Sarah Martin Photo
Sarah Martin, MFH and Huntsman for Ozark Highland Hounds in southern Missouri, got inventive when she decided to have custom leatherwork made to solve her appointments issue.
So, all y’all who are studying for the Best Turned Out at the field hunter trials, please look away. For over a quarter of a century, I’ve been a hunt diva and turnout stickler. I then moved to an area where the rodeo and ranching lifestyle is king. Today I’m the weird one who sticks out like a sore thumb on my OTTB, and I often get asked, “Do you like riding in that little saddle?”
Additionally, I’ve taken up a post as Huntsman in a very wild portion of the Ozark Mountains. I no longer can get by with a little wire cutter case and a tiny, traditional sandwich case. While I love our traditions, I also firmly agree with logic and knowing your audience.
“A yearning for tradition does not necessarily imply that nothing in foxhunting should ever change. Sydney Barney put it nicely when he said that “blind adherence to tradition should never be an excuse for arrested development.”
-Norman Fine
I was tired of saddles without rings and weak rings that couldn’t hold the weight. My mare didn’t appreciate all the flopping on her. Things falling out. Four different gadgets attached to my billets taking up room under my leg and impeding my girthing. Also changing everything over to another saddle each hunt as I rotate through my hunt string. Endlessly doing and undoing buckles. I had enough and approached the talented ladies at Liberty Leather Works here in Steelville, MO to craft my vision into reality.
I chose to go a less traditional route in favor of incorporating some local flavor and Ozark style because the ladies at Liberty Leather Works can do anything!
GPS – This is a must-have here that I had never needed before when I hunted in more open, but smaller territories.
Knife – We will just say a little knife isn’t going to cut it.
Gun – A 22 gauge pistol full of rat shot isn’t going to cut it here if you run into trouble. I carry a 45 long colt. Just this past week a friend lost his best hound, and another had to have her hind quarters pieced back together by the vet after a run-in with local wildlife. We have boars, bears, and mountain lions in the area. We also don’t train our hounds to stop at the sound of a pistol.
Sarah Martin Photo
Fencing tool – Those little wire cutters are worthless if you need to fix a fence or cut heavy wire. You can also hammer and even remove a shoe with these!
A case larger than a traditional sandwich case – I’ve never actually eaten a sandwich whilst hunting, and I don’t drink while I hunt either. That’s why we have brunch. In fact, I never eat breakfast before I hunt. And the thought of someone sticking their dirty, sweaty stock tie in a wound makes me cringe, not to mention that the nearest medical attention for animals or humans is nearly an hour away. I needed space for a roll of sterile gauze, vet wrap, quick clot, twine, wire, Gerber tool, and honey.
Horn – a larger case, of course, for my horn with extra room.
Sarah Martin Photo
It’s going to darken, and I have a few more tweaks to get right with it. I am so happy about how this has turned out.
Originally published October 3, 2022.