April 15, 2011
Huntsman Richard Roberts Weds Colleen Hayduk in Hawaii
Huntsman Richard Roberts and trainer Colleen Hayduk were married on April 14 in Hawaii. The pair will honeymoon there before Richard takes up his position as the new huntsman at the Deep Run Hunt near Richmond, Virginia. Richard is former huntsman of the Piedmont Fox Hounds where he showed brilliant sport during his six-year tenure there. Colleen operates Landmark Ponies, a training facility in Middleburg, Virginia. “Why Hawaii?” I wanted to know. “A friend, Ray Stone, who hunts with Orange County, is co-owner of Dolphin Quest,” Richard explained. “They have an educational and breeding operation here in Hawaii. I have an avid interest in marine life and marine biology and a fascination with dolphins, so here we are!” In addition to running her pony farm, Colleen raises puppies for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), a service dog organization. She raises and trains the puppies from the age of eight weeks to a year-and-a-half, during which time she reports regularly on their progress and takes training classes herself. She’s working on her sixth puppy now. Colleen characterizes this passion as “the best thing” she ever did in her life. “When you return home will you whip-in to Richard,” I asked. “Definitely not!” she replied instantly. “I’ll help him all I can with the hounds, but whip-in to him? No. We’re very happy, and we’re going to stay that way!”
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Alan Reilly: New Huntsman at County Louth Foxhounds
Alan Reilly takes over next season as huntsman for the County Louth Foxhounds on the east coast of Ireland. He replaces Noel McKeever who has a had a recurring knee injury. McKeever has hunted the pack since 2002 when he took over from his father Michael who had whipped-in and hunted the pack for forty-two seasons. Reilly, a farrier by trade, has hunted with the County Louth Foxhounds since he was a teenager. He whipped-in to the Louths before furthering his experience as whipper-in to Charlie Gundry, huntsman of the Kilkenny Foxhounds. A serious fall sidelined him for a couple of seasons. On returning to the Louths, he whipped-in to Noel McKeever and will now carry the horn for this famous Old English pack that has been hunting some of the best ditch and stonewall country since 1817. The Louth hunting country is only thirty minutes from Dublin Airport. Visitors are welcome, and hirelings are available. Posted April 15, 2011
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Heroes & Hounds
Heroes & Hounds, Bill Miller, Illustrated by Mary Burkhardt, 154 pages, $11.95 (paperback), $3.99 (Kindle), Available on Amazon.comA lost tri-colored foxhound. A spunky eleven-year-old girl with an independent streak. A strange man who subsists in the woods. And weaving among them, a fox that seems at times to have almost mystical powers.
Author Bill Miller, an honorary whipper-in for the Norfolk Hunt (MA) for more than twenty years, crafts a tale of loss and forgiveness in Heroes & Hounds. Carly, a fifth grader who dreams of riding to the hounds with the posh Riverdale Hunt Club, lives with her irascible grandfather on a Virginia farm while her parents serve overseas in the military. Carly’s best friends are her talented pony, Monroe; a cat named Buster; and a schoolmate, Freddie, who follows her lead into trouble.
When Hampton, a young Riverdale hound, is lost, Carly vows to find him, dreaming of being hailed as a hero and being asked to join the hunt. Instead she risks Freddie’s life and discovers Strange Willie, who knows all too well about being a hero.
