Aiken Huntsman Weds; Goes to Sea
Katherine Gunter and John Dunbar were married on June 9, 2012, at Tybee Island, Georgia. Katherine has been huntsman for the Aiken Hounds (SC) for the past four seasons. Prior to Aiken, she was professional staff at the Whiskey Road Foxhounds (SC) and the Bear Creek Hounds (GA). John laid the drag for Aiken Hounds […]
Turning the Tables: Aiken Foxhunters Travel North
Loudoun West huntsman Martyn Blackmore blows his fox to ground.Aiken Hounds huntsman Katherine Gunter and I had been planning this trip for months. South Carolina summers are tough, and no sooner had we returned to Aiken after the 2011 Virginia Foxhound Show and found ourselves enveloped in ninety-plus temperatures that we began to think about September and a possible hunting vacation.
Everything came together well. We don’t begin our own cubhunting until October, which left September free and clear for adventure. Where shall we go? We had a wonderful invitation from friends in Millbrook, NY, so we decided to make the big push north, out of the heat first, and work our way back south.
Penn-Marydels Are Getting Respect
Unentered Aiken Trailer was Grand Champion of the Carolinas Hound Show to the delight of (l-r) huntsman Katherine Gunter and Linda McLean, MFH. / Louisa Davidson photoWith stunning examples of the modern English foxhound setting the beauty standard of our time, the Penn-Marydels have long been considered the ugly ducklings of the show ring. So outclassed were they that when shown in the same ring with the modern English or well-bred Crossbred, they never even earned a second glance from the judges.
That view is changing, and we are seeing some spectacular examples of foxhound conformation in the Penn-Marydel ring. So good in fact, that in two cases at least the Penn-Marydel entry has eclipsed all others.
Byers and Peace: New Joint-Masters at Aiken
Larry Byers and Joey Peace are new Joint-Masters at Aiken. / Randy Wolcott photoThe venerable Aiken Hounds (SC)—a pack steeped in the history of North American sport—has appointed Larry Byers and Joann “Joey” Peace as Joint-Masters. Established in 1914, the Aiken Hounds hunt the drag through the Hitchcock Woods.
On the Road: A Huntsman’s Perspective
On the Road: A Huntsman’s Perspective
Visitors from the Rappahannock Hunt at Memorial Gate in the Hitchcock Woods for a meet with the Aiken Hounds / Karen Raiford photo
This article—about foxhunters on the road and the joys of visiting—is being published in four installments: 1. A Huntsman’s Perspective, 2. One Master’s Perspective, 3. Another Master’s Perspective, and 4. A Member’s Perspective. Here is the first installment.
On January 20, 2012, members of the Rappahannock Hunt left the familiar hills and mountains of Virginia for the mostly flat, somewhat sandy hunting territory along the border between South Carolina and Georgia. Some of us have been making this pilgrimage for more than fifteen years now.
Who Is This?
This portrait along with the question of the subject’s identity was posted on Foxhunting Life‘s Facebook page to provide an entertaining and informative way of featuring iconic figures in American foxhunting. We suggested that those who know their foxhounds might pick up a clue from the hound in the photo.
Linda Knox McLean, MFH of the Aiken Hounds (SC) was the first to identify our mystery man. And the foxhound as well! She can expect to receive a gift from Foxhunting Life for her correct answers.
Live Oak and Aiken Team up for Hunt Night Win
Kathy Nofsinger and Patti Brantley riding for the Live Oak Hounds (FL) teamed up with Arnold Bloom, Aiken Hounds (SC) to win the Hunt Team Class at the Aiken Fall Festival. To view a video of the winning round, click here. Posted October 6, 2011 (l-r) Kathy Nofsinger and Patti Brantley, Live Oak Hounds and […]
Foxhunting and Polo: A Sporting Crossover in Aiken
The Tallyho Cup (foxhunters and polo mallets) and Polo Saturday (polo players and hounds) debuted in Aiken, South Carolina this season, reaffirming the traditional Aiken bond between foxhunting and polo. The two sports have been entwined in Aiken since the early 1900s, when all the great polo names of the day—Hitchcock, Knox, Bostwick, Corey, and others—played polo in Aiken and rode to hounds as well.
Polo Saturday
In keeping with this historic tradition, Linda Knox McLean, MFH sent out an open invitation to all of Aiken’s polo players to cap with the Aiken Hounds on their polo ponies while wearing their polo gear. Dubbed Polo Saturday, the day was the brainchild of Theresa King, who hunts with the Aiken Hounds and plays polo on her foxhunter.
Hunt Breakfast Recipe Contest Winners
Juliet Mackay-Smith, chef and proprietor of Locke Modern Country Store
Results are in for our Hunt Breakfast Recipe Contest! Our judge Juliet Mackay-Smith has made her selections, and we will pin the winning recipes with a blue ribbon within the website so readers will know which recipes have received these honors.
“Born into a foxhunting family, I have had first-hand experience of what makes for satisfying fare at a hunt breakfast…both for the hosts to prepare and for the guests to consume,” said Mackay-Smith.
Bacon Bombs
These can be made ahead and warmed, can stay warmed for hours, and can be refrigerated after cooking and served warm the next days or so. Even well received at room temperature.
My party guests would mutiny if I did not serve them. My five year old grandson helps me make them.