Andy Bozdan
In the Footsteps of a Huntsman
From London's streets to Virginia’s hunt country
Huntsman Andy Bozdan and the Loudoun Fairfax hounds / Laura Riley photo
The job: huntsman. The man: Andrew Bozdan—leader of fifty couple of Old English foxhounds. One hundred canines. How is this possible? In all my life as a dog owner, I’ve only had a handful who actually came when I called. How is it that we mortals have such difficulty in getting our dogs to sit and come and not potty in the house, while this man steers his entire pack in an apparently seamless manner.
The answer is, as always, nothing is ever as easy as it looks. Before the man appears in public, seated atop his skewbald gelding, wearing his scarlet coat, and blowing his copper horn to speak to the mass of hounds seething below, one heck of a lot of work happens and many miles are traveled.
A View from the Driver’s Seat
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.
Huntsman and Whipper-In to Wed at Tennessee Valley
Huntsman Andy Bozdan and whipper-in Erin Doyle, both at the Tennessee Valley Hunt, have announced their engagement. The couple plan to marry in May. London-born Bozdan is in his first season hunting hounds in the U.S. Prior to his arrival at the Tennessee Valley, he was huntsman of the Barwon foxhounds in southern Australia. Andy and Erin met in September, and, after a whirlwind romance, happily look forward to their new life together. Erin who whips-in as an amateur, fully appreciates that “being a huntsman’s wife is no easy task,” but she is looking forward to the challenge! Andy says, “I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would find a woman who ticks all the boxes, but Erin does! She has made me so very happy, and I can’t wait to move to our new kennels and home in Greenville.” Posted January 10, 2012
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The Huntsman Introduces Himself
Andy Bozdan is the new huntsman for the Tennessee Valley Hunt. Here he calls in the Barwon hounds after a sharp hunt in Victoria, southern Australia.A dear friend used to keep a reminder tacked to her refrigerator. It was all about attitude. The essence of it was that attitude is the most important aspect in life. And it’s really the only thing over which we have total control.
The Tennessee Valley Hunt just hired a new huntsman—Andy Bozdan—who will soon arrive in the States. Andy sent an email to his new hunt, introducing himself and explaining his perceptions of the job. It is so brimming with good attitude that, rather than extracting a few facts for a brief News bulletin, I thought you might enjoy reading Andy’s entire message. He wrote:
