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The Essex Fox Hounds (NJ) will reach out to their community on October 12 and 13, 2013 with “A Weekend in Gladstone.” Members will celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the hunt’s incorporation with a series of activities aimed at reaching out to their community. On Saturday, foxhounds will meet at Bedminster Farm, and the organization’s legends will be honored at a hunt ball that evening at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation. On Sunday, there will be a procession of coaches, foxhounds and riders down Main Street to Natirar Park in Peapack and Gladstone, where a series of fun races will be held: stick races for children, a flat race, a timber race, and a Master’s Chase. Stable friends, amateurs, and junior riders will have the opportunity to ride relay races. “We want to do something within our own community that gives a little understanding of why we keep open space,” said Karen Murphy, MFH. The hunt feels that it is important for residents to understand the hunt’s role in preserving open space. Click for Nancy Jaffer’s complete article in The Star Ledger. Posted September 14, 2013

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) announced on September 11, 2013 the first diagnosed case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in a horse this year. The horse is from Russell County. It had been vaccinated for WNV just two weeks prior to becoming ill. The horse is being treated with supportive therapies to prevent the animal from injuring herself throughout the two to three week cycle of the disease. Often horses have to be euthanized because of the severity of their symptoms, which may include low-grade fever, ataxia (loss of full control of bodily movements), hypermetria (lifting its feet excessively high) and intermittent central nervous system depression. On September 9, VDACS announced the first horse in Virginia to test positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis. In April 2013 VDACS sent out an announcement encouraging horse owners to discuss a vaccination schedule for West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis with their veterinarians. Vaccines are available to drastically reduce the incidence of WNV and EEE in horses. The vaccines are effective for six to twelve months, so horses should be re-vaccinated at least annually. In areas where the disease occurs frequently, most veterinarians recommend vaccination every six months. The WNV vaccine for equines initially requires two doses administered three to six weeks apart. The vaccine takes four to six weeks from the second dose for optimal effectiveness. Horse owners should consult with their veterinarians to choose a re-vaccination schedule to protect their horses effectively. Prevention methods besides vaccination include destroying standing water breeding sites for mosquitoes, use of insect repellents and removing animals from mosquito-infested areas during peak biting times, usually dusk to dawn. Continuous, effective mosquito control can minimize the risk of exposure of both horses and humans to West Nile Virus and other mosquito-borne diseases. The virus usually lives in wild birds of many different species. Mosquitoes transmit it from bird to bird. Occasionally a mosquito that has bitten an infected bird will then bite a human, horse or other mammal and transmit the virus to them. Transmission between horses and humans is extremely unlikely. WNV can cause a horse to go down and be unable to get up without help. Animal owners should consult their veterinarians if an animal exhibits any neurological symptoms such as a stumbling gait, facial paralysis, drooping or disinterest in their surroundings. Animal owners should consult their veterinarians or the nearest VDACS Regional Animal Health Laboratory for advice or information should an animal exhibit symptoms of WNV. Posted September 15, 2013

The 2013 Field Hunter Championship of North America will be held in Virginia from Monday, September 30 to Sunday, October 6. Competitors will hunt four days, with fixtures at Keswick Hunt, Casanova Hunt, Snickersville Hounds, and Piedmont Fox Hounds. The Finals will be held on Sunday, October 6 at Glenwood Park. The final day at Glenwood will start with the judging of the “Best Turned Out” horse and rider, after which a short drag hunt will start and end on the racecourse. At least ten finalists will be chosen to ride over a “handy hunter” course, where they may be required to drop a rail, open a gate, and hand gallop and halt. Spectators are encouraged to attend. This is the second and final day of the Virginia Fall Races at Glenwood Park, so there’s a lot going on! The family of the late Mrs. Theodora Ayer Randolph will again honor her memory and her lifetime commitment to fox hunting by awarding a $2,500 cash prize to the home hunt of the winner. The Museum of Hounds and Hunting in Leesburg will award a one-year membership to the winning rider and to the two highest-placed Juniors that qualify for the Finals. General Admission price is $30.00 per carload of four people.  To reach Glenwood Park from the Washington DC area, take I-66 West and exit Route 50 West (Exit 57B towards Winchester).  Drive approximately 25 miles to Middleburg and turn right at stop light in Middleburg (Route 626, Foxcroft Road).  Proceed 1 mile North to Glenwood Park on your right. For additional information and/or photos call the name above or contact the Field Hunter Championship Chairman Ms. Pippy McCormick at 540-454-2854. Posted September 6, 2013

James Barclay, ex-MFH, whose elegant prose has appeared (and will continue to appear) in Foxhunting Life, has launched a new subscription website titled, “For the Love of Hunting England. The new portal promises to be full of news, information, and features about hunting in Great Britain and further afield. James, whose family has been deeply involved in foxhunting for many generations and who has been a Master of several packs of hounds, including the Cottesmore, Fitzwilliam, Grove and Rufford, and Essex and Suffolk, said, “I hope that this new website will be of interest to hunting people all over the world, but I decided to call it For the Love of Hunting England because it is in Old England that the sport as we know it has its roots.” The site will be a portal for James’ passion for and knowledge of hounds across Britain, and the breadth of his interest in hunting and the personalities involved. The annual subscription fee will be £15. A special price of £12.99 is available for subscriptions purchased before Christmas. Visit the website for more information. Posted September 1, 2013

The Blue Mountain Pony Club in Maryland won the seventh annual Live Oak Hounds USPC Foxhunting Challenge Award for 2013. The Challenge Award is made possible through the generous support of Mr. and Mrs. C. Martin Wood III, Joint-Masters of the Live Oak Hounds in Monticello, Florida and Past Presidents of the MFHA. The Award is designed to encourage Pony Club members who do not regularly hunt to try the sport and to reward members who hunt on a regular basis to act as mentors to the less-experienced Pony Club members. Ten thousand dollars in awards are distributed each year among the top six Pony Clubs who introduce the greatest number of active Pony Club members to the sport of foxhunting. The United States Pony Club was established by foxhunters, and the two organizations share a close bond. The 2013 Challenge winners are: First PlaceBlue Mountain Pony Club in Maryland. Blue Mountain Pony Club members hunted with Blue Mountain Hunt (PA). Second PlaceCedar Knob Pony Club in Tennessee. Cedar Knob Pony Club members hunted with Mooreland Hunt, Longreen Foxhounds, Shawnee Hounds, and Full Cry Hounds. Third Place Old Dominion Hounds Pony Club in Virginia. Old Dominion Pony Club members hunted with Old Dominion Hounds. Fourth PlaceElkridge-Harford Pony Club in Maryland. Elkridge-Harford Pony Club members hunted with Elkridge-Harford Hunt. Fifth Place Lowcountry Pony Club in South Carolina. Lowcountry Pony Club members hunted with Lowcountry Hunt. Sixth Place Live Oak Hounds Pony Club in Florida. Live Oak Hounds Pony Club members hunted with Live Oak Hounds.

Four members of the Middleton Hunt (UK) pled guilty to charges under the Hunting Act. Video footage taken by the League Against Cruel Sports was shown to the Magistrate’s Court showing the men bolting a fox from a pile of round bales. The fox was immediately run down by hounds and killed. Although admittedly an unsporting way to kill a fox, if the fox had been shot and killed upon being bolted from the round bales, no offence would have occurred. If the fox had been shot but only wounded while making its escape, only to die after suffering its wounds for a day or more, no offence would have occurred. Such are the terms of the Hunting Act under which foxhunters in the UK must abide. The four men were fined by the court. Click to read Dan Bean’s complete article in The Press. Posted August 18, 2013

Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio is offering a course in foxhunting this semester. The course, “Riding to Hounds,” will earn students an hour of college credit for Thursday night classroom sessions and from two to four Saturday morning fox hunts with the Chagrin Valley Hunt. Pam Hess, dean of the School of Equine Studies said there is no killing of the fox. The Chagrin Valley Hunt has waived capping fees and, according to Hess, hunt members have gone out of their way to welcome young people, and especially those from Lake Erie College. The required textbook for the class is Riding to Hounds in America: An Introduction for Fox Hunters by William P. Wadsworth. For more details, read Michael K. McIntyre’s article in Cleveland.com. Posted August 17, 2013

Organizers of the 2013 Field Hunter Championship of North America urge you to bring your best field hunter and join in the action for a week of foxhunting behind four Virginia foxhound packs: Keswick, Casanova, Snickersville, and Piedmont. Evening get-togethers are on the schedule including a day at the Virginia Fall Races at Glenwood Park, Middleburg, where the Field Hunter Championship Finals will be held. Competitors will hunt from Monday, September 30 through Friday, October 4, 2013. Those selected to compete in the Finals will ride on October 6 in view of the race day crowd, prior to the day’s races at Glenwood Park. The winning horse will be chosen after the completion of trials which begins with the judging of the “Best Turned Out” horse and rider, then moves to a short drag hunt that starts and ends right on the race course. The field will be narrowed to at least ten finalists who will be asked to complete a “handy hunter” course where they may be required to drop a rail, open a gate and/or hand gallop and halt. Spectators are encouraged to arrive early and walk out on to the racecourse so as not to miss the action. The family of the late Mrs. Theodora Ayer Randolph will again honor her memory and her lifetime commitment to foxhunting by awarding a $2,500 cash prize to the home hunt of the winner of the 2013 Field Hunter Championship. General Admission price is $30.00 per carload of four people. To reach Glenwood Park from the Washington DC area, take I-66 West and exit Route 50 West (Exit 57B towards Winchester). Drive approximately 25 miles to Middleburg and turn right at stop light in Middleburg (Route 626, Foxcroft Road). Proceed 1 mile north to Glenwood Park on your right. For additional information and/or photos call the Field Hunter Championship Chairman Ms. Pippy McCormick at 540-454-2854. Posted August 4, 2013

A federal judge last Friday placed a temporary restraining order on the planned openings of two New Mexico horse slaughter plants scheduled to begin operations this week. Chief U.S. District Judge M. Christine Armijo ruled on the basis of claims by horse slaughter opponents that the plants pose a threat to the environment. The ban will remain in effect for at least thirty days. The plants are allowed to seek a bond from their opponents to compensate them for lost business should they ultimately prevail through the courts. The New Mexico plants had expected to be the first to open since Congress effectively banned horse slaughter in the U.S. six years ago. The judge based her decision on a directive published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), but lawyers for the USDA claim that the directive was just an operating guideline for USDA use and had no bearing on the law that permits horse slaughter. The HSUS and other groups were parties to the lawsuit blocking the plant openings. Lawyers for the USDA, the slaughter plants, and tribal groups in the area claim that the judge relied on sweeping statements of damage to the environment with no evidence to back up the claims. John Boyd, representing the Yakama tribe in Washington State said the only proven damage to the environment has been caused by the runaway population of thousands of unwanted horses destroying the vegetation and driving out other species. Another hearing will take place in thirty days. For more details, read Milan Simonich’s article in the Alamagordo Daily News. Posted August 4, 2013

Retired star cricket player and professional team captain David Gower suggests that “townies” should be required to pass an exam on rural affairs before being allowed to vote on issues that affect the countryside. He also accuses politicians who are “allergic to grass” of making unpopular decisions about countryside matters. Gowers’ comments were made to Readers Digest magazine. “I’ve no desire to hunt foxes, but I don’t want to stop others,” he said. Gower shoots and said that he has had interesting discussions with people about firing at defenseless pheasants. He worries about the time when townies decide to arm the pheasants, and they start shooting back. For more of Gower’s unorthodox ideas and how he is perceived by his opponents, read Simon Cable’s complete article in Mail Online. Posted July 28, 2013