Hamilton Fox, ex-MFH, WWII Hero, Dead at 93
Hamilton Phillips Fox, ex-MFH, died at his home on Maryland’s Eastern Shore on November 26, 2013 at age 93. He was a decorated Naval veteran of World War II and enjoyed a distinguished law career in Salisbury, Maryland for nearly fifty years, starting in 1947. He served as MFH of the Wicomico Hunt (MD) for […]
Betty Davis, ex-MFH, Dead at Ninety
Mrs. Putnam (Betty) Davis, ex-MFH of the Rombout Hunt and the Stone Valley Hunt (NY) for over thirty years, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 2, 2013. She was ninety years old. A passionate foxhunter, she also served on the MFHA Board of Directors for her district. Betty was raised in New York City, spending […]
Vannah Husband, MFH (1956–2013)
Vannah Grisham Husband, MFH of the Mells Foxhounds, passed away on Friday, January 4, 2013 at the Huntsville Hospital in Alabama. Vannah grew up riding horses and had a life-long love of animals. She started her foxhunting career with the Mooreland Hunt (AL) at age eight and received her colors in 1972. Through the early […]
MFH and Hunt Worker Found Guilty of Illegal Foxhunting in UK
Two representatives of the Meynell and South Staffordshire Foxhounds were found guilty of hunting the fox with dogs under the 2002 Hunting Act. John Greenall, MFH was fined ₤3,000 and hunt worker Glenn Morris was fined ₤250 in Magistrates’ Court after a two-day trial.. The prosecution was bolstered by a video taken by hunt monitors […]
Saxonburg Hunt Extends Its Season in South Carolina
Author Hugh Robards is huntsman of the Saxonburg Hounds (PA). / Alex Farnham photoThe foxhounds of the Saxonburg Hunt in Pennsylvania now have a winter kennel in South Carolina of which full advantage is taken from January 1 to the end of March each year. Since Mr. Floyd Wine, MFH invested in property close to the small town of Salley (population about 450 and home of the annual Chitlin Strut!), the harsh Pennsylvanian winters are no longer an obstacle to continued hunting.
As the country hunted is shared with the Edisto River Hounds it was decided this year to have a Hunt Festival Week. Each pack hunted on alternate days with tailgate parties, dinner parties, and a Hunt Ball thrown in for good measure.
Who Carries the White Whip?
Huntsman John Tabachka“Are MFHs supposed to carry white whips?” asks John Tabachka, huntsman for the Sewickely Hunt (PA).
While there are slight differences in the answers from our experts, the common thread seems to place the white whip properly in the hands of those who deal with hounds in the field, either as huntsman or whipper-in. That said, as always, the Master may do anything he or she likes!
One thing you can always count on from Foxhunting Life‘s Panel of Experts: they speak their minds!
Essential Information
Not long after my wife and I moved to Clarke County, Virginia, a new rector was hired by the Episcopal Church in Millwood. He was taken aside by one of the old, established landowners who wanted to help him acclimate to his new surroundings.
“You are a very important personage in the community,” said the landowner helpfully, “but do you know who is the most important?”
“No, who?” asked the rector.
“The Master of Foxhounds,” said the landowner.
In the light of the importance of rank and the start of a new social season, FHL thought that we should provide hosts and hostesses with some helpful advice on correct seating arrangements for your next dinner party.
Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Foxhounds: An Oasis in Suburbia
If you want to see stunning hunting country, I commend you to FHL’s latest Photo Gallery slide show. We feature Elisabeth Harpham’s lovely photos of Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Foxhounds in Unionville, Pennsylvania.
The Cheshire hunting country is an oasis between the developed suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware. This is hunting country for any foxhunter to drool over. But you have to know that country like that just doesn’t happen by a stroke of luck. It’s the product of years of commitment by strong-willed individuals determined to protect what they have.