Southern Hound Show
Grand Champion Fox River Valley Nightcap 2009 / Jim Meads photoBlessed with perfect weather, the fifth annual Southern Hound show (“Stars of the South!”) was held on April 9 in Monticello, Florida. Having been prevented from attending in 2010 by volcanic ash over Europe, Judge Martin Scott, ex MFH Vale of the White Horse and photographer Jim Meads were on hand this year to enjoy seeing quite a few truly quality hounds being presented. Mr. Scott was ably assisted by co-judge Mr. J.W.Y. Martin, MFH, Green Spring Valley Hounds. The apprentice judge was Mrs. George Thomas, MFH, Why Worry Hounds.
Hunt Breakfast Recipe Contest Winners
Juliet Mackay-Smith, chef and proprietor of Locke Modern Country Store
Results are in for our Hunt Breakfast Recipe Contest! Our judge Juliet Mackay-Smith has made her selections, and we will pin the winning recipes with a blue ribbon within the website so readers will know which recipes have received these honors.
“Born into a foxhunting family, I have had first-hand experience of what makes for satisfying fare at a hunt breakfast…both for the hosts to prepare and for the guests to consume,” said Mackay-Smith.
Bacon Bombs
These can be made ahead and warmed, can stay warmed for hours, and can be refrigerated after cooking and served warm the next days or so. Even well received at room temperature.
My party guests would mutiny if I did not serve them. My five year old grandson helps me make them.
A Boxing Day Meet in South Carolina
We had the South Carolina version of a blizzard on Boxing Day, but we and some of our hardiest of members decided to brave the elements and go hunting anyway. It had rained all night then turned to sleet and snow, which carried on all day and into the evening. Cancelling was an option but not one we wanted to use. We have always hunted on Boxing Day since the hunt was started, so we hated the thought of missing it this year, especially since the scenting would hopefully be better and we were meeting at our favorite fixture.
Nation’s Top Horse Trainers Gather for Michael Richardson Benefit
I spent a grand week in Aiken, South Carolina recently and had a chance to hunt with George and Jeannie Thomas, MFHs of the Why Worry Hounds (See Hunt Report below). I stayed with my friend Art Richardson, ex-MFH of the Wayne-Du Page Hunt in Illinois. Art hunts with the Aiken packs and brings his two grand-daughters, Mackenzie and Virginia, to visit and hunt with him as often as possible. Life is good for us.
Well…for most of us. For Art’s son Michael, life could be better. Michael is a horseman and was a foxhunter in his younger years. At the age of twenty, Michael was involved in an automobile accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. That’s not the current problem, though.
Why Worry?
Charles Sainsbury-Plaice photo
“Would you like to ride up with me?” asked George Thomas, MFH and huntsman of the Why Worry Hounds. Thomas is a direct descendant of the Bywaters family of Virginia—renowned foxhound breeders of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries—and he hunts a pack of Crossbred hounds, most of which carry the old Bywaters bloodlines. The meet was at Basset Hill in Aiken, South Carolina, home of Ward and Mary Lou Welsh. I was being offered a chance to watch a lovely pack of hounds work their country.
Why Worry Quiche
This quiche is a hardy dish with great flavor.
Why Worry Hounds Big Winners at Carolinas
The Why Worry Hounds and MFHs George and Jeannie Thomas made bold statements at the Carolinas Hound Show on May 15, winning Championships in the Crossbred and English rings and going home with the Grand Champion Foxhound of the Show.