Foxhunting Life with Horse and Hound

Huntsman Andy Bozdan and whipper-in Erin Doyle, both at the Tennessee Valley Hunt, have announced their engagement. The couple plan to marry in May.

London-born Bozdan is in his first season hunting hounds in the U.S. Prior to his arrival at the Tennessee Valley, he was huntsman of the Barwon foxhounds in southern Australia.

Andy and Erin met in September, and, after a whirlwind romance, happily look forward to their new life together. Erin who whips-in as an amateur, fully appreciates that “being a huntsman’s wife is no easy task,” but she is looking forward to the challenge!

Andy says, “I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would find a woman who ticks all the boxes, but Erin does! She has made me so very happy, and I can’t wait to move to our new kennels and home in Greenville.”

Posted January 10, 2012

Andy Bozdan is the new huntsman for the Tennessee Valley Hunt. Here he calls in the Barwon hounds after a sharp hunt in Victoria, southern Australia.A dear friend used to keep a reminder tacked to her refrigerator. It was all about attitude. The essence of it was that attitude is the most important aspect in life. And it’s really the only thing over which we have total control.

The Tennessee Valley Hunt just hired a new huntsman—Andy Bozdan—who will soon arrive in the States. Andy sent an email to his new hunt, introducing himself and explaining his perceptions of the job. It is so brimming with good attitude that, rather than extracting a few facts for a brief News bulletin, I thought you might enjoy reading Andy’s entire message. He wrote:

The Masters and Hunt Committee of the Tennessee Valley Hunt (TN) have announced the appointment of Samuel “Sandy” Beall as Joint-Master of Foxhounds.

Beall is founder and CEO of Ruby Tuesday, and his wife Kreis is founder of Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee. A Relais and Cheateau Resort, Blackberry Farm hosts hunting at the Three Sisters fixture and offers superb hunt breakfasts at the estate. Sandy and Kreis’s son Sam is proprietor of Blackberry Farm.

Sandy and Kreis started riding to hounds with the Tennessee Valley Hunt in 1998, and a love affair with foxhunting began.

"I am more committed than ever to the sport and being part of something great!” said Sandy upon accepting the Mastership. “I am excited that Kreis is enthused about hunting, and we look forward to great times in the field. I hope my business and hospitality experience will add value to the hunt and the post hunt food and celebration. I believe camaraderie and fun, with happy hunt people, makes the experience whole."

Beall joins four other Joint-Masters of the hunt: Carla Hawkinson, Grosvenor Merle-Smith, Rosemary Merle-Smith, and Gretchen Pelham.

Posted May 12, 2011

Chad Wilkes moves from Camden to Blue Ridge / Karen Myers photo

By common agreement among hunts and professional hunt staff, April 30/May 1 is the long-accepted transition date for hunt staff changes. In a round robin of moves, the Blue Ridge Hunt (VA), Camden Hunt (SC), and Old Dominion Hounds (VA) all connected and cooperated in making changes for the upcoming season effective this date.

After two seasons as second whipper-in at Blue Ridge, Ross Salter was hired by Old Dominion to whip-in to professional huntsman Gerald Keal there.

With that opening and huntsman Dennis Downing having given his notice of resignation to be effective one year from now, April 30, 2012, the Blue Ridge Masters looked to the future and hired Chad Wilkes, Camden huntsman for the past nine seasons, as kennel huntsman. Wilkes will whip-in to Downing during that huntsman’s last season at Blue Ridge.

Downing looks forward to continuing hunting hounds, but has not yet decided where that will be.

To fill the huntsman’s opening at Camden, the Camden Masters brought back former huntsman Kurt Krucke. Krucke hunted the Camden hounds from 1996 to 2004, most recently serving as huntsman for the Tennessee Valley Hunt (last season) and the Flat Branch Foxhounds in Aiken, South Carolina for six seasons.

Posted May 1, 2011

Ross Salter moves from Blue Ridge to Old Dominion / Karen Myers photo

Kurt Krucke moves from the Tennessee Valley Hunt back to the Camden Hunt / Gretchen Pelham photo

Leica eventing at age 24. She placed third because she was too fast cross country.

Leica was a remarkable horse whose career took her from incorrigible youngster with a vicious buck to an impressive third-place finish at age twenty-four in the grueling MFHA Centennial Field Hunter Championship. She was still hunting and showing at age twenty-seven, when she had to be humanely euthanized as the result of a pasture injury.

With her bloodlines and dazzling good looks, Leica was primed to be an outstanding dressage horse. An imported bay with touches of white, she was registered Hanoverian (by Lindberg, out of St. Pr. Kari) who was also entered in the main stud book of the RPSI (Rheinland Pfalz Saar International) and Holsteiner registries.

But after abuse from trainers who pushed her too far too fast, Leica had other ideas, says owner Julie Whitlock McKee of Grantville, Georgia. McKee acquired the hard-headed mare at age four after the trainers gave up on her. The pair did not get off to an auspicious start, with Leica rearing the first time McKee threw a leg over her. Rearing and bucking would become a regular occurrence.