Wednesday, November 4, 1998 at the Old Hunt Lodge located at Broadview. A special thanks goes to Alan and Grace Tilson for allowing us to hold our meeting in this nostalgic cabin. Alan, Grace and Carol Atwood spent many hours preparing the Old Lodge for our meeting. Thank you once again for this special treat.
Frank Farmer called the meeting to order. He asked for a reading of the minutes. Jeanne Jeffer, secretary, read the minutes from the last Rockbridge Hunt General/Executive Committee Meeting. The motion was made to accept the minutes as read with no corrections, it was second and passed. Jay Moore, treasurer, was not available to attend the meeting. It was thought that $2000-$2500 was made on the Rockbridge Hunt Horse Show. David Bolen, Master of Foxhounds, that everything is going well. It would be nice to have more rain to improve the hunting conditions. The joint meet with Bath County went quite well. Once again the dry weather interfere with hunting, but everyone had a great time. Special thanks go to Blair and Erica Jones, Cindy Morton and Sharon Ford for all the work they have done on the Rockbridge Hunt Newsletter. Everyone appreciates this mailing. Blair stated that the newsletter would be printed on a quarterly basis or when we have had a meeting, in order to distribute the minutes from the meeting. The website is set up by Sharon Ford. You can read about the Rockbridge Hunt in cyberspace at 'faerewynd.com/huntnews.htm'.
The kitchen committee chaired by Lois Farmer is working well. By dividing up the breakfasts among members it relieves any one person from task. Lois reminded all that Viola Wise is still taking reservations for the breakfasts and it is very important to contact her prior to the breakfast. Our tailgating after hunting is working out terrifically. The Kitchen committee thanks everyone who has helped with these projects.
The Hunt Maintenance committee chaired by Dick Ford has mowed the ring, trimmed the hedges around the lodge and spruced up the appearance of the Hunt area. Dick expressed that this committee was not the janitor to the Hunt. The purpose of the Maintenance committee was to help with maintaining the grounds and coordinating/overseeing any repairs needing to be made, The Hunt Maintenance Committee members are: Dick Ford, Dorsey Davis, Laura Jarvis and Kim Volpe. Dick suggested that a list of items needing to be done be posted outside the Hunt Lodge for all members to see and hopefully tackle. Dick noted that the trees that have grown along the bank is affecting the drainage around the barn and should be cut back. The gate that goes into the back of the ring is no longer working and Dick suggested that a coop be put in place of the gate.
Dick also made mention of building a new Hunt Barn, he estimated the cost $125,000. This is not within the budget for the Rockbridge Hunt. Frank will meet with Dick Ford and David Bolen to establish a prioritized list of items needing to be addressed.
The Endurance Ride- Kathy Eichelberger agreed to continue to chair the Rockbridge Hunt Endurance Ride. Stan Eichelberger, Kevin , Brenda and Betty Baird also agreed to help with this tremendous fundraiser. It was noted that by having the Endurance Ride during Labor Day, we not only made a lot of money, but it also served as a way of clearing trails prior to cubbing season. A motion was made to hold the Endurance Ride on Labor Day weekend at Zollman's Pavilion. There was a second and the motion passed.
The Rockbridge Hunt Horse Show is to be held again at the Fancy Hill Farm. Joan Alberti will continue to run the show. A committee was formed to collect sponsors for this show. Lauren Keating will work on the sponsors for Rockbridge County area and Lois Farmer said she would speak with Pam Mescal, Sandra Worthy and Susan Bailey about helping with the sponsors in the Roanoke area. Cindy Morton would like to have double sponsors on each class in the horse show. She stated that there are many people who would like to contribute, but are never asked. Double sponsorship would also provide the Hunt with a greater profit.
Hunt Ball-- The Rockbridge Hunt Ball is scheduled for Saturday, February 20, 1999. It will be held at the Washington and Lee's Evans Dining Hall. Buster Lewis is chairman of this committee. A buffet dinner will be served. This will save $1.00 per person. Beverly Bowring has agreed to manage the Silent Auction with Nancy Conner helping to get donations. Buster suggested in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Rockbridge Hunt to have the Hunt underwrite the cost of a favor: a wine glass with Hunt Ball 50th year inscribed on it. The cost would be $330.00. Frank Farmer suggested selling these glasses in addition to the Hunt Ball at a cost that would provide some profit for the Hunt. Buster brought a demo tape of the band Encore. This band would take the place of the Gene Thomas Band which had played for the Hunt Ball for years. After listening to the tape, the membership agreed that they would fine to play for the Ball. The cost of hiring Encore is $1250.00; $400.00 more than Gene Thomas. Brenda Baird also brought a demo tape, however she stated that Encore sounded better than the band she was proposing and was $300 cheaper. Lucy Turner had not gotten back with Buster about the bands. Brenda Baird also proposed that postcards should be mailed announcing the Hunt Ball. This would be an inexpensive way to remind the membership of the upcoming event as well as providing a wider distribution. D.D. Shepherd asked if it would be possible to have the band turn the volume down, especially at dinner: he said it made it difficult to carry on a conversation when they played too loudly. A motion was made to accept Buster's proposal and ask the band Encore to play at the 1999 Hunt Ball. It was seconded and passed.
Landowners Luncheon--The Landowners Luncheon will be Sunday, November 15, 1998 at the Tex Tilson Lodge at 12:30pm. This is a dinner that the Executive Committee puts on to thank the Landowners of the Rockbridge Hunt for use of riding over their land. This year, the membership is invited to attend. Although this is a good way for our membership to meet the landowners, there is concern over the number of folks who would actually attend. After much discussion, Carol Atwood noted that RSVP was necessary to attend this luncheon. She also felt that there would not be that large of a group from the general membership attending. Carol Atwood provided a copy of the invitation she mailed out.
Opening Hunt-- Saturday, November 7, 1998 Rockbridge Hunt will have their opening hunt and celebration. The Glenmore Hunt has been invited to attend. The Hunt Breakfast is in order. The Kitchen committee is providing the Breakfast. New tablecloths have been purchased for opening hunt. They are hunter green and make a big improvement in the hunt lodge.
Membership Drive.--The Rockbridge Hunt membership drive is very successful. We are waiving the initiation fee in honor of our 50th anniversary. New members are: Erin Dickinson, Pam Moskal, The Bill Streaker family, Tish Vest, Rachael Hicks, Louise Dooley, Donna Greene and Terry Poff. There are potential members who still need to get their letters of recommendation to David Bolen and be voted on by the General Membership. These include: Karen Fleetwood, Ann Layman, Joyce Layman, Yuko Tsuji, Kimberly Meek and Katrina Lange. There was much discussion over the definition of inactive membership and social membership. As it states in the by-laws [per Frank Hartis,] social members cannot be greater than 20 % of the total membership, they have all privileges of the active members, but cannot vote or ride to the hounds. Social members can trail ride and anyone who has a social membership and wants to foxhunt the decision to allow this falls under the discretion of the Master. At the present time, the last newsletter stated that a social member could cap 3 times and pay only $245.00 The inactive member would pay $100.00 and only receive mailings. Frank Farmer noted that the inactive membership was created only for the Rockbridge Hunt Member who was having financial difficulty. Unfortunately over the years, this category has been taken advantage of. Frank would like to see this category totally eliminated. Frank would like to have this be a more personal basis and to be acted upon by the Executive committee on an individual basis. After much discussion, it was decided to table this item and send it to a committee for further exploration. The committee members are Frank Farmer, Jeanne Jeffer and David Bolen. This group will meet before the next meeting.
The Gutter report-- Carol Atwood received estimates for repairing the gutters at the Hunt Barn. Randy Weist broke down the job into 3 parts: the gutters along the road $331.00, the gutters on the end $289.00 and the gutters on the new kennels $196.00 a grand total of $816.00. He would also replace any fascia board for the cost of materials and $20.00 per hour. Viola Wise recommended Jessee Smith, who is a general contractor who charges only $16.00 per hour. It was decided that we needed a financial report from Jay Moore before we can make a decision.
Bits and pieces
November 14, 1998 Oak Ridge as guests at West Airsley November 15, 1998 Land Owners Luncheon Hunt Lodge 12:30pm November 22, 1998 Glenmore Hunter Pace (and lunch!) Jewel Phelps 337-6659 December 5, 1998 Hunting from Hunt Inc; informal December 6, 1998 Hunting at Oak Ridge Call David Bolen for reservations January 1, 1999 New Years Day Hunt Hunt, Inc January 13, 1999 Open meeting executive board & pot luck Tex Tilson Lodge January 13, 1999 Submission deadline next newsletter Abjones@bev.net February 20, 1999 Hunt Ball Evans Hall, W & L March 27, 1999 Closing Hunt TBA May 2, 1999 RH Hound Show TBA June 12, 1999 RH Horse (Hunter) Show Fancy Hill Farm Labor Day wknd 1999 RH Endurance ride (25 & 50 mile) Zollman's pavilion
Members are reminded to check out the RH web site maintained by Sharon Ford at faerewynd.com/huntnews.htm.
The newsletter committee would like to thank the Fords (Sharon and Dick) for donating the printing and postage for the previous and current newsletters.
Members are reminded to please detach the hose from the hunt lodge faucet, and drain after using. Freezing weather appears to have finally arrived. Failing to do so can result in the need for plumbing repairs.