Brian Kiely Is New Huntsman at Potomac

Details: People; By Norman Fine

Brian Kiely and the Myopia foxhounds / Ashley Hill photo

Brian Kiely knows he will have big boots to fill when Larry Pitts, huntsman for the Potomac Hunt (MD), retires after thirty-five seasons there. Brian spent a weekend recently with the Potomac Masters, had a chance to hunt with Larry, and accepted the position of huntsman starting next season.

“The way Larry conducted himself, the way the hounds related to him, was poetry,” said Brian. “It was a fabulous experience just to watch him.”

“I remember seeing Larry some years ago at the Virginia Foxhound Show,” Brian continued. “Hounds from hunts all over were arriving at the kennels...nervous...running off...and there was Larry, calmly walking his pack through all the confusion, without a care.”

Huntsmen on the Move: 2015

Details: People; By Norman Fine

jordan hicks.tryon.erik olsen Huntsman Jordan Hicks moves from the Tryon Hounds to the Piedmont Fox Hounds / Erik Olsen photoAs we approach the close of the 2014/2015 foxhunting season, here’s our report on thirteen hunts that have either hired or will require a new huntsman for next season. We have already featured personal close-ups of three of the migrating huntsmen—Guy Allman, Brian Kiely, and Graham Buston—and we plan to bring you more.

We invite readers to fill us in on any moves that we’ve missed. We also invite you to send us a personal profile on any of these huntsmen that we can publish as a feature article. Or, just send us the information, and we’ll write the story. Use the “Contact Us” link that appears at the bottom of every screen to communicate directly with me, and be sure to include your phone number.

What follows is foxhunting’s version of musical chairs.

Graham Buston Is New Huntsman at Blue Ridge

Details: People; By Martha A. Woodham

graham buston.bear creek.alicia frese Graham Buston and the Bear Creek Hounds in Georgia / Alicia Frese photo

When this season wraps up, Bear Creek Hounds huntsman Graham V. Buston will bid Georgia good-bye and head to Clarke County, Virginia as the new huntsman for the Blue Ridge Hunt. While he is excited about the position, the leave-taking comes with some regrets—the wonderful friends he and his wife, Sheri, have made; some excellent hunting territory in Georgia; and that he will not get to hunt the results of the breeding program he started.

In the Footsteps of a Huntsman

Details: People; By Laura Riley, DVM

From London's streets to Virginia’s hunt country

bozdan and hounds.cropped.laura riley Huntsman Andy Bozdan and the Loudoun Fairfax hounds / Laura Riley photo

The job: huntsman. The man: Andrew Bozdan—leader of fifty couple of Old English foxhounds. One hundred canines. How is this possible? In all my life as a dog owner, I’ve only had a handful who actually came when I called. How is it that we mortals have such difficulty in getting our dogs to sit and come and not potty in the house, while this man steers his entire pack in an apparently seamless manner.

The answer is, as always, nothing is ever as easy as it looks. Before the man appears in public, seated atop his skewbald gelding, wearing his scarlet coat, and blowing his copper horn to speak to the mass of hounds seething below, one heck of a lot of work happens and many miles are traveled.