The annual Farmington Hunt Puppy Show was held at noon on Sunday, the first of many hot days of summer 2010, June 20th at the kennels. Pimm’s Cup and other cool refreshments were served ringside by Forbes and Sherry Reback, and a post-show luncheon was served at the clubhouse by former club president B.J. Korol, with help from Kay Barquin, Shelly Thompson, and secretary and social co-chair Pattie Boden.
The hunt staff, Daron and Alison Beeney and kennelman Tom McCauley made sure the grounds were in beautiful shape for the event that welcomed a good crowd of members, visitors from out of town, and the Free Union neighborhood. Guest judges were Mrs. Phelps S. Hunter, ex-MFH of Los Altos Hounds (CA), and Martyn Blackmore, huntsman for the Loudoun West Hunt.
Farmington huntsman Daron Beeney handled the hounds with assistance from the professional staff, and the young entry demonstrated excellent performance and conformation. In the British style of showing, Beeney, who came to work at Farmington from the UK in 2000, put the hounds through their paces, tossing biscuits for them to chase across the small show pen and successfully commanding their attention to stand squarely in place so that the visitors and judges could evaluate their conformation, movement, and condition to the best advantage. The young entry for 2009-2010 are fine representatives of the Farmington breeding program, and the club will have much to look forward to when they go to work and hunting begins in September.
For more about the Farmington Hounds, visit www.farmingtonhunt.org
August 10, 2010
