Island Foxhounds
Michael Higgens: Gifted in Every Aspect of Foxhunting
Noel Mullins photoThe passing of Michael Higgens earlier this year is a huge loss to the hunting world. He was truly gifted in every aspect of our great sport—exceptional huntsman, horseman, hound breeder, judge, raconteur. He found his true life’s vocation in foxhunting, and he found his true soul-mate in Yvonne McClintock, a partnership that stood the test of time.
Only last November, the Tipperary Foxhounds made a presentation to Michael, their former Master and huntsman, on his fiftieth season hunting with the Tipps. I interviewed Michael on a number of occasions, and he kindly penned the foreword for a book I wrote some years ago on biographies of thirty-one equestrian personalities, some living, and others that had passed on. He described my book as featuring “The departed, those about to depart, and those with no intention of departing”! I don’t think Shakespeare could have matched that for word-craft. Michael could always effortlessly find the most fitting expressions for every occasion.
Brian Kiely Is New Huntsman at Potomac
Brian Kiely and the Myopia foxhounds / Ashley Hill photo
Brian Kiely knows he will have big boots to fill when Larry Pitts, huntsman for the Potomac Hunt (MD), retires after thirty-five seasons there. Brian spent a weekend recently with the Potomac Masters, had a chance to hunt with Larry, and accepted the position of huntsman starting next season.
“The way Larry conducted himself, the way the hounds related to him, was poetry,” said Brian. “It was a fabulous experience just to watch him.”
“I remember seeing Larry some years ago at the Virginia Foxhound Show,” Brian continued. “Hounds from hunts all over were arriving at the kennels...nervous...running off...and there was Larry, calmly walking his pack through all the confusion, without a care.”
Killinick Harriers Point-to-Point Attracts American Visitors
The Killinick Harriers Point-to-Point Races in County Wexford, Ireland are probably the last point-to-point bank races still run in Ireland. Traditionally, point-to-points featured members’ and farmers’ races that were run over natural fences such as the double bank fence in the photograph. Now most Irish point-to-points are run over standard chase fences. Martha C. Wadsworth, Ann Morss, and Sarah Batzing-Cole, all from the Genessee Valley Hunt (NY), had traveled to Ireland for the wedding of Island Foxhounds huntsman Mark Ollard to Clare Lambert. While there, the American trio took in the Killinick Harriers Point-to-Point races and also rode with the Premier Harrier Hounds in the Saint Patrrick’s Day Parade in Cashel, County Tipperary. Prior to the wedding, Martha hunted with the Killinick Harriers, the Premier Harriers, the Island Foxhounds, and the County Clare Hounds. In the photo are (l-r) Ann Morss, Jack Lambert, Emer Mullins, Martha C. Wadsworth, and Sarah Batzing-Cole. Ann Morss and Martha Wadsworth are whippers-in at the Genessee Valley Hunt; Jack Lambert, 79, father of the bride, is a well-known Irish Draught Horse stallion master and breeder; he hunts his five stallions with the Killinick Harriers. Emer Mullins is the author’s wife. Sarah Batzing-Cole is a dairy farmer in the Genessee Valley. Posted April 27, 2011
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