horses
Drop Your Hands
Tom Firr, huntsman to the Quorn, nineteenth centuryTom Firr indulged in a very big bit
(Always in pictures he’s seen using it),
“Plenty of iron; you don’t need to use it.”
“Yes, Firr—quite right, but so many abuse it!”
A light-mouthed puller’s a difficult horse,
A short-cheeked bridle will suit him, of course;
A snaffle’s the bit for a horse that takes hold
(At least, it’s all right if the rider is bold).
The acme of bliss when you’re hunting the fox
Is riding a horse who will jump off his hocks;
While quite the worst feeling, and one to be banned,
Is a horse who will only jump off his fore-hand.
The Hoofs of Horses
The hoofs of horses, Oh! witching and sweet
Is the music earth steals from iron shod feet;
No whisper of lover, no trilling of bird
Can stir me as hoofs of the horses have stirred.
They spurn disappointment and trample despair
And drown with the drumbeats the challenge of care.
With scarlet and silk for their banners above
They are swifter than fortune and sweeter than love.
Chris Ryan Brings the Irish Method to Kentucky
Chris Ryan, MFH and huntsman, Scarteen Foxhounds, Co. Limerick, IrelandFifty riders from four states converged on the Woodford Hounds’ kennels September 3 to 5, 2011 for a foxhunting clinic featuring Chris Ryan, MFH and huntsman of the Scarteen Black and Tans, County Limerick, Ireland. For those who haven’t ridden with Chris, it is a life-altering experience that centers on safety, preparation, and fun.
Chris taught three levels of riders: those already riding first flight, green but gutsy riders ready to move up, and second flight members wanting to ride more aggressively to follow and enjoy hounds better. Each group practiced many of the same exercises, which were designed to perfect straightness and pace.
Melvin at Ninety
Melvin Poe celebrating his ninetieth birthday
Douglas Lees photo
Douglas Lees photo
Hounds were screaming, and the huntsman was cooking. A cattle guard loomed ahead—a coop to the left and a gate to the right. The huntsman veered left.
"Melvin," someone yelled, "the gate’s on the right!"
"Melvin just kept kicking on, right over the coop," recalled Joe Conner, shaking his head and grinning in wonder.
Conner, who has whipped-in to Melvin for years at Bath County (VA), didn’t resurrect that story out of a distant past. It had happened only weeks before Melvin Poe’s ninetieth birthday celebration.
A month or so earlier, I had recognized the same notes of awe and wonder as I stood chatting with Brian Smith, my farrier, about Melvin’s upcoming ninetieth birthday.
Eastern Equine Encephalitis in Many States
Horse owners in Alabama and elsewhere have been advised to vaccinate against Eastern Equine Encephalitis. The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries says that six cases of EEE in horses have been found in the state and contiguous counties. Commissioner Ron Sparks said, “Heavy rainfall has made us extremely vulnerable to the spread of mosquito-borne viruses, and we need to protect our livestock and ourselves.” Sparks encouraged horse owners to vaccinate their horses for both EEE and West Nile Virus as soon as possible. For more information in Alabama, contact Dr. Tony Frazier at 334-240-7253. Unusually high levels of EEE infections are being reported in many states this year. With an eighty percent horse mortality rate, horse owners are well advised to vaccinate and to destroy standing water mosquito-breeding sites.August 24, 2010
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