Sporting Collectibles from the Hueber Estate to Be Auctioned
Wiederseim Associates, the Chester Springs, Pennsylvania auction house, will offer items from the collection of the late Christian Hueber, MFH of the Radnor Hunt on April 7, 2012 at Griffith Hall, Ludwig’s Corner Fire Company in Glenmoore. Hueber, who succumbed in 2005 after a long battle with cancer , was a popular and passionate sportsman. […]
Flint Hills Invitational Performance Trial
The authorPicture this: four hunts—Bridlespur Hunt (MO), Full Cry Hounds (AL), Grand Canyon Hounds (AZ),and Mill Creek Hunt (IL)—bringing their best three couple of hounds to the field; thirty-five enthusiastic mounted riders; and sweeping vistas of open hunting country loaded with coyotes. This made for an action-packed five days of foxhunting activities consisting of a three-day Foxhound Performance Trial, foot hunting with the bassets, and a joint meet of foxhounds. It all took place at the Flint Hills Invitational Performance Trial, held on March 7-9, 2012, generously hosted by the Moingona Hunt staff and members. The Flint Hills area of Kansas is an immense rolling prairie of tallgrass and recognized as one of America’s unique treasures.
The Foxhound: A Pearl of Considerable Price
Norm Fine’s Blog
Karen L. Myers photoThe State of Kentucky values the foxhound exceedingly. Indeed, this high regard was emphatically established in 1948 case law by the old Kentucky Court of Appeals which, at the time, was the highest court in the state.
Foxhounds were hunting across Tennessee Valley Authority property one day in 1946 when, during a chase, one hound fell into an open well and drowned. An individual named Stratton, presumably the owner of the hound, sued the TVA for damages (Tennessee Valley Authority v. Stratton, 306 Ky. 753, 209 S.W.2d 318 (1948)).
In recognizing that Stratton suffered damages, the court said most poetically, “In the great fraternity of fox hunters, a man’s hound is a pearl of considerable price.”
The court went on to write an effusive tribute to the joys of foxhunting.
Hillsboro Hounds New Kennels Win Industry Award
New kennels built for the Hillsboro Hounds (TN) won an industry award for Brindley Construction, the company that poured the concrete. Reinforced concrete walls and sloping slabs in the inside corridors and outside runs were poured in place and showcased “concrete’s ability to solve construction challenges,” according to the Tennessee Concrete Association, sponsor of the […]
Warrenton Hunt Point-to-Point
Annie Yeager’s Mischief (rt) on the way to winning his third hurdle race in three starts. Mary Motion riding Fogcutter (left) finished fourth.Annie Yeager and Mischief scored a hat trick in the Amateur/Novice Rider Hurdle Race at the Warrenton Hunt Point-to-Point Races on Saturday, March 17, 2012, posting their third win in three starts this year. Mischief passed pace-setter Mariah’s Promise before the last fence to take the lead. Mariah’s Promise challenged in the stretch but had to settle for second place by a head. Mischief is owned by Yeager and trained by Don Yovanovich.
A Joint Meet with the Navajo
Canyon de Chelly
The Navajo mounted on his paint pony looked wistfully at the hand and footholds cut a thousand years ago. They snaked precipitously up the steep rock face perhaps some 2,500 feet to the canyon rim and 500 feet vertically. I followed his gaze and added less than solemnly, “Wow, scares me just to look at that! Have you ever climbed that in your life?”
He indicated that he had—many times. Now having been born at night, but not last night, I had both heard and read that the Navajo will sometimes spin tall tales about their special places, provided the recipient is sufficiently gullible.
George S. Hundt, Sr., ex-MFH, Dead at 81
George S. Hundt Sr., MFH of the Radnor Hunt (PA) for twenty-two years, died of Alzheimer’s disease at the age of eighty-one on Tuesday, March 6, 2012, at Neighborhood Hospice in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Mr. Hundt made his home at Braeburn Farm in Malvern. Mr. Hundt rode, hunted, and showed horses from an early age. […]
The Party Whip: Where Politics Meets Foxhunting
We have all heard and read of the party whips—both Republicans and Democrats—who are primarily responsible for mobilizing votes on major issues along party lines. The party whip wields political power within a state or federal legislative body, and the post is aggressively sought after by ambitious politicians. The Charlotte Observer tells us that the […]
Foxhunting in Ocala, Florida
In September of 1896, Ocala, Florida wasn’t preparing for the influx of horse show enthusiasts from the north as it does now. At the time, however, a recent resident to the town was planning to establish a fox hunt there, according to columnist David Cook in Ocala.com. John Vogt told the Ocala Banner he was […]
The East Down Foxhounds: Wearing the Saint Patrick’s Blue
Huntsman Declan Feeney / Noel Mullins photoSaint Patrick arrived at Strangford Lough in 432 AD from Wales. He quickly converted the local chieftain Dichu, who gave him a barn in which to hold his services. On the site known as the cradle of Irish Christianity on the Hill of Saul (meaning Patrick’s Barn, or in Gaelic, Sabhall Phadraic), there remains today a church and round tower where services are still conducted each Sunday. Saint Patrick died on March 17 in 461 AD, and his remains are interred in nearby Downpatrick Cathedral.
The East Down kennels are in County Down, on the outskirts of the village of Seaforde, southeast of Belfast in Northern Ireland. Hounds were originally kennelled there by the Forde family from 1768 to 1837 and were known as Mr. Forde’s Hounds. They later became known as the Lecale Hounds, and subsequently the East Down Foxhounds. The hunt members wear the St. Patrick’s blue collar.