The Scarteen Over the Big Banks at Lattin
Chris Ryan is the eighth generation of Ryans to be Master and huntsman of the Scarteen Hounds. Catherine Power photoThe present spell of hard weather has played havoc with hunting schedules, so the moment a thaw was forecast Scarteen put on a bye day at short notice for Lattin, situated between Tipperary town and the little town of Emly. The shortness of the notice did not deter a large and well mounted field from turning up. The area is almost unique in that most of the farmers in the area are either directly or indirectly involved in the hunt, resulting in unrivaled access to the country—a country of huge banks and almost no wire.
Blue Ridge Hunt Point-to-Point
Zoe Valvo and Questioning win the Junior Field Master’s Chase. Douglas Lees photoThe Blue Ridge Hunt Point-to-Point races were held Saturday, March 12 under lovely spring skies…for a change! Despite the rains of the previous week, Woodley Farm’s limestone soil drained well and the mature turf held up to make the going as perfect as the weather.
Zoe Valvo on Questioning won the Junior Field Master’s Chase in the Horse Division, and Kellie Witte won the Pony Division easily on Annabelle.
Just One More Chase
Judy Harris yearns for “Just One More Chase” on her favorite mare, Practice. Bonnie Smith photoI remember the pounding of her strong heart
In sync with mine, she was ready to start.
It was our first morning, a dream come true
Out in the hunt field, alert for a view.
Excitement, adventure and thrills abound
Observe and listen and follow the hounds.
So we kicked on for ten years or more
A bond, a friendship a lasting rapport.
Many years later, she’s fought the good fight
but can no longer carry a rider in flight.
She whinnies from pasture upon my return
Eagerly waiting the day’s story to learn.
Oh, how I wish she were a bit stronger
To carry the saddle, just one day longer
To ride to the hounds, the wind in my face
with my very best friend, just one more chase.
Full Cry Largo Wins Top Honors at Belle Meade
Full Cry Largo, hunting back home, just after being judged top hound at the Belle Meade Foxhound Performance Trials. She still carries her number 17, which was painted on her for the competition. Adrian Jennings photoFull Cry Largo was judged top hound at the Belle Meade Foxhound Performance Trials held in Thomson, Georgia on February 25 and 26. Belle Meade Lifeguard was runner-up to Largo, and, with three hounds in the top ten, Belle Meade took top honors among the hunts. For complete results, click here.
“Largo’s story is a great testament to how hunts and huntsman can work together to help each other out and find the right fit for hounds,” says David Hyman, MFH and huntsman of the Full Cry Hounds (AL). “It’s truly a unique fraternity.”
The Ballymacad Foxhounds at Castlerahan
Huntsman Kevin Donohue at Carrichavee RockThe area around the Ballymacad Foxhounds meet at Castlerahan on the outskirts of Oldcastle, County Meath in Ireland is steeped in Irish history. It is part of the old Royal Capital of Ireland. There are many hunting references to be found in the area. The entrance to the town of Oldcastle is over Sliamh na Callaigh which looks out on Loughcrew, the five-thousand-year-old site of the Summer Solstice, where one of the most important High Kings of Ireland, King Ollamh Fodhla was buried in 1277 BC. He officiated at the Feis Teamhrach or The Great Fair held on the Hill of Tara, where in addition to legislative affairs of the ancient Brehon Laws, he introduced horse fairs, horse racing, and hunting.
Farmington Hunt and J.B. Birdsall Honored for Conservation Success
J.B. Birdsall (holding trophy) is flanked by the Farmington Masters (l-r) Carol Easter, Pat Butterfield, and Joy Crompton. Cheryl Microutsicos photo
The Farmington Hunt and J.B. Birdsall received the 2011 Hunting Habitat Conservation Award at the MFHA Annual Meeting in New York City on Friday January 28.
Each year with each recipient of this award we witness yet another testament to the role of foxhunting in the preservation of open space. Arguably no other sporting culture has done as much to preserve land and natural habitat.
But, it often takes a leader, an individual driving force, to establish a culture of conservation within an organization. J.B. Birdsall—longtime foxhunter, landowner, and hunt member—provided that passion, commitment, and leadership for the Farmington Hunt to become a force for open space conservation in their hunting country.
Cambridge University Draghounds (UK)
Jack Day, MFH flies a big Leicestershire hedgeA number of universities in England maintain packs of foxhounds or beagles hunted on horseback or afoot. Students often comprise the staff—Master, huntsman, whippers-in—and this tradition has provided a start for some of the most successful and brilliant Masters and huntsmen that England has produced—the late Ronnie Wallace for just one.
At Cambridge University a pack of foxhounds are maintained that hunt a drag laid by student volunteers, normally from the cross country track team. Hounds usually complete three or four “lines” during a day’s hunting, which might take two to three hours.
Cambridge University Draghounds (UK)
Jack Day, Joint-MFH flies a Leicestershire hedge
A number of universities in England maintain a pack of foxhounds or beagles hunted on horseback or afoot. Students often comprise the staff—Master, huntsman, whippers-in—and this tradition has provided a start for some of the most successful and brilliant Masters and huntsmen that England has produced—Ronnie Wallace for just one.
At Cambridge University a pack of foxhounds are maintained that hunt a drag laid by student volunteers normally from the cross country track team. Hounds usually complete three or four “lines” during a day’s hunting, which might take two to three hours.
At Cambridge, not only undergraduate students serve as Masters but adults who have no connection with the University serve as well. The huntsman is Matt Gingell, a local farmer.
Whiskey Road Hunt Week, Aiken, SC
Installment Six
Whiskey Road huntsman Joseph Hardiman takes hounds, staff and field for a long day’s hunting.Betsy and friends escape frozen Virginia for a week of hunting in warmer climes. We bring you Installment Six of her daily blog, exclusive to Foxhunting Life.
The Kildare Foxhounds
Whipper-In Ado Moran negotiates the double bank.
The Kildare Foxhounds, kennelled on the grounds of Punchestown National Hunt Racecourse in County Kildare on the east coast of Ireland, met recently at the village of Grangecon in County Wicklow. The countryside and the village were a sea of autumn colours; even the roads were a carpet of multi-coloured leaves.
Hounds met at Moore’s Pub which is run by Paul Moore, the fourth generation of the family. It is still a gem of an old-fashioned pub and was originally an old coaching stop. It is a sensibly laid out pub for hunting and racing fans, as when you are sitting at the short bar having a drink, you can also pick up a copy of The Irish Field, The Farmer’s Journal, and The Racing Post, which are strategically positioned within arms reach.