My name is Emily VandenBerghe and I am a freshman at Oxford High School, in Oxford, Michigan. I have ridden horses since I could pretty much hold on (about two years old, my mom says). I join Metamora Hunt II Pony Club at the age of eight, which introduced me to foxhunting. I quickly fell in love with the sport and joined Metamora Hunt later that year.
The United States Pony Clubs (USPC) announced the winners of the 2016 Hildegard Neill Ritchie Joys of Foxhunting Writing Contest. The competition is open to all D- or C-rated Pony Club members. The winner receives a $200 cash prize to spend on foxhunting dues, hunt capping fees, Pony Club camp or related activities, with smaller awards to second and third places. This year, judges included Nancy Ambrosiano, former USPC Foxhunting Committee chair and a USPC graduate; Mary Pierson, a lifelong USPC supporter; and Norman Fine, foxhunting expert and author.
Emily Miller, 13, is one of Red Rock Hounds' (NV) devoted young riders who not only show up to hunt, but also work behind the scenes to support the Masters and staff. "We are so proud of our junior field here at Red Rock," said Angela Murray, MFH, "They bring so much to the life and give light for a bright future here at our hunt! Our juniors play a big role in the hunt field as young staff members, in the barn exercising and handling staff and members' horses, and in the kennel with the care and training of hounds."
Middleburg Academy student, Andrew Looney, has been hunting steadily since elementary school. The 16 year old now spends as much time as he can assisting Piedmont Fox Hounds' (VA) huntsman, Jordan Hicks. "Andrew is a great young man and a hard worker," said Hicks. "He works with me in the kennels and helps with the trails and paneling in the summer." The excellent student and top lacrosse player answered a few questions about his path to working and riding with staff.
Woodbrook Hunt Club (WA) and Briarwood Pony Club member Kathryn Craig, 20, recently traveled to Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio to compete in the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Nationals. She earned the overall Silver Medal and the High Point Practicum Award.
She describes the competition, how she prepared, and how her Pony Club and hunting background was an asset.
Foxcroft School, an independent girls' boarding and day school in Middleburg, Virginia, hosted Middleburg Hunt on campus the Saturday before Thanksgiving. This traditional meet, followed by a hunt breakfast for alumnae, parents, faculty, students and neighbors, celebrates the connections between the school and Middleburg Hunt. Foxcroft founder, Miss Charlotte Haxall Noland, was a master for many years, and hounds still meet at Covert, the head of school's home.
Subscribing Membership to the MFHA is open to anyone who cares about the future of country lifestyles and wants their voice and vote to make a difference. You will also receive Covertside magazine 4x a year!
