The Blue Ridge Hunt was organized in 1888, but this gently rolling grassland in the Valley of the Shenandoah echoed to the music of hounds, the huntsman’s horn, and the rhythm of galloping horses long before that time. A youthful George Washington regularly followed the hounds of his friend and employer Thomas, sixth Lord Fairfax nearly three hundred years ago over the very same hills and fields and along the same twists and turns of the Shenandoah River as do the Blue Ridge hounds today.
Website: www.blueridgehunt.org
I was an outrider at the Blue Ridge Fall Races on Saturday. Besides the fact that I love sitting on a horse and that outriding is a great way to see the races, it’s also a habit. I’ve been doing it on the Woodley racecourse in Berryville, Virginia for twenty-five years. The sun was shining in a brilliant blue sky, my horse looked handsome, the hospitality tent was filled with delicious food, and all was right with the world. Until it wasn’t.
Cubhunting is now underway in most hunting countries, and the early morning slanting light is a photographer’s wish come true. Some stunning photos are coming our way, and we will be sharing them with you. For a sample of Karen Myers’ photographic art on opening day of the Blue Ridge cubhunting season, click on Photo Gallery, under the Horse and Hound drop-down menu. Watch here for Old Dominion, Mill Creek, and other photo slide shows to follow.
Photographers, we invite you to submit 12–18 of your best shots in your hunting countries, include captions, and we will post them in our Gallery as slide shows with credit to you and links back to your email or website so others may find you.
September 8, 2010
May 31, 2010
It wasn’t enough that Linda Armbrust, MFH had secured two of the world’s foremost judges—Nigel Peel, MFH of the North Cotswold (UK) and C. Martin Wood III, MFH of the Live Oak Hounds (FL)—to judge the Blue Ridge Hunt Puppy Show. She and her judges got together and stunned spectators at ringside when she invited a special panel of venerable Masters to judge the final Championship Class of the day.
Not often does a property come on the market that features stunning views, historic references, original detailing, famous residents, three houses, a traditional fixture each hunting season, and a commanding presence in the community. Such a property is Woodley, a remarkable 383-acre working farm situated in the heart of the Blue Ridge Hunt country, positioned high on a ridge offering exceptional views of the Blue Ridge and Massanutten Mountains, and its own point-to-point course.