Peyton “Skip” Cochran, ex-MFH, Dead at Eighty-Five
Peyton Skipwith Cochran, Jr., ex-MFH of the Green Spring Valley Hunt (MD) died Thursday, March 1, 2012 of complications from Altzheimer’s and a stroke. He was eighty-five. Skip Cochran was active in foxhunting and steeplechasing. He was a director of the MFHA for the Maryland-Delaware District and a partner in Arcadia Stable, owner of the […]
Fox Hood Ornament Fetches $204,750
A glass fox radiator ornament thought to be a Lalique knockoff and included with four other decorative foxes in a single lot caught the eyes of sharp-eyed connoisseurs. Rather than fetching the estimated $100 to $150 for the lot, it brought home $204,750 for the Pennsylvania-based auction house of Wiederseim Associates. The discovery of this […]
Juniors Rule at Snickersville’s Junior Meet
Connor Poe whipped-in with Robyn Harter. / Middleburg PhotoLike most days at Nelson Gunnell’s Banbury Cross we expected a large field. But this was Junior Day—a day when the juniors take over the positions of staff and make all the calls. So the group that gathered for this nine o’clock meet was huge. I’m not sure, but I heard rumors there might have been eighty people out to hunt. We had fifteen couple of Penn-Marydels and Penn-Marydel crosses under open skies, with temperatures warming to sixty-eight degrees.
Don’t get me wrong; I like a large field. I want visitors and guest alike to see what one of the best packs in Virginia can do. But at some point it can get too large! We had a first field, second field, and a beginner field for children. We also had, besides the Field Masters, field stewards in the back to help along those who might fall out, to check gates and riders, and generally to keep order at the tail of the field.
Don Little, Myopia MFH, Dead of Injuries Sustained in Show Jumping Accident
Donald V. Little, MFH of the Myopia Hunt in Hamilton, Massachusetts, died on February 29, 2012, three days after a fall from his horse while competing in the Masters Classic at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida. Don was in his seventies—an all-around sportsman with interests in foxhunting, polo, show jumping, Thoroughbred racing, and […]
Don Little, Myopia MFH, Dead of Injuries Sustained in Show Jumping Accident
Michele Doucette photoDonald V. Little, MFH of the Myopia Hunt in Hamilton, Massachusetts, died on February 29, 2012, three days after a fall from his horse while competing in the Masters Classic at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida.
Don was in his seventies—an all-around sportsman with interests in foxhunting, polo, show jumping, Thoroughbred racing, and sailing. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he lived most of his life on Boston’s North Shore, foxhunting and playing polo at the Myopia Hunt Club in Hamilton. He also enjoyed hunting with the Piedmont Fox Hounds in Virginia—a hunt with close family ties to Myopia.
Foxhunting on the Delmarva Peninsula
Enjoy this hunting video captured by Janice Sensi in real time—no editing! A brace of red foxes are moving carefully ahead of hounds. Their attention is so completely focused on their pursuers behind that they never see our photographer. One fox nearly runs into her. It darts away as its companion sits, looks, and decides […]
Hunting the Fox with the Golden Eagle
In Mongolia, the berkutchis (horse-mounted eagle hunters) hunt the fox for its pelt with Golden Eagles. These birds occupy a place of honor in the life of the Kazakhs, who regard the majestic raptor as guardians of their homes, their children, and even their health. The life of the berkutchi is nomadic, and in some […]
Gutenburg, the Foxhunter’s Freund
With this final installment of The Mardale Hunt, we bring Ron Black’s touching vignettes of the Mardale Hunt to a close. In the course of offering these downloads, a new idea presented itself. But before we get to that, let’s have a final look at Mardale.
The Mardale Hunt
Every hunting culture is unique to its time and place. I was won over by the people of Mardale—hard-working sheep farmers—who lived in a picturesque valley and hunted the fox in the purest way.
The Mardale Hunt: Chapters 11 and 12
The Mardale Church in happy times Ready for demoloition Here are the final chapters of The Mardale Hunt by Ron Black. Through the courtesy of the author, Foxhunting Life has brought you the entire book in installments, with an invitation to download each installment to your computer. Generations of Ron Black’s family have followed the […]
Was This a Good Season, or What?
Genesee Valley hounds going home from their one hundredth hunt of the season after running their fox in and out of a swamp for nearly two hours. (l-r) whipper-in Erica Hutten, Master and huntsman Marion Thorne, and whipper-in and hunt secretary Janice Barrett. / Bill Gamble photoThe Genesee Valley Hunt (NY) celebrated a new record for their hunt on Wednesday, February 8, 2012, when they completed their one hundredth hunt of the season. True, the eastern part of the country has been blessed with an easy winter, but equally true is that their hunting country sits astride the same latitude as Buffalo, New York!
Located in a northern clime, the Genesee Valley Hunt decided long ago to simply ignore the weather. The only generally acceptable causes for cancellation are lightning—you never want to be sitting on a horse shod with steel shoes in a lightning storm—or when the Genesee River freezes over. Of course, the hunt’s geographic location is advantageous in the summer where they are able to start cubhunting in mid-July.