Huntsman Andy Bozdan at his first TVH Opening MeetArriving to take up your post as huntsman three days before your first meet is probably not the traditional way to begin the season. However, after months of tussling with the U.S. Immigration Department I finally arrived at the Tennessee Valley Hunt on 13 September 2011.

Through September and October the hounds and I were finding our way. The meets were still very new to me, and the hounds were quite wayward in terms of running riot and biddability. We were walking out every day, and hounds slowly but surely began to respond to my voice and my horn.