I asked Mike Long, MFH of Bull Run Hunt (VA) how had he bribed the coyote to be waiting for us on Cedar Mountain’s ridge trail five minutes into the first day of March Madness. He grinned and shrugged, saying something about having FUN! That coyote proceeded to duck and dodge all over Cedar Mountain before deciding he had enough and leaving for the northern edge of the country.
The Middleton Place Hounds (SC) ended the 2016-2017 season with a bang, hosting dozens of fellow foxhunters from around the country during the Hunt Weekend and Closing Meet, March 2nd through 5th. The weather was perfect with sunny, cool days that didn’t overheat the horses or riders. Hunts represented were Aiken Hunt, Andrews Bridge, Belle Meade, the Camden Hunt, Carrollton Hounds, Green Creek Hounds, Huntington Valley Hunt, Lowcountry Hunt, Middleburg, Norfolk Hunt, Radnor, Orange County, South Creek, Caerhays Hunt, and Shakerag.
Stories and images of mounted hunters leaping wire and following hounds in Australia and even New Zealand are familiar to many foxhunters in the internet age. Some riders have enjoyed the opportunity to travel to the southern hemisphere during their winter months of June, July and August to join in the chase. Even on the exotic island of Tasmania, off Australia's southern coast, love of hounds and sport exists - albeit in slightly different form.
On the frigid and blustery weekend of December 10-11, 2016, Bridlespur Hunt (MO) hosted a tri-meet with Mells Foxhounds (TN) and Mill Creek Hunt (IL). Mill Creek and Bridlespur have enjoyed an annual joint meet, and this year expanded to include Mells. Masters Keith Gray, Mill Creek and Gene Deutsch, Bridlespur, as well as professional huntsmen Brenda Yost of Mill Creek and Eleanor Hartwell of Bridlespur have worked hard over the last decade to cultivate a close relationship between their hunts.
Would you believe a tale of a New Year’s Eve joint meet (also the author’s wedding anniversary) that involved an unplanned dismount into a thorn bush, an ex-racehorse “going to ground” twice (not in a good way), a coyote, a deer, and a riderless horse running together, and a mysterious mechanical breakdown on the way home? Read on to hear about Elizabeth Hall’s auspicious 2016 finale.
Foxhunting can be a wonderful family activity. While hunt meets often feature two or three generations and several members out together, Deep Run Hunt (VA) has an especially large band, the Fords. Seven Fords were mounted at Opening Meet last month, reflecting their relatively recent embrace of riding and sporting life. The family moved to Goochland County in 2014 and quickly got involved with horses.
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