Strictly Fun

Llama Drama Hill at Tennessee Valley Hunt's Opening Meet in 2011. Photo by Gretchen Pelham.

When I lived in Middle Tennessee in between the grand metropolis (*sarcastic) of Fly and the trendy town (*actually true) of Leipers Fork, I would give directions to my home that went, "When you see the yella dawg, turn left.” Because there was always this yellow dog laying right in the middle of the street at the required turn. Every day. Rain or shine. That yella dawg - er yellow dog - kept vigil on his post for years.

 

The Mugshot of the Vegas Poultry Hitman, Grace. Photo by Renee Daniels.

Last March, five of us left Reno, Nevada with several horses and hounds from five different western hunts to drive four days to reach North Carolina to compete in the Performance Hound Trials Championships. The first night we stopped in Las Vegas, as Vegas is actually an 8-hour drive from Reno. We had booked a horse hotel for all the horses, and the hounds would stay in the trailer on the property. The horse hotel was less than a mile from the strip, which was a bit surreal to think about.

A few Meltonians sport blue birdseye stocks under their scarlet coats in this painting by Sir Francis Grant (1839)

Several years ago, Foxhunting Life published a story about an attractive item of attire from foxhunting’s earliest days―the blue birdseye stock tie. Eye-catching and colorful, it can be seen in eighteenth-century foxhunting prints if you look closely.

Allison Howell, DVM, is a member of the Belle Meade Hunt in Georgia, and she is also a great photographer.  She has written down some helpful hints on getting superior photos from the hunt field.

Belle Meade Hunt (GA). Photo by Allison Howell Images

Foxhunting Life wishes all our subscribers a happy Christmas season and our sincere appreciation for your many kind comments about our publication.

Now let us help you with your Christmas shopping! Take a moment for a good look at our advertisers’ tasteful products and services:

Blue Birdseye stock ties in the field at the Orange County Vixens’ Meet in 2020.  /   Joanne Maisano photo

Six or seven years ago, Foxhunting Life published a story about an attractive item of attire from foxhunting’s earliest days―the blue birdseye stock tie. Eye-catching and colorful, it can be seen in eighteenth-century foxhunting prints if you look closely.

Mostly unknown in North America, the blue birdseye stock tie had long been worn by a stylish and knowledgeable few in England and Ireland. We decided it deserved to be resurrected here as well. So, we located appropriate material and introduced it to North American foxhunters in our shop. It was a hit, and since then, at the start of every new season―strictly for fun―we publish an article of reminder. And the story.

Here’s our 2017 Foxhunting Life Calendar, ready to ship on September 1 and featuring all new photos. We’ve been publishing our appointments calendar since 1998, and our annual collection of foxhunting images continues to represent the finest examples of the sporting photographer’s art. Douglas Lees shot the cover photograph of huntsman Reg Spreadborough flying a coop alongside his red ring-necked Orange County hounds—a fleeting glimpse of huntsman, horse, and hounds in motion for one single instant…gone the next. Represented in this year’s photo collection are hunts in California, England, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. Images include horses and hounds in action, seductive scenes shot in the most beautiful hunting landscapes imaginable, and photographs that simply tell a story about foxhunting. As before, photos of the hound show grand champions that you read about in Foxhunting Life throughout the past hound show season are to be found inside the back cover. Foxhunting Life Calendars will keep track of your busy schedule while they brighten up your tack room and kitchen. And they make great gifts for your cocktail party hosts and for landowners in your hunting country. Be sure to login before ordering to receive your automatic subscriber’s discount! Click to order yours today... This content is for subscribers only.Log In Join Now

Here’s our 2018 Foxhunting Life Calendar, featuring all new photos for the New Year. Doug Gehlsen of Middleburg Photo shot our cover image of huntsman Hugh Robards with the hounds of the Middleburg Hunt. The photo memorializes the last hunt of Hugh's brilliant forty-seven-year career as a professional huntsman. The first twenty-seven seasons of Hugh's career were spent showing world class sport for Master Lord Daresbury, members of the County Limerick Foxhounds (IR), and a constant flow of visiting sportsmen and women from all over England, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and America. Our 2018 calendar is dedicated to Hugh Robards.

The calendar includes the work of many of the best-known sporting photgraphers in the world, with images from England, Ireland, and North America. We’ve been publishing our appointments calendar since 1998, and our annual collection of foxhunting images continues to represent the finest examples of the sporting photographer’s art. Represented in this year’s photo collection are hunts in England, Ireland, and North America. Images include horses, hounds, foxes, and coyotes in action, seductive scenes shot in the most beautiful hunting landscapes imaginable, and photographs that simply tell a story to foxhunters about foxhunting.

Karen Ewbank is ready for cubhunting in her blue birdseye stock tie.

Back in early May we ran a story titled “The Blue Birdseye Stock Tie: A Smashing Style from the Past.” The story, about a little-known, mostly forgotten, yet very attractive and traditional item of foxhunting attire, turned out to be our best-read story of the entire spring season!

We thought it would be fun to bring the blue birdseye stock tie back into the hunting fields of the twenty-first century, and many of you agreed. So we researched the fabric, purchased a few yards, and launched its rebirth at the Virginia Foxhound Show at the end of May. It was a hit!

Here then, is a reminder: our informal season is only weeks away. If you’d like to start the season sporting one of your own, click here!

Order by December 18th for delivery by Christmas.Order on the website or call 540-837-1436. Calls on the Horn DVDHuntsman John Tabachka, a two-time winner of the National Horn Blowing Championship, blows eight calls on the hunting horn and explains when and why these calls are used. Regular Price: $20/Subscriber Price: $18 The Songs of Foxhunting CDTwenty traditional foxhunting songs including John Peel; Here’s a Health to Every Sportsman; What a Fine Hunting Day; Drink, Puppy, Drink; A Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night; and many more! Regular Price: $25/Subscriber Price: $22.50 2016 Foxhunting CalendarThe foxhunters’ favorite appointments calendar since 1998, with all new up-to-date foxhunting photos. Our images continue to represent the finest examples of the sporting photographers’ art. Enjoy this year’s twelve 9-½ x 13-inch full color images of contemporary foxhunting scenes from North America, England, Ireland, and Germany! Regular Price: $19/Subscriber Price: $17.10 Foxhunting Adventures: Chasing the Storyby Norman FineThe Derrydale PressThirty-two foxhunting stories populated by horses, hounds, challenging obstacles, and unforgettable personalities. Accompany Norman Fine to Ireland, England, Canada, and across the United States as he meets, hunts with, and is educated by the foremost Masters, huntsmen, hound breeders, and sporting historians of the last fifty years. Regular Price: $35/Subscriber Price: $31.50   Blue Birdseye StocktieThis colorful and traditional stock tie is seen worn by field members in many of the old hunting prints and books plates by eighteenth-century artists and authors. Although it went out of common use early in the last century, it is still worn by those few traditionalists who have the style to carry it off! Regular Price: $50.00 (four-fold), $60.00 (shaped)Subscriber Price: $45.00, $54.00... This content is for subscribers only.Log In Join Now