Anytime I see Melvin Poe, I always make a point to speak to him and show him his Florida strain of the Orange County red ring-neck foxhounds. He’s always so approachable and friendly and, of course, always interested in the red rings. In fact, last year at the Virginia Foxhound Show, I nearly missed one of our classes because I was talking to him just outside the ring. Luckily, Mac came running over and told me to get in there!
Our association with Orange County began in 1996, during our first season, when Kerry Glass, former Master and huntsman of the Norfolk Hunt (MA), contacted Melvin and arranged for us the draft of Orange County Boots, Bundles, and Britches. After our very first breeding to Boots, we instantly shifted our previously tri-color pack to red. Whenever we come to Virginia, we visit the Orange County kennels. It’s a ritual.
So I approached Melvin ringside—he just happened to be right where we were set up with our chairs—and showed him two of our Unentered Bitches: Felina and Flintlock, as well as Wallflower ’05. Melvin complimented us on having maintained the deep red color that he loved and then, commenting on the proper way to set up a hound, got down on his knees and began demonstrating with Wallflower. I was about to explode with excitement! That act meant more to me than any ribbon there.
“Stella, get the camera, quick!” I said. Melvin giggled, with that high-pitched “hee, hee,” and we all laughed. And then he started really strutting his stuff for the camera. Other photographers came over, as well, but I’m not sure who they were.
Wallflower later took Reserve in the Single Entered Bitch class. In 2003, her sire Misty Morning Brutus had placed third in Single Entered Dog, as well as first with Misty Morning Barrister in Couple of Entered Dogs.
Jimmy Young, MFH of Orange County, noticed Brutus that year and mentioned that they wouldn’t mind breeding back to him because he was such a well-structured hound, and they wanted to add more of the deep red color back into the Orange County pack. He said he hadn’t realized that we had a whole strain of that deep-red happening down in Florida, and was very pleased. I was so excited and felt privileged that Brutus was the chosen one. So the next year when we went up for the show, we left Brutus overnight to do his deed at Orange County, and Wallflower is one of the offspring we received back from that breeding.
The year 2003 was also the year that we took the plunge and entered the Pack Class for the first time. We were right in
there competing with all the big guns. Folks were confused because over on one side of the meadow was obviously Orange County, but who were all those red rings over there? We didn’t place in the pack class, of course, but we received many compliments on our pack, and it was quite a buzz because our entire pack was all from a single litter.
Shortly after the show, a package arrived in the mail from Jimmy Young. It was an issue of In & Around Horse Country with “see pages 7 & 8” written on it, and a hand-written note saying, “You came to VA to play with the ‘Big Boys.’ You played—too well—at the Big Boys’ expense. Congratulations! Jimmy Young.”
I was thrilled and thought it was the most marvelous display of sportsmanship and encouragement for a young pack that I had ever seen. I have the article and note framed (along with the report from The Chronicle of the Horse) and hanging in our stairway as one of my most prized possessions. Two very fine gentlemen and one very passionate foxhunting lady helped bring the red rings our way. They have been wonderful, encouraging mentors for us and for the sport. We are forever grateful.
Alexis Macaulay is MFH and huntsman of the Misty Morning Hounds in Gainseville, Florida.