George Thomas, MFH of the Why Worry Hounds (SC) / Charles Sainsbury-Plaice photoWhen George and Jeanie Thomas organized their hunt twenty years ago near Aiken, South Carolina, they expressed their philosophy in naming it. Why Worry Hounds they called it, and now, after twenty years of managing hounds, horses, and country by themselves, they have made some organizational changes to re-establish that philosophy.
With George busier in his day job and Jeanie having conquered some pesky physical issues, the couple has taken steps to ease their burdens by bringing on board two well-known, immensely capable, and passionate foxhunters ready and wanting to shoulder a share of the responsibilities—Randy and Robin Waterman.
Randy, ex-MFH and former huntsman of the Piedmont Fox Hounds (VA), has been named huntsman of the Why Worry Hounds. Robin, who whipped-in to Randy at Piedmont, joins George and Jeanie as Joint-MFH at Why Worry and will whip-in to Randy.
The coming together of the Thomas and Waterman clans in a foxhunting venture is no chance outcross. The first two bitches that George and Jeanie acquired when starting their pack came from Piedmont. And why? Because the Piedmont foxhounds carry the old Virginia Bywaters blood, and George’s multiple-great-grandfather was Burrell “Burr Frank” Bywaters of Virginia, the leading market breeder of American foxhounds in the early part of the twentieth century. Randy knows very well the famed Bywaters bloodlines, having hunted them at Piedmont, and George is related to them!
The first breeding records for Bywaters foxhounds go back to the year 1783. Burr Frank and his son Hugh furnished foundation bloodlines for the Piedmont, Orange County, Warrenton, and many other packs. Harry Worcester Smith used Bywaters hounds in his pack during the Great English-American Hound Match of 1905. Hugh Bywaters was a founder and Master of the Rappahannock Hunt. Hugh’s son Dick Bywaters served as huntsman of the Warrenton Hunt for over thirty years.
“Randy, Jeanie, and I are steeped in the same bloodlines and breeding philosophies,” said George.
Jeanie Thomas, MFH
Most of the pack now summers at the Waterman ranch in Montana—far from the heat of South Carolina. The puppies and the hounds that go to the hound shows remain at home with George and Jeanie.
Cubhunting begins in early September, and George is about to enter the puppies with the help of the Jeanie, Robin, and the experienced show hounds. Randy will arrive with the main pack at the end of October to start the regular season.
“Jeanie and I just returned from Montana,” said George. “The hounds look great, and they’re hunting beautifully. We found a good-running coyote every day we went out.
“I’ve known Randy a long time. We’ve always been friends. He loves the hounds, and it’s obvious that they love him.”
August 31, 2013