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2022 Opening Meet of Mission Valley Hunt. Photo by Olivia Daniella Photography.
Kansas photographer Olivia Danielle Long attended Mission Valley Hunt’s 2022 Opening Meet at the Fin and Feather fixture in Kansas, and it brought it back memories of foxhunting as a teenager.
The leaves are starting to change and the mornings are getting a little cooler, that means it's time to pull out the stock tie and fill up your flask. Depending on where you are in America, your hunting season might have already started, either way, Equilibrium could give both you and your horse the balance you need.
Virginia Field Hunter Championships. Photo by Liz Caller.
At the start of every hunt season, several field hunter competitions showcase the skills of hunt members and their mounts. The nature of our sport doesn’t usually lend itself easily to competition, so each venue has come up with creative ways to quantify the skills needed to ride to hounds. Some competitions lean more towards jumping skills in an arena, while others try to keep as close to the hunt field as possible. These competitions can be a fun way for members to tune up their mounts for the hunt season. A few of the unique tasks required from competitors during individual rounds are opening and closing a gate while mounted, dropping a rail while mounted, halting from a hand gallop, dismounting and remounting from a stone wall, blowing a horn, and cracking a whip to name a few. Usually, only hunt members in good standing with their hunt clubs riding horses that are considered to have been fairly hunted are allowed to compete.
Bull Run Hunt photo by Gretchen Pelham
An over-110-year-old fox hunting club is updating its kennel.
Leilani Gray photo by Dana Burke.
Leilani Gray gives a hunt report of a very popular hunt that occurred early in October in southern Middle Tennessee. This is Leilani's first season as the Huntsman for Hillsboro Hounds. Her husband Johnny Gray retired at the end of last season.
Photo by Gretchen Pelham
Mark Pearson, Joint Master and Huntsman for the South Dorset Hunt, was found guilty this October of illegal hunting. A video of Pearson was taped by hunt saboteurs that allegedly showed him “encouraging” the pack to kill a fox, violating the Hunting Act 2004. The incident occurred last December 2021 in Dorset, located in southwest England.
"Well Done, Chaps!" by Cathy Antkes Choyce.
Cathy Antkes Choyce drew this wonderful scene, showing those “invisible tethers” that tie a hound to the huntsman.
Allison Howell, DVM, is a member of the Belle Meade Hunt in Georgia, and she is also a great photographer. She has written down some helpful hints on getting superior photos from the hunt field.
Belle Meade Hunt (GA). Photo by Allison Howell Images
Photo from the 2007 MFHA Centennial Fieldhunter Championships, by Gretchen Pelham
The 2022–2023 hunting season becomes the foxhunters’ year of the horse as the Masters of Foxhounds Association (the “MFHA”) organizes a series of horse competitions across North America. The MFHA Field Hunter Championship is more than a celebration of the foxhunting horse; it’s a chance to earn regional and national field hunter titles that distinguish riders and their hunts. Additionally, it's an opportunity for hunts to raise funds.
The Master and Huntsman for Red Oak Foxhounds gives a hunt report back in the heat of August. Her favorite hound, Red Oak Alice, didn’t disappoint.
Red Oak Foxhounds cooling off in the pond after their run. Photo by Theresa Miller
Sarah Martin Photo
Sarah Martin, MFH and Huntsman for Ozark Highland Hounds in southern Missouri, got inventive when she decided to have custom leatherwork made to solve her appointments issue.
Big Sky Hounds Montana Hunt Country, Photo by Gretchen Pelham
There are many commonly used phrases to warn fellow foxhunters of perils when riding outside of the arena. Such as “Ware wire!” and “Ware hole!”. Out West, there has been a worrisome increase in rattlesnake numbers during this Autumn Hunting season. The Big Sky Hounds just announced they must cancel their next hunt and will move some of their future fixtures due to increased rattlesnake activity. They had a horse and hound get bitten just this weekend. Also, a Big Sky Hounds member was recently bitten by the most venomous rattlesnake in the world, with a one-in-a-million adverse reaction.
Some research on bites from rattlesnakes with the Center for Disease Control found estimates that between 7,000-8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year, with about five or 0.07% of those people dying. Horse mortality rates from snake bites are approximately 9%, mainly with small foals or unhealthy, elderly horses. Most horses get bitten on the nose due to their curiosity. This presents the complication of nasal passage swelling to a point that prevents breathing. The mortality rate for canines bitten by snakes is about 5%. There is a preventive vaccine and an anti-venom for canines. However, both options are so expensive that they are not practical for a whole kennel of hounds.
Fair Warning – the two stories below will have two photos of rattlesnakes.
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