Fox Hunting News

Sportsmen won a major courtroom battle when Federal Judge James S. Gwin in Columbus, Ohio denied a lawsuit seeking to close hunting on fifty refuges within the National Wildlife Refuge System. The lawsuit was filed in 2003 by the Fund for Animals, which later merged with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA)—an organization strongly supported by foxhunters—and other sporting organizations intervened on behalf of sportsmen. Judge Gwin’s ruling counters the attempt by HSUS to use the National Environmental Policy Act to justify the closing of hunting on the refuges. The judge relied heavily on language in the 1997 Refuge Improvement Act, championed by the USSA, which mandated that hunting and fishing be “facilitated” on the refuges. In his ruling, the judge noted that the plaintiffs “are not entitled to an inviolate sanctuary for their preferred uses….Congress has determined that, to the extent possible, hunters, fishers, observers, photographers, and educators must share the refuges.” It is not yet known if HSUS will appeal the ruling. Click for more details. Posted April 21, 2011

Huntsman Richard Roberts and trainer Colleen Hayduk were married on April 14 in Hawaii. The pair will honeymoon there before Richard takes up his position as the new huntsman at the Deep Run Hunt near Richmond, Virginia. Richard is former huntsman of the Piedmont Fox Hounds where he showed brilliant sport during his six-year tenure there. Colleen operates Landmark Ponies, a training facility in Middleburg, Virginia. “Why Hawaii?” I wanted to know. “A friend, Ray Stone, who hunts with Orange County, is co-owner of Dolphin Quest,” Richard explained. “They have an educational and breeding operation here in Hawaii. I have an avid interest in marine life and marine biology and a fascination with dolphins, so here we are!” In addition to running her pony farm, Colleen raises puppies for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), a service dog organization. She raises and trains the puppies from the age of eight weeks to a year-and-a-half, during which time she reports regularly on their progress and takes training classes herself. She’s working on her sixth puppy now. Colleen characterizes this passion as “the best thing” she ever did in her life. “When you return home will you whip-in to Richard,” I asked. “Definitely not!” she replied instantly. “I’ll help him all I can with the hounds, but whip-in to him? No. We’re very happy, and we’re going to stay that way!”

Shortly after returning from the Southern Hound Show, Ben Hardaway, MFH of the Midland Fox Hounds (GA), fell in the kitchen of his home and suffered a broken hip. He is in the Hughston Hospital, Room 263 (phone 706-494-2100). Son-in-Law Mason Lampton writes that Hardaway “is in some pain but still has his humor.” Phone calls from friends are encouraged. A hip replacement procedure is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, April 13, but any operation must wait until the effect of Hardaway’s blood-thinning drug wears off. Call Mason or Mary Lu for information. Posted April 12, 2011

Uncle Mo, a 1-10 favorite in the Wood Memorial, stunned the crowd at Aqueduct on Saturday, April 9 by getting passed in the stretch by two horses. The previously unbeaten three-year-old finished third to the disappointment of many in the racing world who hoped for a super horse to spark the upcoming Triple Crown season. Uncle Mo’s defeat stands as one of the biggest upsets in the eighty-seven-year-old Grade 1 race. “The horse didn’t fire today,” said owner Mike Repole. The Kentucky Derby picture became instantly fuzzy. The 1-1/4 mile Derby distance looms huge in light of  Uncle Mo’s stretch loss to two relatively undistinguished horses. For more details, see Tom Pedulla’s article in USA Today.

Dialed In proved himself a legitimate contender to pre-race favorite Uncle Mo for the upcoming Kentucky Derby on May 7. The dark brown colt electrified the crowd at Gulfstream by coming from a fourteen-length deficit to win the Florida Derby on Sunday. The Nick Zito-trained colt bested what was considered the deepest field in a decade in this million dollar Grade 1 prep for the Triple Crown season. Soldat, the pre-race favorite, came in fifth. Affirmed was the last horse to win the Triple Crown. That was in 1978. The horse racing industry needs something to cheer about, and a new super-horse would be the answer to their dreams. More details in Greg Cote’s article in the Miami Herald. Posted April 4, 2011

Horses mean “business” in Camden, South Carolina. The area has been a mecca for horses and horse people at least as far back as the turn of the twentieth century, according to John Cushman, owner of The Tack Room in Camden. “Places such as Camden, Aiken, and Southern Pines (NC) became winter colonies before Florida developed, and a lot of people who came were horse enthusiasts and brought horses for foxhunting, bird hunting and such,” said Cushman in Bob Spear’s article in The State. The climate and the sandy footing suit horses. According to Thoroughbred trainer Frank Wooten, they don’t even put shoes on the youngsters until they start breezing them. Camden is also home to the Camden Hunt, where hounds hunt the native fox and coyote over 12,000 acres of protected land. The Carolina Cup steeplechase races are run in the spring, and the more prestigious Colonial Cup takes place in the fall. The South Carolina Equine Park, whose slogan is “Our Horses Mean Business,” stages more than forty horse shows a year. The shows are diversified, including walkers, Quarter Horses, paints, hunters and jumpers. They even have rodeos. Hope Cooper, executive director of the National Steeplechase Museum estimates that horses bring almost $2.8 million annually in direct and indirect spending impacting restaurants, hotels, and merchants. Cushman makes the interesting point that horses are labor intensive and require specialized manual labor. “Think about a couple of thousand horses….that’s a lot of workers,” said Cushman. It was precisely because the citizens understood those numbers that the community and government came together and established the South Carolina Equine Park. The county owns the park, and the South Carolina Equine Promotion Foundation oversees the operation. “Horses create a twelve-month-a-year industry,” said Cushman.