Managing Flies on the Horse farm
Researchers have discovered a species of tiny wasp that may prove to be a sustainable way of managing fly population on horse farms without the use of insecticides. Preferring horse manure over cattle manure, a lab study showed that the Spalangia female wasp inserts her eggs into fly puparium in the manure. When her eggs […]
Fort Leavenworth Home to Only Military Foxhunt
The Fort Leavenworth Hunt (KS) is the only MFHA-registered hunt under military auspices. Every August, the hunt holds a free foxhunting camp—Eight Easy Lessons—to review riding and hunting customs for the benefit of current and potential members, according to the Fort Leavenworth Lamp. Organized in 1926 by the U.S. Tenth Cavalry Regiment, the Fort Leavenworth […]
Red Fox “Terrorizes” Australian Neighborhood
Cathy Summers photo
The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, Australia, August 24, 2015: “DON’T be fooled by its furry face—this daring fox has been blamed for killing seven pets in Kellyville and terrorising children in the neighbourhood.”
Whew! How low has “journalism” sunk these days? (Not news, just our opinion.)
Journalist Angela Ranke continues with a subhead: “Fox on the prowl in Kellyville, residents warned to lock up their pets.”
Yikes! Would Australia declare a national emergency if a coyote or bear were seen crossing the driveway? C’mon Aussies, we know you guys are tougher than that. (Not news, just our long-held impression.)
Ewbank Clothiers Gutted by Fire
The fire that consumed Ewbank Clothiers in Berryville, Virginia on Thursday, August 13, 2015 couldn’t have come at a worse time for proprietor Karen Ewbank. Her custom tailoring shop was full of hunt coats and other foxhunting attire either being repaired or built in preparation for the upcoming hunting season.
“I woke up at three in the morning that night, counting red coats,” she recalls.
In addition to the loss of clothing and fabrics, perhaps even more serious is the loss of her meticulously cut pattern drafts—now ashes—used to trace shapes onto fabrics. The patterns will have to be re-plotted on brown Kraft paper from client measurements and re-cut—a process that takes about five hours for each client’s hunt coat. As of the date of this article, Karen doesn’t yet know whether her client measurement charts survived. They’re in steel filing cabinets in the front of the shop, and she has hopes that they were spared.
“I’m kicking on,” Karen told me today, the first workday of a new week. “I’m moving everything to my house and will work from here until the shop is rebuilt. That could take months, even though the structure is still sound.”
Downton Abbey Conclusion Will Air Foxhunting “Issue”
By now most of us have heard (and shed tears) that the upcoming season of Downton Abbey will conclude the five-year series. The final season promises to resolve all those Grantham family dramas that have captivated viewers in 250 countries. Through a single family, we have witnessed the British aristocracy and its seemingly inviolate traditions […]
Scottish National Party Delays Attempt to Relax Hunting Ban
In a reversal of expectations, the Scottish National Party (SNP) has threatened to oppose the pro-hunting effort to relax a key provision of the Hunting Act in England. The SNP move appears to doom chances of passage. As Foxhunting Life reported last week, British Prime Minister David Cameron, a former foxhunter, decided not to test […]
Cleveland Bay Day in Maryland to Hack, School, Visit
Cleveland Bays and their owners will have a day together to trail ride, school over fences cross country or in a large sand ring, or on the flat in a dressage arena, or just hang out and chat with other Cleveland bay enthusiasts. The event will be held Sunday, July 19, 2015 at Woodstock Equestrian […]
A Plan to Modify England’s Hunting Act
With Prime Minister David Cameron now leading a majority government, pro-hunting Conservatives are looking to him to make good on his pledge to bring a free vote to the floor in Parliament to repeal the despised Hunting Act of 2002. Despite his majority, however, Cameron is loath to risk a free vote. Too many members […]
Rachel Gray, Whipper-In, Former Jockey, Killed in Motorcycle Accident
Douglas Lees photoRachel Lynne Gray, 31, died early Thursday morning, June 25, 2015, at the scene of a motorcycle accident around midnight. Born in Warrenton, Virginia, Rachel was a skilled horsewoman. She whipped-in to her husband, Spencer Allen, huntsman of the Piedmont Fox Hounds (VA), and she was a former jockey at Charles Town and […]
Scientists Claim Thoroughbreds Are Running Faster
For the past thirty years, conventional wisdom has held that horses have attained their maximum speed. Now, researchers at the University of Exeter in England claim that racehorses are running faster. Looking at data from more than 616,000 races run by more than 70,000 horses, these scientists have found the winning speeds greatly improved, particularly […]