Foxhunting Life with Horse and Hound

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 rare piece of Rene Lalique’s art brings to seven the count of such fox figurines known to exist.

Lalique’s auto mascots, which included various other figures such as horses, mermaids, saints, and seminude female forms gained momentum in 1925 at the Art Deco exposition in Paris. The artist created twenty-seven mascots in all, but few remain intact since life on the road in those days was dangerous to the life of a glass figurine boldly leading the way.

A complete set of Lalique’s radiator ornaments, expected to bring between $800,000 and $1,200,000, will be offered at auction by RM Auctions in Florida on March 10, 2012 in conjunction with the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Only three complete sets are known to exist.

Read more in Phil Patton’s article in the New York Times.

Posted March 5, 2012

Exaggerated and sexually fetish-ized riding apparel designed by Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci was featured in his fall-winter fashion show in Paris this season. Jodphurs, horse blinder shaped earrings, and tall riding boots were shown. See the Associated Press report for more details.

It’s nice to know we’re fashionable every twenty years or so. Or is it?

Posted March 5, 2012

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 cases the profession is passed down from generation to generation.  The eagle is the hunter’s most treasured and respected possession and is fed before the rest of the family. Slivers of bite-sized fox meat for the bird are first carefully rinsed of blood, which is said to fatten the eagle and cool its hunting ardor.

Emmie V. Abadilla wrote of her adventure with a berkutchi family in the Manilla Bulletin, and explains the dangerous job of capturing a female fledgling (females grow bigger and hunt more aggressively that the males), welcoming her with honor into the family, teaching her to balance on the hunter’s arm while riding, and training her with lures. This is Part 2 of five parts and can be read in full from this link.

Part 3 tells of the hunt. Here’s an excerpt:

“Suddenly, the wranglers shouted. Then they were scrabbling for stones and hurling them to flush out the fox. Something yellow streaked below. Tekei released his eagle. She circled above us then swooped down in a flash. Locked together, eagle and fox rolled downhill in a cloud of snow and dust.”

The final trick is to retrieve the fox from the clutches of the eagle as she stands victorious over her prey, her nine-foot wings spread wide to hide her catch. Surely this is foxhunting in its most exotic incarnation!

Posted February 27, 2012

The proposed measure in the Virginia General Assembly to ban fox penning has been shelved for a year. More than an hour of testimony was presented to the Senate Agriculture Committee at a meeting crowded with animal rights advocates and pro-hunting forces.

Supporters of the bill argued that the practice is inhumane and often ends in the death of the fox. Hunters maintained that it’s a safe and secure way to train young hounds, and that escape earths are provided to ensure the safety of the fox.

Hunters also said that the practice has been wrongfully portrayed. The purpose, they maintain, is to train hounds—not to kill foxes.

Senators expressed confusion at the wide variance in how fox pens are portrayed by the opposing sides. Bob Duncan, Director of Virginia’s Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, who has visited fox pens, said that while the pens aren’t as portrayed by some proponents of the bill, there are probably improvements that could be made in the protocol for the benefit of the foxes, and he was certain that responsible hunters would work with the department to achieve those ends.

Action on the bill was continued to 2013.

Read Chelyen Davis’s complete article in The Free Lance-Star.

Posted February 14, 2012