Horse & Hound
Old Dominion Hounds Point-to-Point 2021
Maiden Hurdle Race, second division: Gostisbehere (Graham Watters up) leads the field over the last fence and is first at the wire. / Douglas Lees photo
Old Dominion Hounds (VA) held their spring Point-to-Point races once again in springtime! What’s unusual about that?” one might ask. Last year, Old Dominion was the first of the Virginia hunts to stage their spring races in the autumn, after Covidstopped our lives in March. Warrenton’s point-to-point last year on March 14th, its usual time, was the last of two spring races (Rappahannock on March 7th) until Old Dominion gave horsemen a day of racing on September 12th followed by Blue Ridge on September 19th. Without spectators, however.
So this spring has been a welcomed return to semi-normalcy. We’re not completely there yet, but we’re close enough to consider this spring special...and to appreciate it as such. The turf was good and entries were healthy enough for the ten-race card of hurdle, timber, and flat racing.
Bespoke Hunting Attire: Part 2
The Art of Wearing
Aidan O'Connell wearing his Frazer-made charcoal grey hunting tails with Prussian collar and Prince of Wales cuffs and champagne boot tops hunting with the Orange County Hounds in Virginia / Noel Mullins photo
I have some great memories and so many amusing stories of traveling to different countries to hunt and report on foxhunting with Frazers tailor shop’s most prominent client: Aidan ‘Suntan’ O’Connell. I captured images of Aidan wearing bespoke tailoring in all aspects of the sport and at social events in Europe and the US as he has perhaps one of the most complete bespoke wardrobes that I know of. He also wore a ponytail with a velvet bow that he grew during a period of contemplation in England.
A. Henry Higginson: A Master of the Old School
Cattistock (UK) Joint-Masters in 1936: (l-r) Tally Ruxton and A. Henry Higginson
A family ignores the instructions of the Master and huntsman as he draws for a fox. Nieces of the family continue to forge ahead, despite the huntsman’s requests that they stop when he stops. The wife fails to get out of the huntsman’s way as he tries to get to hounds, so he barrels on through and knocks her off her pony. The wife and her niece continue to hunt kickers with red ribbons in the tails that have already injured field members and their horses.
The Master and huntsman, in this case, is A. Henry Higginson, an internationally-known American Master, huntsman, and breeder of English foxhounds. In 1930, he was engaged by the Cattistock Hunt Committee (UK) to serve as Master and huntsman in their hunting country in England. His breeding and training program have improved the pack and the sport, and his contributions are recognized and appreciated.
The family, in this case, is John Budden and his wife, Diana. The Buddens are landowners in the Cattistick hunting country. They maintain important coverts on their land and keep them safe for foxes by barring gunners. To make matters more difficult, Budden is a close personal friend of Higginson’s English Joint-Master, Tally Ruxton. Both Budden and Ruxton were military officers in The Great War.
Horse Trailers and Safety: A Reminder
For your horse's safety, here's a reminder that springtime is a good time to take stock of your horse trailer and have it inspected by an expert. We asked an experienced dealer for her recommendations.
River Valley aluminum side and rear loading tag-along
"One of the first issues to address with trailer owners and buyers is horse safety and comfort," says trailer dealer Donna Martin, co-owner of the Ruckersville, Virginia-based Blue Ridge Trailers. Martin said most people who have started to research their options know they should compare trailer sizes and floor plans to the size of their horses. However, she noted that there are several other angles to consider, too.
“While you certainly want to have enough space for your horse to feel comfortable, you should also prioritize light and ventilation, as well as how the horses will stand and balance themselves,” she advised. “How you intend to work out of the trailer also is an important consideration.”
Warrenton Point-to-Point Races II
Last fence in the Open Hurdle Race (l-r): Noah And The Ark (Gerard Galligan up) is 1st; Compass Zone (Sean McDermott up) is 2nd; #1, Mr. Sarinana (Bernie Dalton up) finishes 3rd. / Douglas Lees photo
Two weeks after kicking off the spring point-to-point season in Virginia, the Warrenton Hunt ran a second day of Point-to-Point Racing at the Airlie racecourse. Eight races were on the card this day, Sunday, March 28, 2021, compared to just five for the opener. Four hurdle races were added, three of which were well-filled and one was split into two divisions.
Milestones for 2 Young Jump Jocks at Piedmont
Lady Rider Timber: Cocodimama (Chloe Hannum up) battles down the stretch to hold his slim lead over Bridge Builder (left) ridden by Erin Swope. Aggressive (center, rear) finishes third under Skylar McKenna. / Douglas Lees photo
The Piedmont Point-to-Point Races at the Salem course in Upperville, Virginia, was the venue for Chloe Hannum and Teddy Davies to notched their first career wins racing horses over fences. The date was March 20, 2021.
Hannum won two races this day—Lady Rider Timber and Maiden Flat. Davies won the Amateur and Novice Rider Timber for his milestone.
Bespoke Hunting Attire: Part 1
The Art of Making
Michael and Elsie Frazer in their bespoke tailoring shop in the village of Hospital, Ireland / Noel Mullins photo
I read a report recently in The Sunday Times that ‘Fast Fashion,’ a term for the impulse buying of clothes online and in stores that people wear just a few times and then discard, contributes 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year into the atmosphere. In the USA alone, 13 million tons of clothing are thrown into landfills or burned. In the UK, 300,000 tons of clothing end up in landfills, an interesting statistic in that the public is often led to believe, incorrectly, that farmers are to blame for all the unwanted emissions.
Those in the hunting fields, however, used to see family after family who wore hunting attire passed down from prior generations. What was their secret?
Midland Brecon 2003
−From The Hound Intelligence Series published by Hounds magazine―an oversized 335-page collection of stories about remarkable and memorable hounds from around the hunting world.
Julie Whitlock McKee told me about her favorite foxhound at the Midland Fox Hounds (GA)―a hound that she walked as a puppy.
“He is a beautiful tri-colored dog hound who is as honest as the day is long. When the correct quarry is being chased, he is right there up front. He may not be the beauty king that goes to the shows, but if there is any doubting in the minds of the hunt staff as to the correctness of the pack, they look for Brecon to tell them if the pack is right. Which is quite handy in a pack that has a lot of young entry.
Spring Point-to-Points Restart at Warrenton
(L-R) Open Timber winner Highway Prince (Skylar McKenna up) and Some Response (Teddy Davies up) the challenger / Douglas Lees photo
The Warrenton Hunt (VA) kicked off the spring point-to-point season on March 13, 2021, at the Airlie racecourse. Entries were light, but it was a fine start for the season after the depressing broken schedules of last year.
Five races were run under rules―two over timber and three on the flat. The hurdle races didn’t fill, but informal schooling races over hurdles allowed horses, jockeys, and trainers to make at least some use of their preparations.
Lady Melissa Brooke, ex-MFH (1935−2021)
Catherine Power photo
The recent passing of Lady Melissa Brooke has been recognised with obituaries in both the local and sporting press, but her main passion in life warranted only a passing mention. She was a dyed-in-the-wool foxhunter with a life-long connection to the County Limerick Foxhounds.
She had spent the war years in New York where her American-born mother had taken the children―Melissa, Caroline (now the Marchioness of Waterford), and Thady (later the Earl of Dunraven) during hostilities.
