Sedgefield Master and huntsman Fred Berry (left) visits with his pack of Penn-Marydels. Blue Ridge huntsman Graham Buston (right) was his guide for the day. / Nancy Kleck photo
The Sedgefield Hunt, founded in 1927, hunt a pack of Penn-Marydel foxhounds in the Piedmont region of North Carolina and Southern Virginia. We are a small hunt, but we have big fun, and we love our hounds. Last November we took a road trip to Northern Virginia to hunt with Blue Ridge and Thornton Hill. Six members, ten couple of hounds, eight horses and Ellie Mae, my mule, hit the road.
Fred Berry, MFH and huntsman, and his wife Elaine went up first and had a great day with Blue Ridge and their magnificent pack of Modern English and Crossbred hounds. On our day with Thornton Hill, which also hunts Penn-Marydels, the packs were put together. In our final outing with Blue Ridge, Fred was invited to hunt our Penn-Marydels. I’m told that for 275 years—from the time George Washington hunted with Lord Fairfax over that same country—the local foxes had never before heard a pack of Penn-Marydels in full cry!
Our first hunt as a group was Friday at Thornton Hill. We like to think that we brought the Carolina blue skies with us, as we drove to Thornton Hill kennels bordering the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains. The two packs hunted together, with Thornton Hill huntsman Beth Optiz carrying the horn and Fred riding with her having a holiday.
Beth cast hounds on the south-facing green hills hoping to root up a red fox. Hounds swung right-handed along the Thornton River and then into steeper tree-covered hills. We spent some time trotting up and down those hills, giving our mounts a work-out, as hills in our fixtures are half the height.
Finally hounds opened and ran into a thicket of autumn olives, drooping with ripe red berries. The unmistakable deep voices of the Penn-Marydels rang out, and hounds ran a hot line to the top of the mountain. When the huntsmen arrived, they found the hounds surrounding a tall pine with a 300-pound black bear in its top. Beth was upset because she doesn’t want her hounds to run bear, but we were thrilled. Hounds were called back, and we watched as the bear shimmied down, unafraid of horses and riders. We assumed the bear went back to the berry patch to eat and prepare for the oncoming winter hibernation. But maybe not.
Later one of our best hounds, M.C. Hammer, was hit by a farm truck. Remarkably he came away sound, if shaken. We rode on, and much to Beth’s chagrin we found another bear. (Or was it the same one?) Beth made Fred try and stop the hounds, but he wasn’t able to do it. Maybe he didn’t try very hard. The bear, with all the hounds screaming behind, ran right through first flight, but Elaine, who whips-in, and Beth’s daughter, Elida, were able to stop them.
We finished the day with a great run that lasted about an hour and ended up on the other side of Thornton River, up on Turkey Mountain. By then we were tired, so most of the riders called it a day and headed back to the kennels. A truck and trailer were sent to collect huntsmen and hounds, which came off the mountain at their own pace. Back at the kennels we relived the day, while chowing down on a lovely tailgate provided by Thornton Hill members. We all enjoyed riding in the mountainous terrain, and the black bears topped off a beautiful day of hunting.
Cleveland Bays and their riders line up in front of Farnley for their annual pre-meet photo. / Nancy Kleck photo
Saturday brought another picture perfect day at Farnley Farm, one of Blue Ridge Hunt’s most famous and picturesque fixtures. As we approached the 1830’s manor house up the cedar-lined driveway, we were thrilled to see the line-up of over twenty beautifully turned-out riders on Cleveland Bays in front of the house. They were there for the annual Cleveland Bay Hunt. In total there were well over seventy-five riders, and while it is doubtful any of the horses had ever seen a seventeen-hand mule, not one spooked at Ellie Mae’s big ears.
The author on her foxhunting mule, EllieMae / Nancy Kleck photoThat morning Fred hunted our hounds. It was noteworthy and special, and everyone from Sedgefield understood the honor of being invited to hunt our Penn-Marydels at this hallowed fixture. Fred’s childhood friend, Anne McIntosh, a Blue Ridge Joint-Master, orchestrated the joint meet, and Fred did not want to mess it up. Beth Opitz came over from Thornton Hill to help whip-in and make certain he didn’t. Several others came to watch the show: Brenda Milne, George Harne, and Alasdair Storer joined Chris Howells, Blue Ridge’s famous ex-huntsman, on the road.
Fred was assisted and guided through the country by Blue Ridge huntsman Graham Buston, an Irishman from County Limerick who had never seen a pack of pure Penn-Marydels. Graham and his team of whips were wonderful.
Despite having hunted five hours the day before and sleeping in the horse trailer, our hounds looked fresh. Even our road casualty M.C. Hammer was trotting about. Our pack hunted in familiar territory on this day, with lots of open pasture, hardwoods, and brush piles. One thing is sure, Farnley Farm has lots of foxes, but the first few that were seen must have went quickly to ground. Hounds settled on one that ran across the railroad track, so they had to be stopped. They trailed another one into the open fields where they couldn’t hold the line. At the creek beside the indoor arena two foxes ran right into the barn. Hounds got another fox going, but were stymied by a fence.
Sedgefield members Rich Weintarub, MFH and Abby Jones keep up with hounds. / Nancy Kleck photoWe finally arrived at the last covert, The Pines. Fred took the hounds in at one end and Graham and the whips watched from the corners. At about the time that hounds opened, Beth Opitz saw the fox leave covert. The game was on, and we had a fine run. And our hounds learned a new trick: all the fields at Farnley are fenced with square wire that a fox can run right through, but hounds can’t. After several tries to squirm under the fences, hounds learned that if they were stopped, Fred could lead them around to a jump and would put them back on the line again. Hounds ran the fox all around the country and to the railroad, where he escaped. So Fred gathered up his hounds, blew “end of the day,” and we headed in.
The day ended with a beautiful reception at Farnley, hosted by Hetty Abeles, daughter of Farnley founders Joan and Alexander Mackay-Smith. We returned to North Carolina tired, but full of tales of hunting black bear, and red foxes, and a thousand coops. And we hope that we can return the favor by hosting hunts for Thornton Hill and Blue Ridge.
Posted January 7, 2016
Sedgefield Penn-Marydel Budweiser is ready hunt. Dr. Matthew Mackay-Smith (red shirt) welcomes visitors to his family home. / Nancy Kleck photo