November 5, 2014
New England Hunts Hound Trails
Masters, staff, and hounds at the 1926 New England Hound Trails in front of the Bowditch mansion. John Bowditch was MFH of the Millwood Hunt in Framingham, MA.
Yes, we've got the spelling right. Trails, not Trials. It's a race to prove which hunt can field the fastest and most accurate hounds following a drag scent, and it's been a fixture of the New England foxhunting scene since 1923.
Each hunt may enter up to 2 couple of hounds. Competing hounds may be cheered on and handled by their staff at the starting line, but at no other point in the race. Patrol judges are stationed at strategic places to penalize hounds that skirt or cheat (i.e., take shortcuts off the true line to get closer to the front runner).
Beep-Beep…Attempting to Re-Establish Connection…
On Saturday of Opening Meet—traditionally the last Saturday in October for my hunt—the connection between me and you through Foxhunting Life was temporarily interrupted. Instead of coming home with hounds as I had planned, I detoured to the hospital. The good news is that, despite a fractured sacrum, everything is stable, and no surgery is necessary. I am currently in rehab and making progress. I want to thank all who have called, emailed, and posted good wishes on Facebook. My heart is warmed by your messages. Despite the week’s hiccup in FHL‘s editorial schedule—now mostly behind us—we expect to maintain our usual twice-monthly e-mailings of FHL WEEK. My goal is to make this temporary stutter as brief as possible—perhaps even unnoticed by most of you! Posted November 5, 2014
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