Rockbridge Hunt Joint-Master Hugh Brown (center), described his hunt’s successful reading group to writers Mary Kalergis and Norman Fine.
“Tell me a story,” is one of my favorite sentences in the English language. So I responded enthusiastically when Hugh Brown, MFH told me about the reading group organized by the Rockbridge Hunt (VA). The Masters hit a responsive chord. Even members of nearby hunts have been attracted to join.
By keeping the literature of foxhunting alive, the Rockbridge Masters have found another way to further engage their members into this sport we all love. What better way to absorb our history and traditions while reveling in the humor and entertainment of a good story?
“The reading group is the brainchild of longtime Master Cindy Morton,” says Brown who raided his extensive library to help kick-start the operation. “We specifically didn’t want to limit it to Rockbridge Hunt members, and we definitely wanted to focus on foxhunting. We’ve had great discussions on related subjects like big game hunting in Africa and bear hunting, but we always return to the fox (and coyote).
“At our first organizing meeting, Cindy and I brought lots of possible books for members to look at. We had a lot of help from an antiquarian bookseller and member of the Hunt, Carol Lueder of Fair Chase, Inc. She brought some rare books. The three of us shared what we knew about the books, and we let the group decide where to start. Since the start, we’ve tried to have the next book or two picked out to allow us time to track down copies for members to purchase or borrow. We take a month to read each book and then gather to discuss it.
“We have about fifteen members in the reading group. They don’t all come to every meeting (once per month), but we usually have more than half at each meeting. We’ve been meeting in all kinds of places: members’ homes, our hunt lodge, local restaurants. We’ve had discussions over tea, after a potluck dinner, or while eating in a restaurant.
“On several occasions, I’ve done some background research and shared what I learned for context. For example, before we read Sassoon’s *Memoirs of a Foxhunting Man,* I put together a little background piece with information I gathered from a couple of Sassoon biographies.
“When we meet, Cindy or I lead the discussion very informally. We usually start with ‘Did you like it?’ or ‘Which was your favorite story or part of the book?’ We usually talk about what they didn’t like as well. Sometimes we go around the circle with our opinions, and sometimes we just ping pong ideas off of each other.
“The discussion often wanders off topic and that’s been fine. There’s usually a fair amount of story telling about our own experiences hunting or with hunt clubs. When we read Mary Kalergis’s book, Foxhunters Speak, Cindy asked us all to share how we got started hunting and who influenced us, since those were the questions Mary had asked the people she interviewed.
“We’ve had some lively discussions. The most interesting are usually those about the real people versus the fictional characters. When we read about Nancy Hannum in The Lady Blows a Horn, two of our members who knew Nancy personally were able to give a fuller account of her personality and the many contributions she made to the sport.
“One positive side effect has been that sometimes members have liked a book so much that they wanted to read more by that author. Gordon Grand is one example.”
Brown credits Morton for her enthusiasm and drive, without which the reading group would never have happened. She coordinates communication about the group’s activities, mostly through email, and keeps the group moving forward. Brown would be more than happy to talk to anyone interested in such a program for their hunt. Click to email him.
Its first year, the Rockbridge booklist included a wide variety of titles: histories, biographies, how tos, and pure entertainment. Old out-of-print books as well as contemporary. Books already read and discussed include Some Experiences of an Irish RM by Somerville & Ross; Chapter 5, “Attributes of a Good Hound” from Hounds and Hunting Through the Ages by Joseph B. Thomas; The Great Hound Match of 1905 by Martha Wolfe; The Fox in the Cupboard by Jane Shilling; The Lady Blows a Horn by Nancy L. Mohr; The Millbeck Hounds: A Collection of Hunting Stories by Gordon Grand; Chapter 6, “Comments on Hunting a Pack” from Hounds and Hunting Through the Ages by Joseph B. Thomas; A Horse for Christmas Morning by Gordon Grand; Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man by Siegfried Sassoon; Letters to a Young Huntsman by Andrew Barclay; Foxhunting in North America by Alexander Mackay-Smith; Foxhunters Speak by Mary Kalergis, and Foxhunting Adventures: Chasing the Story by Norman Fine.
I’m honored to be on any booklist that includes such authors as Gordon Grand, Siegfried Sassoon, and Somerville and Ross! And there are so many more superb, enjoyable, informative, and entertaining books that I’m on pins and needle to recommend to this group. Book clubs for foxhunters. The ideas is such a win for foxhunting.
Posted June 5, 2017