A Last Chance at Foxhunting Musical History

Details: Literature; By Norman Fine

The Songs of Foxhunting

“Foxhunting and music are as inseparable as bread and butter, whether it be the music of hounds, of the horn, or of ‘John Peel,’” wrote the late Alexander Mackay-Smith in the preface to his 1974 book, The Songs of Foxhunting.

The 411 on Working Foxhounds to Non-Hunting Neighbors

Details: Hounds; By Gretchen Pelham

Norfolk Hunt 7 NY RuthWorks Photography Oct 2022 Norfolk Hunt in New York this past October 2022. Photo Credit RuthWorks Photography.

*I wrote this a few years ago to be helpful to my neighborhood of non-foxhunters. Hopefully more will find it useful to educate new landowners or neighbors to kennels.

Much of the population has never lived near a kennel of working dogs. And sometimes one of these non-hunting neighbors will find a lone hound on hunt day. Some have expressed concern upon finding a lone hound, shivering in the cold temperatures after a day’s hunting. This article is to give a bit of education to those non-hunting neighbors on working hounds and the sport of Foxhunting.

Some of the concerns of the non-hunting public about finding or seeing a lone foxhound out and about after a day’s hunting are that the hound is too skinny, the hound must be neglected because it’s all by itself out in bad weather, or the hound must be mistreated because it is acting skittish and is hard to catch. These concerns are addressed below.

A Disabled Veteran Completes the Mongol Derby

Details: People; By Gretchen Pelham

Reid Albano in 2023 Mongol Derby paint pony spooky Photo Credit Kathy Gabriel Reid Albano in the 2023 Mongol Derby riding a spooky paint. Photo Credit Kathy Gabriel.

Reid Albano is retired from the military (Army Captain, Ranger, paratrooper, and amputee) and has been foxhunting on and off since he was a child. He is currently a member of Santa Fe West Hills Hunt in Southern California as a Whipper-In. His list of accomplishments is impressive, but the most inspirational of them all is being the first disabled rider to complete what is considered the world’s toughest and longest horse race, the Mongol Derby.

Belonging

Details: Gretchen Pelham's Blog; By Gretchen Pelham

WFBOH10 052k Photo by Gretchen Pelham.

Thank you all for your patience this summer while I recovered from surgery. My main motivation for surgery was to get back in the hunt field again, either in the saddle or as a road whip. As I was unable to sit down for almost a year, neither of those options was open to me to continue in the hunt field.

For clarification, I did have to have spinal reconstruction surgery. But I wasn’t worried or second-guessing the decision because this massive surgery was the only option that would get me back in the hunt field. My vertebras were “falling off each other”. So now I have an almost 2-foot scar from 12 fused vertebrae, two titanium rods, and 26 screws that are each 3 inches long. I’ll never be able to dance the twist or bend at the waist again, but I did get 1.25 inches taller!

A Funny Thing Happened

Details: Literature; By Gretchen Pelham

"A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Fox Den", by J. Harris Anderson.

Gordon Chandler Keys (1933-2023)

Details: Remembrance; By Gretchen Pelham

Gordy Keys Gordie Keys (on the right) hunting with Piedmont Fox Hounds in 1991. Photo by Douglas Lees.

Gordy Keys died last week in Middleburg, Virginia. This was a huge loss for the hunting and racing community in Virginia.

Dead Cat Corner

Details: Strictly Fun; By Gretchen Pelham

Llama Drama Hill at Tennessee Valley Hunt's Opening Meet in 2011. Photo by Gretchen Pelham.

When I lived in Middle Tennessee in between the grand metropolis (*sarcastic) of Fly and the trendy town (*actually true) of Leipers Fork, I would give directions to my home that went, "When you see the yella dawg, turn left.” Because there was always this yellow dog laying right in the middle of the street at the required turn. Every day. Rain or shine. That yella dawg - er yellow dog - kept vigil on his post for years.

British Podcast on the Joys and Impact of Foxhunting

Details: Our Hunting World; By Tiffany Evitts

Podcast TVH hounds Photo by Gretchen Pelham.

“On Hunting” is a new podcast out of England where, as we know, mounted foxhunting with hounds has been banned since 2004. Its aim is to change the public’s perception of hunting in an effort to save it. The reasons behind the ban on traditional fox hunting are not based on fact, nor are they in the interest of animal welfare whatsoever, but rather on animal rights groups who have convinced virtue-signaling politicians to take up their cause for money, votes, and power. There is a huge difference between animal welfare and animal rights, as is explained in some episodes.