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Big Sky Hounds, Three Forks, Montana. Photo by Gretchen Pelham.
If you are in Montana, you need to hunt with the Big Sky Hounds. Great hounds, great country, great people. It is, as their website says, “Foxhunting Montana-Style.”
They are the real deal.
Professional Huntsman Kami Bitting at the 2022 Opening Meet for De la Brooke Foxhounds. Photo by Gunnar Eskeland.
The 2022 Opening Meet for De la Brooke Foxhounds in Maryland offered us two striking images - one in stark relief and one in full sunshine.
Photo by Gretchen Pelham.
Everyone has their tricks and quirks to prepare for the day’s hunt. I have learned several tricks or hacks over the years that prevent problems or make things easier. Below are twenty tips that might also be helpful to you.
Billy Dodson, huntsman for Thorton Hill Hounds, circa 2013. Photo by Gretchen Pelham.
Lewis William "Billy" Dodson, 76, of Sperryville, died Friday, December 2, 2022, at his residence surrounded by his loving family. He was born April 5, 1946, in Rappahannock County, VA to the late Ollie Dodson and Eva Clark Dodson.
Sedgefield Hunt's coyotes are masters at sneaking by unnoticed. Photo by Edward Haynes.
Edward Haynes was in the right place at the right time to catch this coyote dart right in front of him, unlike the unsuspecting gentleman in the background who was sorely out of luck on this day with Sedgefield Hunt in North Carolina.
Big Sky Hounds, winter image in relief. Photo by Scott Allsbrook.
Big Sky Hounds, with its pack of Walker Hounds, is the northernmost (latitudinal) cold-country pack in North America. The kennels are also located exactly at the confluence of the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallatin Rivers that create the Missouri River. We can hunt through winter because Montana doesn’t have as much snow or lake-effect weather as some Canadian counterparts. However, the extreme seasonal temperatures and conditions of Montana do present unique challenges to maintaining a happy, healthy pack of hounds, fit horses, and a predictable hunting schedule.
Aiken Hounds MFH Linda Knox Mclean vs the hungry pack. Photo by Jeff Hendrickson.
Jeff Hendrickson took this wonderful photo on Thanksgiving of Linda Knox McLean, MFH of Aiken Hounds in South Carolina, trying to keep the biscuits away from the pack! Such joy is seen on all faces, as it should be on Thanksgiving Day.
A few Meltonians sport blue birdseye stocks under their scarlet coats in this painting by Sir Francis Grant (1839)
Several years ago, Foxhunting Life published a story about an attractive item of attire from foxhunting’s earliest days―the blue birdseye stock tie. Eye-catching and colorful, it can be seen in eighteenth-century foxhunting prints if you look closely.
Piedmont Fox Hounds 2022 Opening Meet featuring whipper-ins Michele St. Once and John Dean, with huntsman Jordan Hicks in the center. Photo by Douglas Lees.
It's now the season of braided hunt horses, spotless turn-out, tally ho wagons, and outdoor blessings. In other words, it’s time for Opening Meet! Douglas Lees was a very busy photographer in Virginia recently as he attended Opening Meets for Piedmont Fox Hounds, Old Dominion Hunt, and Warrenton Hunt.
Blair Snivley and Blaze at the 2022 MFHA FHC Virginia Qualifier. Meredith Newman photo.
This past weekend Blair Snively and her horse Blaze, members of the Bedford County Hunt, competed at the MFHA Field Hunter Championship Qualifier hosted by Deep Run Hunt at the Pine Crest Farm in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia. Not to highlight only the competitive winners (like there were just two riders the whole day) but let us feature the rest of the riders who just want to show up and have fun on the horses that they love. Despite the long day. Despite new, now-forbidden equine romances. Despite our horses deciding, “I’m out!” Blair’s recount of the day is a great representation of why we love to compete in these Field Hunter competitions.
Steph Burch has some wonderful images from several English foxhunts this season. They show both the highs and lows of our sport or shall I say the dry and wet?
Duke of Beauforts Foxhounds 2022 Opening Meet. Photo by Steph Burch Photography.
James Tonery has a fun video of hunting with Mission Valley for their 2022 Opening Meet.
James Tonery is from Galway, Ireland. His farm in Ireland revolved around selling horses, leasing hunt hirelings, and trekking tours. Trip Advisor has a Hall of Fame (who knew?) where James’ trekking tour business is honored. James moved from Ireland to Rhode Island in March 2020 to be an equine professor at James Wales University. That’s when he got the idea to visit a hunt in every state. Recently he visited Kansas to hunt with Mission Valley Hunt for their 2022 Opening Meet. The huntsman for Mission Valley, Ryan Beer, loaned him a horse. Enjoy the video!
Orginially Published on November 13, 2022.
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