Foxhunting Ban Could Be Eased After All
It would appear that British Prime Minister David Cameron’s admission in the House of Commons—that there will be no change to the Hunting Act due to lack of agreement among coalition ministers—is not his final word on the subject. (See earlier FHL news item.) The ban on fox hunting with a full pack of hounds […]
British PM Abandons Plan to Ease Hunting Ban
Speculation about any near-term relaxation of the hunting ban in England has been laid to rest. The BBC reports that British Prime Minister David Cameron informed the House of Commons that there will be no change to the Hunting Act as passed in 2004. Expressing regret, Cameron said that coalition ministers had failed to reach […]
William Almy III Dead at Eighty-five
William Almy III died on February 28, 2014 at age eighty-five. A native of Massachusetts, he loved riding and foxhunting in his younger days with the old Quansett Hunt of which hi father, William Almy, Jr. was Master. (His father also served, from 1960 to 1970, as the tenth president of the Masters of Foxhounds […]
NYC Mayor’s Horse Carriage Ban Faces Opposition
The city council votes are insufficient thus far to ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio had vowed two days before his election to end that romantic tradition in his first week in office. Twelve weeks later, such a bill has yet to be introduced. Animal rights activists claim that […]
British PM Has New Plan to Ease Hunting Ban
British Prime Minister David Cameron is seeking Members of Parliament who will support a backdoor attempt at easing the foxhunting ban, according to a report in the Sunday Times. Cameron along with environment secretary Owen Paterson want to use a device known as a “statutory instrument” in Parliament to amend the Hunting Act—which currently allows […]
New USSA Office in California Is a Plus for All Hunters
The Columbus, Ohio-based U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA), a national organization dedicated to protecting the rights of hunters, anglers, and trappers, has opened an office in Sacramento, California, the state capital. “Expanding our operations is a natural progression…as we plan to move more effectively to protect the interests of sportsmen across the country,” said Nick Pinizzotto, […]
Horse Country to Launch John Anderson’s New Novel
The Prophet of Paradise, J. Harris Anderson, 2014, 487 pages, Soft Cover, $22.95J. Harris Anderson’s new novel, The Prophet of Paradise, will by launched Thursday, March 20, 2014, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Horse Country Saddlery in Warrenton, Virginia. Anderson’s byline, which appears regularly in the pages of In & Around Horse Country, may […]
Dr. Joseph M. Rogers, MFH, Dies at Home on Hillbrook Farm
At the Piedmont Point-to-Point in the 1970s / Douglas Lees photoDr. Joseph Megeath Rogers, 90, died on Saturday, March 8, 2014 at his Hillbrook Farm near Hamilton following a stroke. While he occupied a gigantic space in the world of foxhunting, that world was but a small part of his very full, productive, and generous life.
Physician, farmer, Master of Foxhounds, steeplechase rider and trainer, businessman, rural land conservationist, and philanthropist, Dr. Rogers was a tireless advocate and practitioner of country living whose contributions in a broad range of interests were made quietly and with little fanfare.
His public persona was most closely connected with remarkable success as an owner, trainer, and rider of some of Virginia’s most successful steeplechase horses running under his familiar red with white cross sash silks. But his success in that rugged and dangerous sport was merely a visible extension of his commitment to protect Virginia’s rural countryside, a mission he often defined as a moral obligation.
Phase-Out of Fox Pens One Step Closer in VA
A plan to phase out fox pens in the Commonwealth over a forty-year period was endorsed by the Agricultural Committee of the Virginia House of Delegates yesterday. The Richmond Times-Dispatch characterized the 18-3 vote as significant, since the House has traditionally been more reluctant than the Senate to interfere with foxhound training pens. Under the approved […]
Virginia Point-to-Point Association Seeks Donations
Don Yovanovich, president of the Virginia Point-to-Point Association has proposed the establishment of an Annual Giving Fund. In a letter to hunt supporters, Yovanovich explains that for a variety of reasons, the hunt point-to-points are threatened to the extent that the Virginia season is now reduced to eight race meetings, down from fourteen not long […]