Brian Kiely and the Myopia foxhounds / Ashley Hill photo
Brian Kiely knows he will have big boots to fill when Larry Pitts, huntsman for the Potomac Hunt (MD), retires after thirty-five seasons there. Brian spent a weekend recently with the Potomac Masters, had a chance to hunt with Larry, and accepted the position of huntsman starting next season.
“The way Larry conducted himself, the way the hounds related to him, was poetry,” said Brian. “It was a fabulous experience just to watch him.”
“I remember seeing Larry some years ago at the Virginia Foxhound Show,” Brian continued. “Hounds from hunts all over were arriving at the kennels…nervous…running off…and there was Larry, calmly walking his pack through all the confusion, without a care.”
Brian will be leaving the Myopia Hunt in Massachusetts on Boston’s North Shore. Myopia, established in 1882, has been a drag hunt for most of its long existence. Former Masters and members of this venerable hunt have been forces for polo in the Northeast since the game was first played in this country. They have also been major influences in the development of combined training and dressage in North America. The U.S. Three-Day team was located near the kennels at facilities donated by the late Forrester “Tim” Clark, MFH; the world-class Ledyard event and cross-country course was developed by the late Neil Ayer, MFH; and the first publication for American dressage enthusiasts was written and published there by Fifi Coles. And, of course, General George Patton lived and hunted there when not involved in escapades elsewhere on the globe.
“Leaving will be bittersweet,” Brian admitted. “Myopia has been very good to me, but at the end of the day I wanted live hunting.”
Earlier in his career, Brian whipped-in to the Island Foxhounds and the Waterford in Ireland, his homeland. At age twenty-four, he came to the U.S. and whipped-in to Butch Gray at the Piedmont Fox Hounds (VA). He moved to California to hunt the Los Altos and then the Santa Ynez Valley Hounds, returned east to take over the Rolling Rock pack (PA), returned to Ireland as huntsman of the Laois (pronounced Leash), and has been back to these shores hunting the Myopia hounds for the past three seasons.
Though Brian was, early in his career, most familiar with the Old English foxhound breed, he now prefers American hounds for their eagerness to please and their ability to learn from each other. How lucky can a huntsman get? The Potomac pack, bred for many years by Larry Pitts, is recognized as one of the finest packs of American hounds in the country.
While at Rolling Rock, Brian received his first American drafts from his Irish compatriot, Keswick (VA) huntsman Tony Gammell. Tony, who came up through a similar path in Ireland and had worked mostly with Old English foxhounds, has since become a convert to the American foxhound. Tony went so far as to promise Brian that three couple of American hounds could do a better job hunting this country than a whole pack of English hounds! (Long may the argument continue; it’s great, good-natured fun!)
Potomac hounds regularly garner breed championships and Grand Championships at the major hound shows. In the MFHA Centennial Year of 2007, Larry Pitts’ stunning dog hound, Potomac Jefferson, was judged Champion American Foxhound and Grand Champion Foxhound at both the Virginia Foxhound Show and the Bryn Mawr Hound Show. Just last year Larry was presented the annual Ian Milne Award by the MFHA for his exceptional contributions to the sport of foxhunting.
“I had so much fun hunting and walking out hounds with Larry,” Brian said. “They’re really nice people at Potomac….I’m looking forward to hunting hounds there.”
Posted February 4, 2015