Fox Hunting News

Exaggerated and sexually fetish-ized riding apparel designed by Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci was featured in his fall-winter fashion show in Paris this season. Jodphurs, horse blinder shaped earrings, and tall riding boots were shown. See the Associated Press report for more details. It’s nice to know we’re fashionable every twenty years or so. Or is it? Posted March 5, 2012

In Mongolia, the berkutchis (horse-mounted eagle hunters) hunt the fox for its pelt with Golden Eagles. These birds occupy a place of honor in the life of the Kazakhs, who regard the majestic raptor as guardians of their homes, their children, and even their health. The life of the berkutchi is nomadic, and in some cases the profession is passed down from generation to generation.  The eagle is the hunter’s most treasured and respected possession and is fed before the rest of the family. Slivers of bite-sized fox meat for the bird are first carefully rinsed of blood, which is said to fatten the eagle and cool its hunting ardor. Emmie V. Abadilla wrote of her adventure with a berkutchi family in the Manilla Bulletin, and explains the dangerous job of capturing a female fledgling (females grow bigger and hunt more aggressively that the males), welcoming her with honor into the family, teaching her to balance on the hunter’s arm while riding, and training her with lures. This is Part 2 of five parts and can be read in full from this link. Part 3 tells of the hunt. Here’s an excerpt: “Suddenly, the wranglers shouted. Then they were scrabbling for stones and hurling them to flush out the fox. Something yellow streaked below. Tekei released his eagle. She circled above us then swooped down in a flash. Locked together, eagle and fox rolled downhill in a cloud of snow and dust.” The final trick is to retrieve the fox from the clutches of the eagle as she stands victorious over her prey, her nine-foot wings spread wide to hide her catch. Surely this is foxhunting in its most exotic incarnation! Posted February 27, 2012

The proposed measure in the Virginia General Assembly to ban fox penning has been shelved for a year. More than an hour of testimony was presented to the Senate Agriculture Committee at a meeting crowded with animal rights advocates and pro-hunting forces. Supporters of the bill argued that the practice is inhumane and often ends in the death of the fox. Hunters maintained that it’s a safe and secure way to train young hounds, and that escape earths are provided to ensure the safety of the fox. Hunters also said that the practice has been wrongfully portrayed. The purpose, they maintain, is to train hounds—not to kill foxes. Senators expressed confusion at the wide variance in how fox pens are portrayed by the opposing sides. Bob Duncan, Director of Virginia’s Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, who has visited fox pens, said that while the pens aren’t as portrayed by some proponents of the bill, there are probably improvements that could be made in the protocol for the benefit of the foxes, and he was certain that responsible hunters would work with the department to achieve those ends. Action on the bill was continued to 2013. Read Chelyen Davis’s complete article in The Free Lance-Star. Posted February 14, 2012

Concerned horsemen were mostly mollified by the message from Morven Park officials in a pair of meetings held last week. While the plan is to make a wider public use of the Leesburg, Virginia property, it appears that the only equestrian casualty will be the steeplechase racecourse. Other equestrian facilities will be continued and even improved. Park officials said that the steeplechase races never made money, and the decision to close the track was strictly economic. The Fairfax Hunt Point-to-Point Races, to be run in April of this year, will utilize the racetrack for the last time. Preliminary plans call for a grand prix course to be built in the infield area. The Virginia Foxhound Show held each year over the Memorial Day weekend will continue, according to officials. The cross country schooling course will remain, and horse trial events will continue to be held. Horse show and dressage arenas will be relocated closer to the stables, and the indoor arena will be refurbished. The stable that was destroyed by fire last year will be rebuilt. The Loudoun Therapeutic Riding Foundation will be allowed to expand to accommodate more users, and equine therapy for wounded servicemen may be introduced. See Betsy Parker’s complete article in the Loudoun Times. Posted February 11, 2012

Three long-time residents of Potomac, Maryland spoke recently to a standing-room-only crowd at a local restaurant about their town’s past. Two of the three speakers—Bob Hanson and Leonard Proctor—had hunted with the Potomac Hunt. Hanson related an amusing anecdote about a recalcitrant General George Patton. “Patton was not a gentleman when it came to jumping his horse,” Said Hanson. “If a horse balks and refuses to jump, the rider is supposed to pull the horse to the side and let the others behind him go ahead and take the jump. However, Patton would try jumping his horse again and again, holding up the rest of the [field]. This made me really angry, and I wanted to tell him, but I held my tongue.” The talks were part of a series of events sponsored by the Potomac Oak Shopping Center in an effort to strengthen the bonds of the community. For the complete article, click here. Posted February 9, 2012

Scientists have discovered through mitochondrial DNA that a mare that walked the earth 160,000 years ago is the ancestral mother of every horse in the world. Eighteen different genetic clusters were identified as having come from the ancestral mare reports Bloomberg News, which suggests that domestication of horses occurred in many places across Europe and Asia. The article does not specify when domestication first occurred. (See an earlier FHL News report pushing the earliest domestication back from five thousand to nine thousand years.) Samantha Brooks, an assistant professor of equine genetics at Cornell University believes that the research may “help scientists classify horse fossils, figure out the pedigree of modern breeds, and perhaps evaluate how genetics affect racehorse performance.” The study was led by Alessandro Achilli in the department of cellular and environmental biology at the University of Perugia, Italy. Read more details in Elizabeth Lopatto’s article in Bloomberg News. Posted January 31, 2012

McDuffie County, home to the Belle Meade Hunt in Thomson, is one of five northern counties in the Clark Hills Partnership of Georgia. The Partnership highlights attractions in each of the counties that tourists will enjoy, and Belle Meade’s famous Opening Meet is promoted as one of the offerings for McDuffie. “The 46th Annual Blessing of Hounds and Tally-Ho wagon ride was held recently and it was a wonderful day,” wrote Editor Angela Gary of MainStreet Newspapers. “Riders in scarlet coats recreate the old English fox hunt.” “Wagons are filled with people ready for adventure. Socializing is a big part of the festivities so everyone brings plenty of refreshments. We had our picnic baskets filled with chicken salad sandwiches and pecan bars from Chinaberry in Thomson and climbed in our wagons for the day’s hunt. “We rode through the rolling countryside of McDuffie County as the foxes and hunters on their horses ran ahead of us. It was a great up close and personal view of this amazing event—certainly one of the most unique events you will attend.” Posted January 24, 2012

The News Virginian reports that proposals in the General Assembly would ban fox penning. Some hunt clubs use fox pens to train young hounds to hunt the proper quarry. Other foxhound enthusiasts use the pens to conduct competitive field trials. Identical proposals for banning the practice have been introduced by Senator David W. Marsden, D-Fairfax and Delegate Kenneth R. Plum, D-Fairfax. Supporters of the ban claim that it is a cruel sport that ends with penned foxes being killed by hounds. There are thirty-four state-licensed fox pens currently active in Virginia. Under state licensing rules, pens must be no less than one hundred acres in size with holes into which foxes can hide or escape. Other safeguards for the health and protection of the penned foxes are mandated by the licensing rules. The pens are regulated by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Laura Donahue, Virginia Director of the Humane Society of the United States calls fox penning Virginia’s most shamefully kept secret. HSUS and the Richmond SPCA are among the groups fighting fox penning in Virginia. HSUS says there are about twenty other states in the country that allow fox penning. Florida, where coyote penning was also allowed, banned the practice in 2010. For more details, see Rex Springston’s article. Posted January 24, 2012

Trevor Potter, a long-time field member with the Orange County Hunt and a member of the hunt’s board of directors, has become something of a TV celebrity. The Chicago Tribune reports that Potter, a Washington attorney, has become a popular figure on The Colbert Report by analyzing legal questions “and trading banter” on-air with comedians Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart. The repartees have to do with campaign finance law and Potter’s representation of Colbert. The latter has formed a super-PAC to provide support to political candidates. Potter is a former chairman of the Federal Election Committee. When interviewed, he acknowledged that he was unused to his new status as TV personality. Read more in Katherine Skiba’s article. Posted January 20, 2012