FOXHUNTING LOSES A LEGEND | WOFFORD’S FAMILY LEGACY | TIPS FOR WHIPS
THE MAGAZINE OF MOUNTED FOXHUNTING
WINTER 2017 • $5.00
s J o h n C o l e s 2 0 17 s
“A Virginia Horseman Specializing in Virginia Horse Properties” oAkeNDALe
rALLywooD
greeN gArDeN
The epitome of an exquisite Virginia hunt country estate in prime Orange County Hunt territory. From the William Lawrence Bottomley designed Manor house to the meticulously manicured gardens, grounds, dependencies and the hundreds of acres of surrounding pastures with protected view-sheds. 333 acres @ $8,990,000 or 837 acres @ $17,990,000
World class equestrian facility comprised of 115 Acres in the OCH Territory. The U shaped complex encompasses an 80’ x 180’ lighted indoor riding arena connected by a breezeway to the 12 stall center-aisle barn and extraordinary living and entertaining quarters overlooking the outdoor ring. Additional structures include tenant houses and large heated equipment barn. $4,750,000
c.1823, with a stunning tree lined entrance, offers one of the grand manor homes in the famed horse country of Upperville and Piedmont Hunt. Recently renovated, the home offers wonderful indoor and outdoor living areas. Porches, gardens, barns, paddocks, riding arena, pond, pool and magnificent mountain views. $3,200,000
wAVerLy fArM
LANDMArk
MeADowgroVe
A graceful & charming 5 bedroom French Country home is set amongst nearly 40 serene acres enhanced by majestic trees, rolling lawns and fenced paddocks. This wonderful horse property also includes an 7 stall center-aisle barn with office, additional 4 stall barn with apartment, indoor arena, and tremendous ride out potential. Located in the OCH Territory. $3,200,000
Stone posts and walls mark the entrance to the 133 acre estate of Landmark. As the driveway gently rises, and circles in front of the handsome two-story stone manor house, one notices that the home is sited perfectly to enjoy the expansive mountain views from the Bull Run to the Blue Ridge. The setting for this 4 bedroom, 4 bath residence is further heightened by the massive boxwoods and the stately trees. $3,150,000
Breathtaking mountain views and glistening spring fed 10 acre lake, create a magical setting for this stunning historic estate. Encompassing over 180 gorgeous acres features include a stone and stucco 16 room residence with an ultra modern gourmet kitchen, new tiled baths and separate 2 bedroom guest wing. The 10 stall stable & new tennis court complete this fabulous estate. $2,995,000
DeSTiNAire fArM
Impeccably maintained, this exquisite 118 acre horse farm has 10 fields and paddocks of 4 board fencing, gently rolling land & panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mtns. In addition to the stucco and stone main residence, there are guest and tenant homes, numerous barns and run-ins to house 25 horses comfortably, an indoor dressage ring, outdoor arena and pond. $2,750,000
Deer creek
MiDDLeburg LAND
145+ acres of land in sought after location on Mountville Road near Foxcroft School. Several home sites with wonderful views and vistas yet extremely private, half wooded and half pasture with over 2,000’ of Goose Creek frontage. Minutes from Middleburg with easy access to Dulles International Airport and Washington DC. Middleburg Hunt Territory. $2,465,250
Exquisite 4 Bedroom, 4 Bath Colonial on 25 acres offering privacy & seclusion. The 3 level main residence includes 4 fireplaces, pine floors, Living Room, Dining Room, Family Room, study & a fabulous gourmet kitchen, all in pristine condition.The manicured grounds incl. a charming 2 Bedroom Guest house, free form pool, 4 stall barn, 5 paddocks, lg equip.building, blue stone arena. $1,795,000
LAND
NorwooD
riDgeView
POTTS MILL ROAD - with frontage on Little River, Open Space Easement, rolling fields with mature hardwood forest, Orange County Hunt Territory, great ride out, very private, within 5 miles of the village of Middleburg, views in all directions. 316.85 acres $5,756,500 179.1 acres $3,222,000 137.74 acres $2,534,500 The 176 Acre Estate is approx. 1 mile east of Berryville. An allee of mature Maple trees line the long driveway of the manor house, c. 1819, listed in the National Register as, “One of Clarke County’s most elegant, intact examples of the Federal style of architecture.” The brick home offers 11’ ceiling height, original flooring, moldings, gracious entertaining rooms, 3 bedrooms and 3+ baths. $1,700,000
GREEN GARDEN ROAD - Beautiful rolling land with excellent views of the Blue Ridge just outside of Upperville. 93+ Acres in a great location. This is a portion of Tax ID#:656382092000 and is subject to Loudoun County approval. $1,397,173
This lovely 22.8 Acre farm offers a private, 4 bedroom residence sited on a knoll, with spacious rooms and views into the trees that border Little River. Located in prime Orange County Hunt territory the horse facilities include a 6 stall barn with tack room and wash stall, machine shed, run in shed and 4 beautiful board fenced paddocks, fields and round pen. VOF Easement. $1,095,000
Offers subject to errors, omissions, change of price or withdrawal without notice. Information contained herein is deemed reliable, but is not so warranted nor is it otherwise guaranteed.
(540) 270-0094 THOMAS AND TALBOT REAL ESTATE (540) 687-6500
Middleburg, Virginia 20118
www.Thomas-Talbot.com
WINTER 2017 • VOLUME 8, NUMBER 4
Features 16 THE WOFFORD FOXHUNTING LEGACY BY DENNIS FOSTER
The eventing legend comes from a family of foxhunters.
22 HUNT TO TRAIN BY KEITH GRAY, MFH
Foxhunting helps these riders perfect their equestrian pursuits.
26
Page 16
WHIPPING LEISHMANIASIS BY AMY ENGLE
The Wofford legacy goes back to the Olympics.
IN EACH ISSUE:
8
34
MFHA Foundation-funded research shows promising results.
From the Executive Director p.2 From the Publisher p.4 Gone Away p.6 Last Run of the Day p.48
THE CLUB Why We Hunt, part 3, and an Ode to Why Worry
38
ASK THE HUNTSMAN
40
BETTER HUNTING The life of the faux fox
EDITOR’S HOLIDAY PICKS Our annual gift guide
42
BETTER RIDING So you want to whip-in?
46
FARE & FLASK Hunts’ Holiday Fare
ON OUR COVER: Ben Hardaway III, taken in 2009 by Andy Anderson for a profile in Garden and Gun magazine.
WINTER 2017 | 1
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
A New Image
I
2 | COVERTSIDE
www.mfha.com
OFFICERS Patrick A. Leahy, MFH • President Leslie Crosby, MFH • First Vice-President Penny Denegre, MFH • Second Vice-President Joseph Kent, ex-MFH • Secretary-Treasurer David Twiggs • Executive Director
MFHA FOUNDATION Patrick A. Leahy, MFH • President PO Box 363, Millwood, VA 22646 (540) 955-5680
HUNT STAFF BENEFIT FOUNDATION Nancy Stahl, MFH • President PO Box 363, Millwood, VA 22646 (540) 955-5680
COVERTSIDE EDITORIAL BOARD
LIZ CALLAR
t has been a fantastic beginning to the Hark Forward hunting season. We’ve been enjoying performance and field hunter trials, and joint meets, all supporting our new headquarters. We are so blessed to be part of such a dynamic group of friends, new and old, who are members of the MFHA. It is about those relationships and the common goals of improving sport, strengthening our hunts, and protecting the beautiful countryside that is vital to continued hunting. I had the opportunity to meet many of our counterparts from England, France, and New Zealand at our recent meeting of the International Union of Hunting with Hounds in Canada. One primary issue of discussion was the “brand” of foxhunting. For too long we have allowed others to define our image. How do we start owning our “brand”? We have only shown a very limited picture of foxhunting in America and Canada. The MFHA is very good at talking to ourselves, but now we must become very good at representing our sport, lifestyle, and love for the countryside to others. We love our sport, but we are so much more — we are conservationists, animal health stewards, horsemen and women, young people. I have been proud to be a part of and amazed to see the dynamic energy that surrounds the qualifiers and events of the Junior North American Field Hunter Trials. Members have sent me articles on so many hunts doing fantastic public relation events for their area towns and schools. These are just part of our great story that must be told. We are preparing to tell our story. Creating a headquarters as a base from which to show the world who we are is a key step
MASTERS OF FOXHOUNDS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
Leslie Crosby, MFH Penny Denegre, MFH Emily Esterson, Editor-in-Chief Patrick A. Leahy, MFH David Twiggs, Executive Director
DIRECTORS
and we ask for your continued support in funding this effort. We are improving our communication tools to better project our message to the public, political leaders, and build new partnerships. Most importantly we are hearing ideas, concerns, and encouragement from our members and all are appreciated. Please invite your friends to join the MFHA and become part of celebrating our countryside sports and traditions. Good hunting,
W. David Twiggs Executive Director and Keeper of the Stud Book, MFHA
Canada • Charlotte McDonald, MFH Carolinas • Fred Berry, MFH Central • Arlene Taylor, MFH Great Plains • Dr. Luke Matranga, MFH Maryland-Delaware • John McFadden, MFH Midsouth • Bill Haggard, MFH Midwest • Keith Gray, MFH New England • Dr. Terence Hook, MFH New York-New Jersey • Yolanda Knowlton, MFH Northern Virginia-West Virginia • Tad Zimmerman, MFH Pacific • Terry Paine, MFH Pennsylvania • Sean Cully, MFH Rocky Mountain • Mary Ewing, MFH Southern • Mercer Fearington, MFH Virginia • Bob Ferrer, MFH Western • John P. Dorrier Jr., MFH At Large • Dr. John R. van Nagell, MFH At Large • Dr. G. Marvin Beeman, MFH At Large • Ed Kelly, MFH
COVERTSIDE (ISSN 1547-4216) is published quarterly (February, May, August and November) by the Masters of Foxhounds Association, 675 Lime Marl Lane, Berryville, VA 22611. Periodical Postage Paid at Winchester, VA 22601 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MFHA, PO Box 363, Millwood, VA 22646. COVERTSIDE READERS: Direct all correspondence to the same address. Tel: (540)955-5680. Website: www.mfha.com
THE
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FROM THE PUBLISHER
WINTER 2017 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/PUBLISHER EMILY ESTERSON publisher@covertside.net 505-553-2671
Gone Away
I
ROBERT KORNACKI
came to foxhunting too late in both of our lives to know Ben Hardaway personally. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t have an impact on my experience of the sport. First and foremost, there was the influence of the hounds he bred. Then, there is the sheer rock-star-like influence of the man — he was a great storyteller, who held court whenever there was a gathering of foxhunters. And, there is barely an issue of
I came to foxhunting (I confess!) from the “hunt to ride” school, but when I took over the magazine in 2010, Dennis Foster would say to me over and over, “It’s all about the hounds.” Unbeknownst to me, it’s likely Dennis was channeling the words of Ben Hardaway himself (see page 6). Mason Lampton, Hardaway’s son-in-law and MFH of the Midland Fox Hounds, wrote in the Spring 2015 edition of Covertside, “My graduate degree [in hound breeding and hunting] was earned under the tutelage of Ben Hardaway.” Lampton and so many others learned from this Master. He noted in that story that many of the packs in the United States and in England have Midland bloodlines — as do some in Ireland and Australia — a direct result of Hardaway’s breeding program. As my own knowledge of hound breeding has grown, and my focus has shifted toward the pack, so too has my understanding of Hardaway’s importance to the sport of foxhunting. If this sport had a king, Hardaway was it, and in his passing he leaves behind a country of foxhunters whose lives he touched. Godspeed,
Covertside that has not included a mention of Hardaway, usually in the context of hound breeding, or as a mentor to a young huntsman, or as an icon of the sport.
EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE EDITOR SANDRA MCGINNIS sandy@covertside.net STAFF WRITER/ ECOVERTSIDE.NET EDITOR MARTHA DRUM martha@covertside.net
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AMY ENGLE DENNIS FOSTER SARAH MARTIN MICHAEL STERN
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING SALES MANAGER CHERYL MICROUTSICOS sales@covertside.net 434-664-7057 PENNSYLVANIA/MID-ATLANTIC KATHY DRESS kdress@ptd.net
Emily Esterson Editor-in-Chief/Publisher
WHOOPS! In the Fall 2017 edition, we accidentally omitted two photographer credits: The page 6 photo of Midland Striker was shot by Karen Kandra; the page 28 photo of Sally and Cary Cox was shot by John McKean.
4 | COVERTSIDE
ART DIRECTOR GLENNA STOCKS production@covertside.net
NORTHEAST TOM KIRLIN Tkirlin@covertside.net Covertside is the official publication of the Masters of Foxhounds Association Published by E-Squared Editorial Services LLC 2329 Lakeview Rd. SW Albuquerque, NM 87105 Telephone: 505-553-2671 Web Address: www.ecovertside.net www.mfha.com
GONE AWAY
For Ben Hardaway, dogs were his
“It’s All About the Dogs”
life-long passion.
BY DENNIS FOSTER ICON, SPORTSMAN, HOUND BREEDER, MASTER OF THE MIDLAND FOX HOUNDS, BENJAMIN H. HARDAWAY III passed away peacefully on October 19. He was 98 years old. Ben sometimes said, in speeches and comments, that foxhunting had become “stupidity masquerading as tradition” — a controversial statement considering our sport’s obsession with clothes, turnout and so forth. But for Ben, it was all about hounds. As Mason Lampton, Ben’s son-in-law, reminded me recently, “Ben wasn’t about to get boxed into 17th century rules. His first rule was … there are no rules.” He set the example, even wearing a helmet with chin-strap before we all started doing the same. DOUGLAS LEES
For years Ben wore a button on his lapel that said, “It’s all about me.” While perhaps a bit self-
Ben Hardaway with
serving, Mason explained
Dennis Foster at the
that Ben was encourag-
Virginia Hound Show.
ing people to follow his example. He also had respect for new ideas such as radios, extending the Crossbred into a type and the value of performance trials. Ben had little patience for fools or wannabes, but he would share generously with potentially talented hound/hunting people or those
A TOUGH MAN, HARDAWAY LIVED EVERY DAY OF HIS LIFE LIKE TOMORROW WASN’T COMING.
pack) he bred to the lead hound. The result was a pack that flies. He used to get upset with me when I said “They aren’t for every pack, because it depends on your country and quarry.” That bothered him because he bred his hounds to do it all, under any conditions. No pack has hunted across the United States and Canada as much
sincerely interested in foxhunting. His knowledge
as Midland Fox Hounds. He also experimented,
about anything to do with dogs and hunting
on a lesser scale, with other types of hunting
was at a level few obtain. He devoted his life to
dogs, such as bird dogs or lurchers, always
the perpetuation of “all” dogs, and of hunting for future generations. He did it with or without anyone’s help and he
breeding to improve performance. Ben was an officer in the Second World War and fought with the
wasn’t shy about taking the credit or telling you why he deserved it.
likes of Patton and others. He founded Midland Fox Hounds in 1950.
Dogs were his love, and in particular, hounds were his passion. For ex-
His first foxhound kennels were converted Army barracks from Fort
ample, I once asked him for good books on training dogs and he gave
Benning, Georgia. He started with July hounds, Penn-Marydel, and
me a book on training Labrador retrievers. Ben loved all dogs.
English hounds, traveling to England and Ireland selectively breeding
It took him seven decades to develop what I would call the Hard-
and drafting hounds for their most useful traits. The influence of the
away or Midland Crossbred. It is distinctly his “type” of Crossbred and
Midland hounds on North American — and indeed, worldwide —
any good hound man can distinguish them from other Crossbreds
foxhunting cannot be overstated. Years ago, as Keeper of the MFHA
within a pack. When coyotes began to inundate the East Coast, he
Stud Book, I was able to document that his hounds or his breed-
took his best foxhounds and developed a hound that could run and
ing was in over 100 different packs in the U.S. and Canada. Today
catch coyotes. His hounds are extremely fast, far-reaching, and bidda-
his breeding is in over 85 percent of all American packs, and his
ble with brilliant nose and cry. Rather than cull hounds from the front
bloodlines can be found in packs in England, Ireland, Australia, New
or back of the pack (which is the normal way to a create a working
Zealand, France and Canada. He is acknowledged by the very best
6 | COVERTSIDE
hound experts in those countries to have made a significant contribu-
great-grandchildren and thousands of admirers and friends in the
tion to hound breeding worldwide.
community of foxhunters. As long as hounds pursue a quarry across
Ben’s contributions to the sport were many: He was a past director
country, the music of hounds in full cry, thundering hooves not far be-
and president of the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America.
hind and the call of the hunting horn joining the crescendo, Hardaway’s
He was one of the first to recognize and combat the threat of the anti-
hounds will be there.
hunting movement to the future of foxhunting. He was instrumental in founding the MFHA Educational Foundation. In 2009, he was inducted into the Huntsman’s Room at Morven Park and before that he was made an honorary member of the Masters of Foxhounds Association in England. He was a recipient of the United States Pony Club Founders Award in 2015 and USPC Life member, past member of the Board of Governors, and the founder of Midland Pony Club. In the early nineties Lampton took the reins of the Midland pack, and continues Ben’s legacy. Ben’s daughter, Mary Lu, hunts regularly as a field master. Mason Hardaway Lampton (Mase), Ben’s grandson and his Joint Master, has hunting in his blood from both Mason and Mary Lu. A tough man, Hardaway lived every day of his life like tomorrow wasn’t coming. Compassionate, lovable and controversial, he opened doors for so many people who love the sport, myself included. SurviANDY ANDERSON PHOTOGRAPHY
vors include his daughters Page Hardaway Flournoy, Mary Lu Hardaway Lampton, Susannah Meade Hardaway, and Ann Hardaway Taylor; his sister Sarah Hardaway Hughston, seven grandchildren and eleven
WINTER 2017 | 7
THE CLUB
of relief was tied directly to the ”greenness” of the setting in which they took place. • Hospital patients with
DAVID TRAXLER
a view of nature (trees, Foxhunting puts
lakes) healed faster and
us in the middle
had shorter stays than
of nature — good
those without the view.
for what ails us.
• Regular gardeners live lon-
WHY WE HUNT
Part three in a series of meditations about why we engage in this crazy sport
ger than non-gardeners. Much is written about human ailments and the direct correlation between increases in depression, hypertension, ADHD, difficulties sleeping, obesity, and
BY KEITH GRAY, MFH, MILL CREEK HUNT
diabetes with the decrease in time spent outdoors. I REALLY ENJOY RIDING WITH
sor Dr. Ming Kuo why surround-
the atmosphere of the forest”)
STAFF AT OTHER HUNTS
ing myself with pine scent made
is prescribed by doctors and is
coming up: Richard Louv and
to hear the names given to
me feel so good.
covered by some medical plans.
E.O. Wilson. Mr. Wilson has
Two researcher/authors keep
various hunt country landmarks:
“Pine trees emit phytoncides
“Deutschland,” ”Elephant Grave-
that have antimicrobial proper-
interesting, many of us run
to describe the human’s innate
yard,” ”Rooster Crossing,” and
ties, but also have a stress
to that great resource called
affinity for nature. He theorizes
“The Roller Coaster,” to name
relieving effect on humans,” she
Google, where I got lost read-
that “our inherent capacity
a few. Each has an interesting
notes. “Mycobacterium vaccae is
ing about the documented
to draw deep excitement and
story behind it … usually having
a nonpathogenic species of bac-
endless benefits of connecting
pleasure from nature has been,
to do with a wreck, land owner-
terium that lives naturally in soil,
with nature. For those busy
and always will be, essential to
ship, a strange event or sighting,
and research done in the United
dragging pastures, putting up
our survival.”
or a physical characteristic of
Kingdom shows that it stimulat-
hay, mowing trails, and repair-
the land.
ed a newly discovered group of
ing creek crossings instead
clue as to why many of us may
At Mill Creek, there is a place
When we hear something
coined the phrase “biophilia”
If true, this is yet another
neurons, increased levels of se-
of sitting in front of a screen,
be so inexplicably drawn to
I love to sit for a while and take
rotonin, and decreased levels of
good for you! By connecting
the foxhunting lifestyle. The
in the scents. It’s called The Pine
anxiety in mice.” This, then, is an
to nature you’re going to live
connection to nature seems
Tree Cave, and as the name im-
unanticipated benefit for those
longer than those connecting
to be instinctual for us, and as
plies, it’s a path through closely
of us who occasionally separate
only to outlets and modems. A
described last issue, our rela-
planted pine trees where that
from our horse and carry Mother
few nuggets I learned:
tionship to animals (specifically
wonderful pine smell tends to
Earth on our clothing for the
get trapped. It’s magical, and as
remainder of the hunt!
I ride out of it, I always feel better than when I rode in. “Why we’re drawn to foxhunt-
She shared that there is
dogs and horses) facilitates • A comprehensive study on a nationwide scale showed
growing research showing that
children with ADHD had
connecting with nature has
a significant reduction
ing” is the theme of this series,
remarkable benefits: In Japan,
in symptoms after they
and I took the opportunity to
“Shinrin-yoku” (translated as
participated in activities in
ask University of Illinois Profes-
”forest bathing” or ”taking in
green settings. The degree
8 | COVERTSIDE
many of the same benefits to our bodies and souls.
Keith Gray is Master of the Mill Creek Hunt, and owns ILM, an environmental consulting company.
WWW.HORSEWARE.COM | INSTORE | MOBILE | #RUGSFORLIFE
THE CLUB
ODE TO WHY WORRY The Winking Fox
BY FRED BERRY, MFH SEDGEFIELD | PHOTOS BY NICK BRIDGES
“HONEY, LET’S START A
Sadly, earlier this year they
outs from different packs.
caused some great English
HUNT.” Brave words by George
closed shop and dispersed their
Significantly, they received two
hounds to become available:
Thomas to his new wife, Jeanie,
hounds. But a look into the
American bitches from Oliver
Grantham ’06, a wonderful
in the early 1990s. She was in
MFHA Stud Book shows what
Brown at the Rappahannock
Duke of Beaufort dog from
the habit of saying yes, and
a long-term effect they will
Hunt. Those hounds had the
Moore County Hounds, and
so they did it — they started
have on English and Crossbred
famous Bywaters family breed-
two bitches from Red Moun-
the Why Worry Hounds on the
hounds.
ing that George loved. In fact,
tain Foxhounds, Faithful ’00
George has Bywaters blood in
and Mill Creek Fizzle ’97. These
outskirts of Aiken, S.C. George’s
The name Why Worry was
pedigree is full of huntsmen, so
bequeathed to George by his
him from his mother’s side of
hounds became the foundation
he knew what he was getting
“uncle,” Ray Cassel, whose farm
the family. But time, opportu-
for great success in the show
into; Jeanie was a horsey girl
in Kentucky was so named.
nity, and natural inclination led
ring. It might have been 2009
and she took right to it. The
It fits George: He is calm and
them to the beautiful English
when George and Jeanie won
pair have been a big part of
even-keeled, balancing Jeanie’s
and modern Crossbred hounds
every class they entered at the
Southeastern foxhunting ever
feistiness and strong opinions.
for which Why Worry came to
Carolinas Hound Show. Notable
since, providing fine sport and
They started from scratch,
be known. The Penn-Marydel
hounds from their kennel in-
invasion into North Carolina
clude Farthing ’03, Arwen ’02,
breeding beautiful hounds.
10 | COVERTSIDE
collecting misfits and worn-
Aiken, South Carolina .
.
.
HOMES HORSES HISTORY HOSPITALITY
Wit’s End Farm
Three Runs Plantation
COURTNEY CONGER 803.645.3308 . $695,000
Jumping Branch Farm
MIKE HOSANG 803.270.6358 or BRIAN CAVANAUGH 803.624.6072 . $2,190,000
COURTNEY CONGER 803.645.3308 . $725,000
Delightful contemporary home overlooks 12 acre lake. The nearly 3000 square foot residence features 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths with master suite, window walls with panoramic views. Includes attached 2-car garage, separate garage that could be converted to guest cottage on approximately 55 acres. For horses there are 2 fenced paddocks, one with a run in shed. Additional acreage and large equipment barn available, entire property encompassing 140 acres.
Delightfully decorated residence in Three Runs Plantation equestrian community offers over 3000 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, great room, formal dining room, kitchen with breakfast bay & island and screened porch overlooking established pastures and center-aisle barn on nearly 6 acres. Community amenities include riding rings, clubhouse, pool & cabana, fitness center, picnic shelter and miles of groomed trails.
Aiken's premiere Eventing venue offers the opportunity to continue operating an established farm and business or enjoy your own private farm with fantastic amenities in sought after location. Four bedroom log home, 51 stalls, 5/8 mile galloping track, cross country jumps, large turnout fields, pond and producing hay fields.
Solstice Meadow
Call RANDY WOLCOTT at 803.507.1142
Two partly cleared tracts ready for you to have horses at home! Direct access to trail system with miles of dedicated trails, including the 61 acre Freeman preserve, which has a wonderful pond. Tract 4 is 28.38 acres priced at $449,000, and Tract 5 is 28.89 wooded acres at $375,000. Smaller parcels available. Ask about owner financing!
Cowdray Park Equestrian Facility JACK ROTH 803.341.8787 MIKE HOSANG 803.270.6358 . $1,500,000 Equestrian facility designed to accommodate multiple disciplines presently includes regulation size polo field with underground sprinkler system, 5/8 mile training track, covered arena and dressage arena both with underground sprinkler systems, jump field, groom's cottages, office club house, riding trails, hot walker and 3 barns totaling 150 stalls. Also available: luxury residence with guest cottage and several large lots.
Calvary Training Center MIKE HOSANG or BRIAN CAVANAUGH . $4,900,000
Located on Highway 302 in Aiken’s Horse Corridor, this turn key equestrian property offers over 41 acres of board fenced pasture & woods. Custom brick residence with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, 3-stall center aisle barn with hay storage and tack room, 8-acre pasture with 4 feeding pens and run-in shed, 4 paddocks, 2 more run-in sheds, and 40 x 50 Hoover work shop. Miles of riding on groomed trails and dirt roads!
Shellhouse Lake Farm
Call MIKE HOSANG 803.270.6358 . $595,000
Spectacular nearly new home with 3 bedrooms and 3 full baths on 6 perfect acres of grass, irrigated and fenced. The barn has room for 4 horses with climate controlled tack room. Bonus room over the garage is roughed in for bedroom or office plus full bath & kitchen. Amenities include riding rings, dressage arena, clubhouse, fitness center, pool & cabana, plus miles of groomed riding trails.
Historic 1910 farm recently updated features open living room and family room, period dining room with original woodwork, back patio and screened porch with fireplace, eat-in kitchen modernized in 2014, 5 bedrooms each with full bath, and powder room/half bath as well. For guests or grooms, there is a brick 2-story home with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. For horses, there are 2 original barns with a total of 18 stalls and hay storage areas; and 8 fenced grassy paddocks, each with run-in shed. Rolling pastures and riding arena complete the 22.81 acre farm, very close to town.
Greener Pastures Call COURTNEY CONGER 803.645.3308 . $642,000
Picture-perfect property with a host of potential uses in Bluffton, SC includes 43+ acres, beautiful lake, Low Country home with 7 bedrooms and 4.5 baths, education center with offices and classrooms, and extensive infrastructure that could handle a 100-unit development. The world class equestrian facility includes 25 stalls, tack rooms, grooms’ lounge and baths, wash stalls, storage and 42,000 square foot covered arena.
Three Runs Plantation JACK ROTH or FRANK STARCHER 888.297.8881 . $769,000
Willow Hill Farm
COURTNEY CONGER or JANE PAGE THOMPSON . $1,200,000
Sportsman's retreat located in Aiken’s east side equestrian corridor less than 10 miles from downtown! Drive through the gated entrance and past grassy fenced pasture (Parcel One is 34 acres available separately) to the sparkling 11 acre lake. Parcel Two offers approximately 43 acres mostly cleared and grassed with Shaw's Creek at the back border. The brick 2 bedroom, 1 bath country cabin has wonderful views overlooking lake.
Polo Vista Cottage . $499,000
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and Grantham’s son, Braveheart
fox across Battle Mountain. Our
’09. Look these hounds up in the
hounds ran a red fox over Battle
MFHA online Stud Book, do a
Mountain, and back again. That
reverse pedigree search, and see
was pretty special,” said George.
how far and wide their lines go.
“Over the years we were lucky
But, pretty is as pretty does.
to have had some great hounds,
Big handsome show hounds are
and we made some great
one thing; getting after coyotes
friends. It was a good run.”
is another. Why Worry hounds
While they are now both ex-
could HUNT. They had drive, and
MFHs, George and Jeanie are still
they provided years of excit-
very much on the scene. They
ing sport. Three of their hounds
are frequent hound show judges,
finished in the top 10 at this
and they have a great pack of
year’s Sedgefield Performance
beagles. Jeanie marches around
Trial. I asked George what hunt-
with the little hounds, and George
ing days stood out in his mind.
keeps an eye on things. Why Worry’s George Thomas
“Gosh, so many,” he said. He does remember a joint meet with Billy Frederick, then huntsman at Bull Run. “I was told it took a hell of a pack to push a
Fred Berry is Master of the Sedgefield Hunt, and organizer of the Sedgefield Performance Trials.
(previous page) with his wife Jeanie (left) bred and hunted beautiful hounds.
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And SO MUCH MORE! 888-934-2221 • 401 Snake Hill Rd North Scituate, RI • www.tourbillontrailers.com 12 | COVERTSIDE
MASTER’S DINNER, ANNUAL MEETING AND MASTERS’ BALL IN
We invite you
New York
to join us in New York for the
2018 MFHA Annual Meeting and
January 25 & 26, 2018
festivities, beginning on Thursday evening with the Masters’ Dinner, the Annual Meeting and Friday evening’s not-to-be-missed Ball. New Masters will also benefit from a special seminar focusing on their concerns and responsibilities; Marty Wood, MFH Live Oak Hounds, will address this group. And as always, the Ball at the Pierre Grand Ballroom will be a high-energy conclusion to the business meetings. Make plans now to reserve rooms at the best rate
THE UNION CLUB will again host the Masters’ Dinner and Annual Meeting, while the elegant PIERRE
HOTEL once more hosts the New
Masters’ lunch and seminar, and Friday evening’s ball.
JANUARY 25
JANUARY 26
TO MAKE RESERVATIONS
12:00 P.M. NEW MASTERS’ LUNCH & SEMINAR (invitations will be sent to new Masters)
9:00 A.M. ANNUAL MEMBERS MEETING/SEMINAR
Details: A chance for new Masters to
Details: Must be a current
meet the MFHA Board of Directors.
subscribing member to attend
Seminar will begin immediately
(jacket and tie required)
following lunch and will be led by
Keynote Speaker: TBD
(through January 22nd), please call (540) 955-5680 or register online at www.mfha.com.
past MFHA President Marty Wood,
The Pierre
MFH Live Oak Hounds.
7:00 P.M. MASTERS’ BALL
7:00 P.M. MASTERS’ DINNER
Cocktails at 7 p.m., Dinner at 8 p.m.
Cocktails at 7 p.m., Dinner at 8 p.m.
Details: Must be a current subscribing
Cost: $275/pp
member to attend
Details: Masters and ex-Masters only
For more information: Please contact
Cost: $275/pp
Yolanda Knowlton at (914) 393-9916
ROOM BLOCKS ARE RESERVED AT THE PIERRE (800) 743-7734
ATTIRE
$380/night standard,
convenient) white or black gowns are traditional.
Meetings - jacket and tie (no jeans at the Union Club). Master’s Dinner - formal, men in scarlet; women in black or white. Masters’ Ball - formal, (men in scarlet as
$440/night city view Reserve your room by December 23, 2017
For additional information visit WWW.MFHA.COM WINTER 2017 | 13
THE CLUB NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY HARVARD FOX HOUNDS PARTICIPATES IN KOMEN TULSA RACE FOR THE CURE® Harvard Fox Hounds (OK) members and friends formed a team for the 2017 Komen Race for the Cure for breast cancer on Saturday, September 30 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Harvard’s “Hooters and Hounds” team were in the
generation, possessing a quiet
tailed system to identify the top
hounds present when the quarry
top ten fundraising corporate
yet effective manner in the field
hounds. At least five judges are
is accounted for, brought to bay,
teams, with over $1,500 raised.
and a successful record in the
approved for each performance
or goes to ground.
One woman out of eight will be
show ring. Raley, former hunts-
trial, and may or may not include
diagnosed with breast cancer in
man at Moore County Hounds
the huntsman. The judges often
tion, the judges meet to record
her life, and every 13 minutes a
(NC) and past Master at De La
ride behind hounds, but may
and approve scores, to include
woman in the U.S. will lose her
Brooke (MD), will come on as
also judge on foot or from a
determining scores for Endur-
life to breast cancer.
Green Creek readies new kennels
vehicle. Judges are encouraged
ance. Calculations determine the
at their base near Tryon, North
to spread apart in the field, so
High General Average, or the top
Carolina.
that as many hounds as possible
score for each category, so that
may be judged from different
hounds may be compared not
The “Hooters and Hounds” team did not run in the 5K or the one mile fun run/walk; instead
Following each day’s competi-
they rode over the hills of one
HARK FORWARD
angles. They are also asked to
just by final placings, but how
of the club’s fixtures in eastern
PERFORMANCE TRIALS USE
note the time of significant activ-
closely they came to the top
Oklahoma. The weather was
NEW SCORING SYSTEM
ity, like a sole hound crying a line
score. Judges may also decide to
perfect with partly cloudy skies
Our season-long Hark Forward
or a hound running riot, so that
recognize a hound whose objec-
and temperatures in the sixties
initiative includes a number of
comparisons can be made later
tive score under this system
and seventies. Participants
performance trials, in which
with other judges’ cards and
does not reflect their impression
enjoyed the ride with clear creek
hounds from several different
hounds are not scored twice for
of its hunting prowess. In this
crossings and options to school
clubs hunt together and are
the same event.
case, they may vote to designate
over jumps, followed by a group
judged individually. For those
picnic.—Doris Degner-Foster
who have never organized or
separate categories related to
demonstrates further qualities of
judged a performance trial, the
how they behave in the field:
biddability, ingenuity, resource-
DAVID RALEY WILL TAKE
notion that all those hounds
Hunting, Trailing, Full Cry, and
fulness, or other traits.
THE HORN FROM RETIRING
from different packs, hunting a
Marking. Hunting refers to “the
GREEN CREEK HUNTSMAN
strange country for an unfamiliar
persistent search for game”
man also identifies the hound he
TOT GOODWIN
huntsman, could be judged in
when a good line is not nearby.
or she would most like to bring
Green Creek Hounds (NC)
any methodical way might seem
Trailing scores are given for “fol-
home to join the pack. This hon-
Joint Master Tot Goodwin has
unbelievable. Aside from the
lowing game at distance while
or is called “Huntsman’s Choice.”
announced this will be his last
numbers painted on their sides,
giving tongue” when Full Cry is
It is interesting to compare how
season as huntsman. David
how could anyone keep track of
not applicable. Full Cry means
the top hound selected from the
Raley will take over the job for
them all, let alone evaluate their
that the quarry has been started
huntsman’s unique vantage point
the 2018-19 season. Goodwin
individual hunting ability?
and all hounds participating
was rated by the other judges’
in the chase should be scored.
eyes on the scoreboard.
is stepping down as one of the most respected huntsmen of his
14 | COVERTSIDE
The MFHA’s guidelines for performance trials lay out a de-
Judges score hounds in four
Marking scores are given to
an “Exemplary Hound” who
The performance trial hunts-
While this system does not
eliminate the subjective fac-
does guarantee is that a bad
tor in judging, it ensures that
hound can’t win.”
every hound has as equal an
For this season, Bud Eichel
opportunity as possible to be
and Jeb Blount worked tirelessly
fairly scored by each judge. As
with a team of professional
Epp Wilson, MFH and huntsman
computer programmers to
at Belle Meade Hunt (GA) and
create a new scoring system.
Hark Forward Performance Tri-
Scores are now available within
als Chairman, explains, “Even Mr.
a couple hours of the conclu-
Hardaway [Benjamin Hardaway,
sion of the meet. This lets the
MFH and former huntsman at
organizers share results while
Midland Fox Hounds (GA)] said
participants are still present and
that no matter how good the
able to celebrate and congratu-
scoring system is, we only get
late one another, adding to the
snapshots of the action. ... Any
camaraderie of the event. To
hound in the top ten is a won-
view the schedule of perfor-
derful hound. What the system
mance trials, visit mfha.com.
DO YOU HAVE CLUB NEWS TO SHARE? SEND IT TO US AT EDITOR@COVERTSIDE.NET
GEORGES EMILE LEMAY, EX-MASTER, MONTREAL HUNT (1929-2017)
FORMER MASTER OF THE MONTREAL HUNT (QC), GEORGES EMILE LEMAY passed away on September 30. He was a fellow of the Royal Institute of Architecture of Canada and co-founder of the architectural firm Lemay Leclerc, through which he left a legacy in the Quebec design community. He joined the Montreal Hunt in 1968 and served as Master from 1977 to 2013. He is survived by six siblings, three children, and numerous grandchildren, as well as friends and professional collaborators.
WINTER 2017 | 15
The Wofford Foxhunting Legacy Eventing great Jimmy Wofford has a family history deep in foxhunting.
BY DENNIS J. FOSTER
Jimmy Wofford on Kilkenny, one of only six event horses to have competed in five or more CCIOs (international team competition). Kilkenny retired from eventing to become a field hunter.
16 | COVERTSIDE
COURTESY USEA
A
COURTESY USEA
T THE 2016 MFHA BIENNIAL STAFF SEMINAR last April, event rider Jimmy Wofford presented a special keynote. An accomplished eventer, Wofford has been on four Olympic teams, has won two team silver medals and four national championships, an individual silver at the 1980 Alternate Olympics in France and many other championships. At the seminar, Wofford gave a rousing presentation on riding across country, complete with whiteboard and black markers to illustrate horse and rider jumping position. Humorous, informative, and well received, it was his casual reference to the family’s connections to foxhunting that touched a spark in my brain. When I started to work for the MFHA, I was invited by Huntsman Randy Waterman to hunt with Piedmont Fox Hounds before the official season started. He had asked me to whip-in during autumn hunting, and at the time I had a new warmblood who had never hunted, so I thought this would be a good way to start him (wrong answer). Waterman was fine with it, until I nearly galloped over the top of him. Waterman, ever patient, said he had a friend that might help me, a man by the name of Jimmy Wofford, and he set up a private lesson for me. I was in awe of Wofford. I’d met him first when I joined Waterman, his wife Robin, and Jimmy Boyles (now with Grand Canyon), roading the hounds to Wofford’s backyard to show off the Piedmont pack to his guests, Princess Anne and her husband Capt. Mark Phillips. My lesson consisted of jumping my horse around a ring. Jim was very kind, but after my several futile attempts to do what he wanted, he politely asked me to get off and let him ride my horse. I kept a good face, but was crushed at my failure. Jim looked great to me as he jumped my horse around, but after about 15 minutes he got off, handed me the reins and told me to sell him. I’m sure Wofford saved me some serious injury, and I sold the horse quickly.
WINTER 2017 | 17
DOUGLAS LEES
COURTESY WOFFORD FAMILY ARCHIVES
Above, James “Gyp” Wofford coached the 1952 US Olympic eventing team. Left, Col. “Gyp” Wofford rode in the 1932 Olympics on the U.S. show jumping team. Right, Piedmont Masters Erskine
COURTESY WOFFORD FAMILY ARCHIVES
Bedford and Gail Wofford.
DEEP ROOTS
While Wofford’s contributions to eventing and horsemanship are well known, you might not be familiar with his strong connection to foxhunting. Five members of Wofford’s immediate family have been Masters of Foxhounds in either the United States or England. It is an amazing story of a family’s contributions to horses and hunting. Wofford grew up in a military family. His father, Col. John “Gyp” W. Wofford, was a West Point graduate assigned to the Cavalry School at Fort Riley, Kansas. There, he developed a great enthusiasm and skill for horse sports, and later a reputation as one of our country’s outstanding horsemen. Wofford’s mother Dorothea had an equal enthusiasm for horses. It was no surprise that their four children, Dody, Jebber (John), Warren, and James (the youngest of the siblings) rode from the time they could walk.
18 | COVERTSIDE
The family was immersed in horses, and foxhunting was a part of their lives. Col. Wofford rode in the 1932 Olympics on the U.S. show jumping team, then part of the Army Equestrian Team, and he later coached both the three-day event and the show jumping teams to bronze medals in 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. His army career was cut short after a tour as military attaché to Ireland; he contracted an illness that led to his retirement in 1943. He returned to his Rimrock Farm, adjoining Fort Riley, to continue his horse interests. As Jimmy Wofford tells it, with the demise of the cavalry, the Army disposed of all their horses. He remembers: “With no motorized transportation each horse was led by an old cavalry trooper that had cared for them, some of those old warriors crying as they led them, knowing they were the last of an era.” Hence the United States was faced with a problem fielding eventing teams for international competition. Back then, the only competitors in the eventing discipline were members of the armed services. That didn’t change until Helsinki in 1952, when the first “amateur”— non military — competitors were allowed to compete. The newly-formed U.S. Equestrian Team (originally known as the International Equestrian Competition Corporation) took over, with Wofford a major force in starting it. He became the president of the USET. The Army had all the experience, horses, courses and training
They will be facilities at Fort Riley. Six experienced show jumpers were selected to train for cross-country and jumping under Col. Wofford. With only 14 months of training, they took the bronze medal. FOXHUNTING EXPERIENCE
When I asked Jimmy Wofford about his father’s and family’s connections to foxhunting, he came back with the following answer: “I can’t speak much for my father, as I never knew him [he died when Jim was 10 years old], but think I can speak for the family. You asked if my father ever foxhunted. As I mentioned during my remarks at the MFHA seminar, the foxhunting gene runs deep and wide in my family, beginning with Daddy’s time as MFH of the Cavalry School Hunt (CSH) at Fort Riley in the mid-1940s. I see a pattern with my father and mother, who adopted the hounds that had no other home once the Cavalry School Hunt was disbanded. It probably set the stage for their adoption a few years later of the remaining U.S. Army horses [they took 72 of them], once they were declared ‘surplus to Army’s requirements.’ I grew up at that time, and can remember quite a menagerie at Rimrock Farm. My father would occasionally remark that the only reason we did not have an elephant on the farm was that my mother had never been to an elephant auction. “As an aside, my older brother Warren, 13 at the time, served as whip to the CSH. I used to tease him that he was not given the position as a testament to his foxhunting prowess but rather to get him away as far as possible from the field because he was such a pain in the [neck]. Warren used to laugh, but never directly denied it. Now, as a long-time MFH of the North Warwickshire, he had probably used such subterfuge himself.
dropping like
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Left, the family competing in a hunt event, and right, Kilkenny made a fine foxhunter after his retirement.
20 | COVERTSIDE
COURTESY WOFFORD FAMILY ARCHIVES
COURTESY WOFFORD FAMILY ARCHIVES
“One of my nephews in England, John Wofford, has recently agreed to rejoin the Worcester as Joint MFH after a ten-year hiatus from that position. It brings to mind Oscar Wilde’s comment about second marriages — that they were the triumph of hope over experience. I hope that John’s experience is pleasurable the second time around. Like the rest of the family, he is a victim of the foxhunting gene. We have great-great-grandchildren hunting. My brother John told me my father’s UK great-grandchildren all have contiguous farms in Warwickshire, where they are able to ride out without crossing a road. I think Daddy would have approved.” James Wofford has foxhunted all his life, starting with his first mounted hunting experience with Mission Valley in Kansas, located next to Fort Leavenworth. He married Gail, and together they first hunted with Essex Fox Hounds in New Jersey until they became regulars at Piedmont, where Gail eventually became a Master. Today, their daughter Hillary hunts with Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Foxhounds in Pennsylvania, and daughter Jennifer hunts with Piedmont.
The connections between foxhunting and successful eventing can’t be overstated. Numerous eventers, such as Bruce Davidson, Michael Matts, David and Karen O’Connor, and Boyd Martin have used foxhunting as a training and/or relaxation vehicle for top horses and for themselves. Just as riding to hounds was very popular in the army cavalry, teaching riders and horses to gallop and jump across unknown country and unforeseen obstacles, eventing and foxhunting complement each other with countless
training benefits for both horse and rider. The Woffords, with their deep and committed roots to horses, foxhunting and eventing, are considered some of the best event trainers in the world. Jimmy himself has an unmatched reputation, with numerous students making their marks at all levels of competition. His commentary for TV and his abundant articles and books covering eventing are treasures for serious horse people. It all started with Jim’s amazing father, where the military and foxhunting brought it together. To me … it’s the rest and best of the story!
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WINTER 2017 | 21
Hunt to Train COURTESY MEGAN FADLOVICH
FOXHUNTERS DISCUSS THE SPORT AS A TRAINING FIELD FOR OTHER DISCIPLINES. BY KEITH GRAY, MFH, MILL CREEK HUNT
T
HE EXPRESSIONS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH FOXHUNTING, “hunt to ride” or “ride to hunt,” imply that there are only these two choices. A little digging has uncovered another dimension: using foxhunting as a platform to train for other equestrian sports. Profiled here are accomplished individuals with notable high-level success in very different equestrian pursuits. We caught up with two men and two women, ranging in age from 15 to 55. All share foxhunting as a foundation for their current endeavors. They offer their views on what they have learned, why these lessons are important, and lastly, how they use this knowledge in their activities.
22 | COVERTSIDE
Jockey Megan Fadlovich (piloting #3 above) uses hunting to help her relax her mind, body and spirit on the racetrack.
COURTESY ORRIN INGRAM
Orrin Ingram, and his daughter Virginia who is following in his polo-playing footsteps.
THE JOCKEY TO DATE, MEGAN FADLOVICH HAS WON 387 RACES from 3,574 professional starts as a jockey riding on Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky Thoroughbred tracks. In 2014, she piloted Mound to victory in the $150,000 Ohio Juvenile Stakes, and in 2015, she guided Ohio Horse of the Year Jac’s Fact to seven wins (five of which were stakes) and over $300,000 in earnings. “When I return to the race track after a hunt, I find my seat is much deeper, my breathing is much more steady, and my hands and mind are much more forgiving. Overall, hunting has relaxed my mind, body, and spirit.” It started when Chris Neff, hon. whipper-in at Mill Creek (Illinois) invited Megan to hunt one Thanksgiving Day. “It was cold and dreary, but the spirit of the members that morning warmed everything,” Fadlovich says. “It was an experience I’ll never forget! The riding was so different than what I’m used to. Typically, each morning I go out
THE POLO PLAYER on about six horses for a two-mile controlled gallop. We don’t have much whoa on the track, and certainly no turning. In my business, it is a lot of go-go-go. Coming out to hunt really made me engage a different balance … and hunting changes things for me mentally and physically. You really get to focus on you and your animal. Because I get on so many horses each day, I sometimes forget about them as individuals. Sitting on one horse the whole time we hunt reminds me of that. “I do have my own personal horse that came off the track, and my goal is to get ready to bring him home and hunt at Mill Creek.”
ORRIN INGRAM, MFH, HILLSBORO HOUNDS (TENNESSEE), has been playing polo for over 30 years and is the former chairman of the United States Polo Association. “Foxhunting teaches you to ride,” says Ingram about his experience with the Hillsboro Hounds as a youngster, “and you learn to lean over your horse. That’s pretty useful if you’re going to play polo. “I started out hunting at five or six years old. We took turns on a lead line behind our aunt, but we had to get off at coops because we couldn’t hang on. The pony would get led over, and we’d get back on and go!” explains Ingram. With a foundation in foxhunting, Ingram notes WINTER 2017 | 23
Caelinn Leahy’s long experience foxhuntng (pictured with her father Tony, above right, as a young girl) prepared her for the show jumper ring. Opposite page: Steuart Pittman uses foxhunting to train event horses.
that “a polo player can think less about riding and more about the game because they can already ride. “I got away from hunting in the early 80s when I played polo year ’round. Then I got older and wiser …” with a chuckle, “… and now play polo only in the summer and hunt in the winter. “My daughter Virginia is a show rider, polo player, and occasional foxhunter. There’s no doubt that the comfort you develop on a hunt horse translates to success 24 | COVERTSIDE
in these other sports. The two sports really have a lot of similarities, and in doing both you can stay active.” When asked about horses that might be used for both polo and hunting, Ingram talks about specialty animals. “A really great hunt horse won’t likely be good at polo, and vice versa. But for a beginner, getting an experienced, well-rounded horse that can do both would be the way to go. Something safe. Just go out and have fun, and see what you like to do most and go from there.”
MODESTY IS ONE OF CAELINN LEAHY’S MANY STRONG SUITS. At only 15 years old, she has achieved much in the jumper world by qualifying for Prix de States, was Wellington Equestrian Festival circuit champion and reserve champion in the low junior jumpers, and was invited to ride in China on the U.S.A. team as one of a group of junior ambassadors to promote and showcase the sport. She credits her upbringing in foxhunting — her father, Tony Leahy, is president of the MFHA and Master and huntsman of Fox River Valley and Massbach Hounds in Illinois — as one of several reasons behind her showing success. “I grew up riding all kinds of horses: Thoroughbreds, warmbloods, even fat ponies. In the hunt field, you get comfortable going fast and turning tight over different terrain. Balance is a huge part of it. It makes the show ring easier.” But it wasn’t always smooth sailing. “I had a mare pony named Windy when I was about eight, who took off with me. I’ll never forget it. I was terrified! I was afraid to ride again, but my dad and trainer [Steve Schaefer] encouraged and worked with me and got me going again. It took a while.” When asked about winning on show horses belonging to others, “I think most horses like me because I don’t fuss with them too much. Foxhunting showed me that horses have a brain too, and I don’t have to micromanage them.” Caelinn has qualified for and plans to compete at Junior Field Hunter Championships at Belle Meade this fall.
ERIN DRAGE PITTMAN
COURTESY HEIDI SCHAEFER
THE SHOW JUMPER
THE EVENTING TRAINER “THE HERD CAN TEACH HORSES THINGS THAT THEY CAN’T GET ELSEWHERE,” SAYS STEUART Pittman, current president of the Retired Racehorse Project, past president of the Maryland Horse Council, a former advanced level eventer, and owner of Dodon Farm in Davidsonville, Maryland. “On a hunt, you don’t have to fight them [the horses] through a stream or over a jump.” Just as foxhunting served as a solid foundation for the profiled riders in other disciplines, foxhunting provides a terrific base for horses transitioning successfully into other careers. Pittman uses foxhunt-
ing as an important part of his program to develop and improve his clients’ horses. “Timid horses get brave, hunting sharpens up a good horse, and lazy horses learn to run, especially when they’re in first flight. Hunting gets them all fit like nothing else. “We train mostly eventers, but get some show horses and some plain trail horses. We get a lot of young horses, but some older ones too that may have some problems that need to be worked out. If you try to ride a horse in the ring for three hours, they’d get bored … but when foxhunting, three hours flies by! They get rid of a lot of extra energy and are then more responsive
to what we’re trying to do with them.” Pittman explains that hunting may not be the best approach for all horses: “Hot horses don’t always respond well, but we try them in the back [of the field] and sometimes they learn to relax.” Pittman’s team averages about 15 horses in training at any given time. “The owners are thrilled when we tell them we’re foxhunting with them. We can’t get them all out at once, but I would if I could.” Keith Gray is Master of the Mill Creek Hunt in Illinois, and a frequent Covertside contributor.
WINTER 2017 | 25
Whipping Leishmaniasis Thanks to a crack team of researchers, the MFHA Foundation and several hundred hounds, a rare disease may have met its match. BY AMY ENGLE
AS FOXHUNTERS WE HAVE AN INTUITIVE UNDERSTANDING
of the many ways we, as humans, benefit from being in the presence of both horses and hounds. The companionship and partnerships these animals offer us, and the passion with which they do their jobs, enriches our lives. But it is a rare occasion when we get to point to a way in which hounds, hunting foxhounds specifically, are actually helping humans on a scale far beyond what we all experience in our day-to-day lives.
26 | COVERTSIDE
TIFFANY EVITTS
WINTER 2017 | 27
IN THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE, THE WAY IN WHICH HOUNDS ARE HELPING HUMANS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FOXHUNTING, or their efforts as companions or therapy dogs post-retirement. It’s simply because foxhounds, through no fault of their own, are one of the dog breeds most likely to be diagnosed with a disease called leishmaniasis: an infection caused by a one-celled parasite transmitted through the bite of a nearly-microscopic sand fly. Leishmaniasis affects both dogs and humans and manifests in several different ways, but the most common forms are cutaneous leishmaniasis, which causes skin sores, and visceral leishmaniasis, which affects several internal organs, and is often fatal. Though leishmaniasis is a relative newcomer to the United States, there is nothing new about the disease. Leishmania-like species have been found in 100-million-year-old sand fly fossils, and infection followed the spread of early humans and canines. In fact, both wild and domesticated dogs are a natural reservoir for the Leishmania infantum parasite, and as a result, this single infection is responsible for the death of nearly a million dogs each year, largely
from endemic regions in Asia, the Middle East and Brazil. But this is not just a canine disease. Leishmaniasis also claims the lives of some 20,000 to 25,000 humans annually and is classified by the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization as a neglected tropical disease — a group of viral, parasitic, and bacterial diseases that mainly affect the world’s poorest people, and usually receive very little attention and thus very little research funding. And that’s where foxhounds, and the MFHA Foundation, come in. TIME FOR ANSWERS
Although neither humans nor dogs in the U.S. are at great risk of contracting leishmaniasis, the number of canine cases is on the rise — due in large part to military veterans bringing home the dogs Skin lesions like the one they befriended while on tours in the pictured here, just below Middle East, Afghanistan and other this hound’s nose, are one areas where the disease is common. of the classic symptoms The importation of breeding stock of leishmaniasis. from Italy, Brazil and other endemic
COURTESY DR. CHRISTINE PETERSEN
28 | COVERTSIDE
countries is another issue, though one that tends to impact only specific breeds such as Cane Corsos, Spinone Italianos and Neapolitan Mastiffs. However, why our English, American and Crossbred foxhounds seem to be predisposed to contracting the disease — and more importantly what can be done to combat its spread — is a question that is yet to be solved, and one that former MFHA President and veterinarian Dr. Marvin Beeman, MFH Arapahoe Hunt (CO), was ready to have answered. “We were searching for a way to get answers to the leishmaniasis problem,” says Beeman. Meanwhile, across the country at the University of Iowa, Dr. Christine Petersen was on her
applied to the study of leishmaniasis before now, and second, a large, cohesive and generally healthy study population since, as Petersen puts it, “foxhounds are the ultra-marathoners of the canine world.” As soon as Beeman had the opportunity to review Petersen’s proposal and her past work, he immediately recognized her scientific acumen and abilities as a researcher and a team leader. What Petersen was proposing was comprehensive, ambitious, and had the possibility of bringing some much-needed insight to the problem of leishmaniasis in foxhounds and, ultimately, in humans as well.
Leishmania-like species have been found in 100-million-year-old sand fly fossils, and infection followed the spread of early humans and canines. own search for answers the exact same question. The timing was right for a partnership to study this increasingly worrisome disease. “I had been a part of euthanizing enough foxhounds because of leishmaniasis that I wanted to do something about it,” explains Petersen. “So I proposed a vaccine trial to the MFHA board.” According to Petersen, the opportunity to study leishmaniasis in foxhound packs provided several unique opportunities: first, the chance to utilize cutting-edge molecular diagnostic tools that had never been
From there the path was clear: this trial needed to be funded to help both hounds and humans, and the MFHA Foundation was ready and willing to step up to bat financially to help make it happen. Understanding that the results of this trial could have important implications for humans suffering from leishmaniasis, Beeman and Petersen agreed that it was important to ensure the integrity of both the process and the results. As an emeritus member of the Morris
WINTER 2017 | 29
Animal Foundation Board of Directors, Beeman saw an opportunity to help boost the impact of the foxhound vaccine trial by channeling the MFHA Foundation funding through Morris, the world’s largest private nonprofit dedicated to scientific research for cats, dogs, horses and wildlife. “There were several reasons I felt very strongly about going through Morris,” says Beeman. “First, it put the MFHA at arm’s-length, so there would be no question about bias in the results. Second, when those results come in they are published in peer-reviewed journals, so that’s another layer of credibility from a scientific perspective. Finally, Morris has a scientific advisory board that evaluates all research proposals before recommending funding.” Morris Animal Foundation’s involvement was the first step in making Petersen’s vaccine trial results unassailable, but Petersen wanted to go a step further. “Because of implications of how this could help ALL infected creatures (not just dogs), we ran the trial all the way to
the human clinical trial level,” she says. That meant running a double blind, placebo trial and having the results monitored by a data safety monitoring board. This is not something you would ordinarily do for a canine-only trial, but Petersen decided to take these extra steps to make sure that once the results were in, another researcher could easily apply them to help plan further human studies. BIG TRIAL, BIG RESULTS
With funding in place, Petersen wasted no time in turning their attention to the key aspects of the study: following puppies to see if a vaccine given to a mother does anything to protect her offspring; and figuring out whether it is safe and efficacious to give the vaccine to infected but asymptomatic dogs. To find answers, Petersen launched an extensive vaccine trial that involved 10 kennels in seven states, mostly in the eastern United States. Each and every hound in those 10 kennels that wasn’t pregnant or showing clinical signs of leishCOURTESY DR. CHRISTINE PETERSEN
Dr. Christine Petersen (center) and two members of her team, Dr. Adam Lima (right) and graduate student Angela Toepp (left) at the 6th World Congress on Leishmaniasis in Toledo, Spain.
30 | COVERTSIDE
OUR FUTURE
National Headquarters Dear Friends and Supporters, The Masters of Foxhounds Association is entering an exciting new era, building a legacy for the future. The new headquarters and museum will be a symbol of our historic traditions and commitment to hunting’s future. It will be a platform to educate the public about our rich history, expound the values of hunting and rural tradition, and grow our sport. There are many ways for you to be part of this legacy and your donations are tax deductible. Patrick Anthony Leahy MFHA President
T HE M F H A RE PR E S E N T S F OX H UN T IN G F O R AL L O F US! Whether you give $5 or $5,000, you can be a part of our new headquarters, building on our mission to Promote, Preserve, and Protect mounted foxhunting for future generations! SUPPORTER:
BENEFACTOR:
GOLD FOXHUNTER:
$1 – 500
$5,000 – $9,999
$50,000 – $99,999
PARTNER:
VISIONARY
PLATINUM FOXHUNTER:
$500 – $999
$10,000 – $19,999
$100,000 – $249,999
PATRON:
SILVER FOXHUNTER:
DIAMOND FOXHUNTER:
$1,000 – $4,999
$20,000 – $49,999
$250,000 and above
DONORS OF $10,000 OR MORE
will have the opportunity to sponsor and name rooms and areas while available. To see the full list of giving opportunities and appreciation go to www.mfha.com or call 540-955-5680 to donate.
Send your tax deductible donation to:
MFHA Foundation, P. O. Box 363, Millwood, VA 22646 Or online at: www.mfha.com Please make the notation “Headquarters Fund” on your check.
32 | COVERTSIDE
COURTESY DR. CHRISTINE PETERSEN
maniasis was given a vaccine series, and followed over the course of a year. Because this was a double blind, placebo study, half of the dogs vaccinated received saline, while the other half got the real vaccine. Over the course of the year, Petersen and her team collected 4,500 samples, and they are now in the process of doing a full statistical analysis on those samples to better understand their results. Although the sand fly is the insect most closely connected with the spread of leishmaniasis, one of the most potentially useful findings of Petersen’s study has to do with an altogether different, albeit equally tiny, creature: the tick. Ticks have long been suspected to play a role in leishmaniasis, but up until now there has never been a comprehensive study to evaluate that connection. For Petersen’s study, all hounds were given a snap test (the same thing your local veterinarian uses) to check for tick-borne diseases at the time of their enrollment Dr. Petersen’s rightin the trial. Across the board, 40 percent of all hounds enrolled tested hand-woman for much positive for some kind of tick-borne disease, and in Maryland and of the vaccine trial, Virginia, that rate skyrocketed past 50 percent. Dr. Mandy Larson, When it came time to test for leishmaniasis, the team noticed poses with the hounds of a participating hunt something remarkable. “Of 14 dogs that tested positive for leishmaniduring trial enrollment. asis at the start of the trial (and had clinical signs), each and every one also had at least one tick-borne disease,” says Petersen. Further analysis of the results yielded an even more surprising conclusion: dogs that tested positive for two or more tick-borne diseases were 9.8 times more likely to become sick with leishmaniasis. “Before now, no one had a big enough group of dogs to study to prove this connection between tick diseases and leishmaniasis,” says Petersen, “but thanks BIG IMPACT to the MFHA and this vaccine trial, we were finally able to produce The scientific results of Petersen’s trial are currently making their the necessary data to prove the connection once and for all.” way through the peer review process and into scientific journals. “I am so pleased that this connection has come to light because ticks The next step is getting U.S. drug companies to agree to produce are something we can manage for,” says Beeman. “The tick-borne comthe vaccine — something Beeman believes will happen much faster ponent was really one of the most valuable aspects of Petersen’s study.” thanks to the results of this study. “Drug companies are aware of good Beeman notes that the good, sound science science,” says Beeman. “If this vaccine can behind these results is something that be produced in the U.S. it will help all should make the whole foxhunting comdogs, including the dogs of our returnONE HEALTH RECOGNIZES THAT munity sit up and take note. “With good ing veterans.” And from there, it is quite the health of people is connected to the health of animals and the environment. kennel heath practices, tick prevention and possible these results could go on to have The goal of One Health is to encourage responsible breeding, we can go a long way an impact on leishmaniasis infection in the collaborative efforts of multiple distowards preventing this disease.” And Pehumans across the globe. ciplines-working locally, nationally, and tersen agrees. “Now that we have the tools “Not only has this trial drawn positive globally-to achieve the best health for and the knowledge to identify and prevent attention for the MFHA from other parts people, animals, and our environment. it, there should be nothing stopping us of the dog world,” says Beeman, “with the A One Health approach is important from breeding out this disease,” she says. implications for helping humans down because six out of every 10 infectious Finally, Petersen points out that when the line, I have no doubt that this partnerdiseases in humans are spread from it comes to ticks, dogs are not the only ship will end up being a very good thing animals. ones at risk. “We did finger prick tests for Morris, the MFHA and foxhunting in – THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL [on humans] at hound shows across the general.” Beeman also hopes that this trial AND PREVENTION Midwest and East during the course of is just the beginning. “This whole experithis trial,” says Petersen, “and discovered ence has been an extremely gratifying one,” that the incidence of Lyme disease is two he says, “and I hope this opens the door to thousand times greater than amongst the general population.” They find more ways for the MFHA to contribute to health and research for then compared those results to other groups of people who spend a both dogs and horses.” And with the rallying cry of “One Health!” it’s lot of time outdoors (birdwatchers with the National Audubon Socipossible that any research done in the interest of helping our hounds ety and parks and recreation workers in Iowa), and discovered that live longer, better lives might someday help our fellow humans, too. the foxhunting group had a six-times greater risk of having ticks on them. “So do those tick checks and protect yourself too. One Health!” Amy Engle writes from Del Norte, Colorado. She hunts with Caza says Petersen. Ladron in Santa Fe, N.M.
2017
SEPTEMBER
Fox River Valley Performance Trial......................Sept. 15–17
N O V E M B E R C O N T.
MARCH
Rocky Mountain Field Hunter Championship/Arapahoe Joint Meet .....................................Nov. 8–12
Mission Valley Performance Trials .....................Mar. 16–18
Junior NA Field Hunter Championship Belle Meade Hunt .......................Nov. 10–12
Green Spring Valley Hunter Trials, Jackson Hole Farm ....................... Sept. 24
Field Hunter Trials Championship Tryon International Equestrian Center ........................................... Nov. 17–19
Millbrook Performance Trial Hunt ..................................Sept. 24–26
DECEMBER
Chagrin Valley Joint Meet .....Sept. 22–24 Rose Tree Joint Meet ................... Sept. 29
OCTOBER Misty Morning Hunt, Hunter Trials ........................................Oct. 7 Moore County Hounds Hound Trial ................... Oct. 14–15 Bull Run/Rappahannock Performance Trials ..................... Oct. 19–21 Genesse Valley Joint Meet ......................................... Oct. 28
Hillsboro Performance Trial....................................... Nov. 30–Dec. 2
2018
JANUARY
Southern Puppy Show Bear Creek Hounds ........................ Mar. 17 Sedgfield Performance Trials .............. Mar. 31–Apr. 1 North Hills/Mission Valley/Ft. Leavenworth Joint Meet......................TBD
APRIL Southern Hound Show .....................Apr. 7 Arapahoe Performance Trial ..... Apr. 6–8 Southwest Hound Show ................. Apr. 21
M AY New England Hound Show ............. May 6
Belle Meade Performance Trial .................... Jan. 18–20
Carolinas Hound Show .................. May 12
Aiken Hounds Drag Performance Trials ...................... Jan. 10–11
Virginia Hound Show ......................May 27
Virginia Field Hunter Trial ..........Oct. 9–14
FEBRUARY
Whiskey Road Hunter Trial .................TBD
Mooreland Joint Meet ............ Feb. 22–24
NOVEMBER
Tejon Performance Trials ......... Feb. 8–10
Virginia Field Hunter Championship .................................... Nov. 5
Joint Meet ...........................Feb. 28–Mar. 4
Live Oak Presidential
Central States Hounds Show .......... May 3
NOVEMBER Field Hunter Trials Championship – Tryon International Equestrian Center .......................Nov. 11–19 Midland Fitzpatrick Performance Trial..................................TBD
PLEASE CONTACT THE HUNT HOSTING THE EVENT FOR MORE INFORMATION. SOME FIELDS MAY BE LIMITED. CHECK FOR ADDITIONS AND CHANGES l MHFA.COM
holiday picks EDITORS’
FOR THE LIBRARY
’S PAGEANTMiraculous Journey
STORY BY
Catherine Ledyard
ILLUSTRATED
BY
FOR THE BARN
Beth Secor
CONSCI OUS RIDING
“PAGEANT’S MIRACULOUS JOURNEY” by Catherine Ledyard Read the magical story of how a foxhound finds his way home. Proceeds benefit MFHA. shop. mfha.com/collections/ bookstore
“TALLY HO PALM BEACH”
by Paul Striberry Ride along with Alice and the Mad Hatter through the looking glass, and enjoy this apocryphal history of the Palm Beach Hunt. amazon.com
“CONSCIOUS RIDING: A HORSEMAN’S DIARY”
HANDSON GLOVES
SARAH JUMPING SADDLE by Pegasus
CUSTOM STALL PLAQUES
by Paul Striberry Learn how one trainer traded competition for Conscious Riding. “The horse brings us back when we’re stuck in the past.” amazon.com
Better design, better construction and more comfortable for horse and rider. Sarah is crafted with the very best leathers and fittings and the exclusive ComfortFit technology tree. pegasusbutterfly saddles.com
by HandsOn HandsOn Gloves are a revolutionary concept that reaches beyond traditional grooming tools. Sizes from junior to x-large. handsongloves.com
by StallWorks, LLC Brushed brass on the top layer and copper vein on the back layer are bolted together to form these lovely custom stall plaques. Size varies depending on number of characters. sales@stallworksllc.com
EQUIWINNER PATCHES by Signal Health This ten-day treatment makes electrolytes work properly. Treat bleeding, tying-up, anhidrosis and headshaking with properly placed electrolyte patches to improve electrolyte activity. signal-health.com
PROTECTIVE FOOTWEAR by My Mouillere Protect riding boots from water, snow, and mud. Comfortable and safe, providing non-slip grip and keeping your feet dry! Available in nine fun colors, including black and brown. mymouillere.com
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PAGEA NT’S Mira culous Journey
This is the true story of PAGEANT, a real life foxhound who is famous for his miraculous journey of more than 30 miles from a veterinary hospital in Thomasville, Georgia to his home at the Live Oak Kennels in Monticello, Florida.
Visit shop.mfha.com, to purchase your copy. WINTER 2017 | 35
holiday picks EDITORS’
FOR THE WARDROBE
JUMPER ZIP SWEATER
by Fabiano Mitchell Turn heads wearing this simple yet fashionable and elegant equestrian sweater that comes in gray, black, tan and blue. fabianomitchell.com
CAPE AND COAT
by Dubarry of Ireland Samphire Tweed Cape for women with tailored silhouette and faux fur collar is a refreshing alternative to a winter coat. Belburbet men’s overcoat includes Gore-Tex technology and is waterproof and breathable. dubarry.us
HOOF-PRINT BOOTS
by Hoofitz Bright, cheery horse character rain boots. Their unique patented sole leaves hoof prints! The design of the sole mimics the balance, flexion and grip of a horse’s hoof, promoting traction as well. hoofitz.com
SNAFFLE BIT RING
by Mark Lexton Dee Ring Snaffle Bit Ring, hand-carved, cast and hand-polished. It comes in two sizes, sterling silver and gold, and will make a perfect gift for your loved one. Sales benefit equine rescue organizations. marklexton.com
LUGANO LONG COAT
by Horeseware Ireland This fabulously luxurious jacket is as elegant as it is functional. Designed with the discerning equestrian in mind, this jacket features faux fur inside the hood and the upper part of the body, making this jacket super warm and cozy! Available in navy and espresso. horseware.com
FOR FUN COATS FOR DOGS
VIXEN SWAG
by The Book Shop at Sweet Briar College Watch a loved one’s eyes light up when you give them Ginger the Dressed Fox or Rusty the Dressed Fox this holiday season. shopsweet.sbc.edu/ collections/gifts
LOCK BOX TAILGATE
by Lock Box Tailgate Handcrafted in North Carolina, this maple-wood trunk with custom-built shelving holds up to 16 various-sized bottles along with napkins, ice and garnish tray. Perfect for hunt breakfast. lockboxtailgate.com
by SnugPups From foxes to owls, these fun raincoats are lightweight, fleece-lined for a soft, warming layer, custom and hand made in the U.S.A. They are machine washable, easy to put on and take off, and attach with velcro around the middle. Prices vary with size from petite up to 3XL. snugpups.net
INTRODUCING THE SEDGEFIELD LEGACY
(SHOWN HERE IN MULBERRY, ALSO AVAILABLE IN BLACK, SCARLET AND NAUTICAL NAVY)
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ASK THE HUNTSMAN
On A Mission For Voice
Chris Burrowswood is developing the hounds of the Windy Hollow Hunt. BY MARTHA DRUM
C
Covertside: Pressure from increasing development is a major challenge for many hunts. How have you adapted? Burrowswood: I’m a strong believer in breeding a type of hound for the country. Our country in New York is split into four areas, mainly wooded and tight with many roads and houses. So my first concern is to be able to hear the hounds. Secondly, they must be able to hunt on their own and keep to a line. I have chosen to cross with good Penn-Marydel blood from the Golden’s Bridge lines. This improved the voice tenfold, and brought with it nose and a willingness to stick to a line. By sheer coincidence, the one bloodline goes back to a Fell line I hunted thirty-four years ago in the U.K. I guess good breeding will always come to the fore.
Covertside: What factors do you consider when planning a potential breeding?
38 | COVERTSIDE
WILLIAM MANNING A MONENT IN TIME PHOTOGRAPHY
HRIS BURROWSWOOD left retirement on the Caribbean island of Grand Cayman to join Windy Hollow Hunt (WHH) in 2014. He previously hunted hounds in the United Kingdom, where he had also been Master of the Clifton-on-Teme in Herefordshire.
Burrowswood: Every hound represents a huntsman’s dream. He or she hopes each hound will be the hardest worker, or the next show winner. When taking on a new pack, I try to ask, “What was the breeder thinking, what was their dream hound, and why?” I take the qualities that the hounds possess and try to match them
WHEN TAKING ON A NEW PACK, I TRY TO ASK, “WHAT WAS THE BREEDER THINKING, WHAT WAS THEIR DREAM HOUND, AND WHY?
with a dog who could improve those qualities to achieve the desired dream. For example, one of our main lines is the “B” line. Although this line hunts well, it lacks voice. I used Golden’s Bridge Riley ‘10 to our Brenna ‘11. The resulting “R” litter has not only shown well, but hunted well with grand voice in their first season. My future plans include crossing this line with our Padlock ‘15, who goes back to Golden’s Bridge Pippa ‘12. Padlock sired nine whelps this past June, so the future looks strong for deep voices and drive at Windy Hollow. Martha Drum is associate editor of Covertside, and editor of ecovertside.net. She lives near Charlottesville and hunts with Farmington.
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BETTER HUNTING
Carhartt if Convenient
Cynthia Cash finishes laying a line of scent for Norfolk Hunt (MA).
There’s no mandatory attire for the two-legged foxes, so the outfit is strictly functional. Simon Chapman, who lays scent on foot for Woodbrook Hunt Club (Wash.), describes his typical kit: “I wear mountain running shoes with a very aggressive grip; long tights; polypropylene long top; KATHIE DAVENPORT
gloves in case of coming across wire; a warm hat if needed. I also wear a high visibility running vest, as I like staff to be able to see
Think Like a Fox Hardy humans are tasked with laying scent for drag hunts. BY MARTHA DRUM
C
enturies of hunting literature have pondered the whimsical nature of the fox, but what about the twolegged foxes who provide sport for drag packs? Whether laying scent on foot, from horseback, or from the seat of a four-wheeler, these intrepid individuals share a love for the outdoors, physical exertion, and watching hounds work the line. Scent-layers from Woodbrook Hunt in Washington and Traders Point Hunt in Indiana share the challenges and rewards of the job. A variety of backgrounds led these hardy individuals to carry the scent, which is usually fox urine mixed with a touch of glycerin. Woodbrook’s Simon Chapman grew up hunting in
40 | COVERTSIDE
his native Great Britain and had laid scent there for a bloodhound pack. One scent layer for Myopia responded to a Craigslist ad. At Traders Point, Joint Master Tom Santelli recruits from local western, endurance, and eventing riders, as well as landowners and college athletes. Most of the fun for these human foxes is trying to lay a convincing line. Chapman explains, “We begin in covert as with the rousing of a fox, break covert into open country, double back into covert, then maybe make a very open run across a wide open prairie in the way a fox would try to make his last escape.” Considerations of country and providing good sport for the field influence the day’s plan, just as they do when hounds pursue
live quarry. Where territory is tight, it is critical that hounds stay on the line. Traders Point Joint Master Susan McIlwain says, “The [human] fox is instructed that extra scent should be sprayed on the ground around a turn, to make sure the hounds stay on the route created by the Masters.” At Woodbrook, the speed of the pack inspires drag layer Eric Stiemert to be creative. “Because hounds run so fast, I make a lot of effort to lift the scent, by running through water and downwind. This slows them down — sometimes I get lucky, and the huntsman has to recast them.” Like some of their vulpine counterparts, the human foxes enjoy getting well ahead of the pack — then positioning themselves to watch the pursuit. “The
me. You also want a fanny pack or something that you can carry your equipment in: lures, walkie-talkies, etc. I also carry a waterproof case containing maps, a compass, and small Buck knife.”
part I look forward to most is watching hounds work the line as they close in on us, and visiting with them once they are done,” says Chapman. Santelli outlines challenges faced by scent layers, such as being the ice breaker at frozen creeks, navigating unexpected downed trees, dropping the scent bottle, or simply misunderstanding instructions and going off course. With myriad obstacles, it’s not surprising that all the human foxes report being caught by hounds at least once. “Sometimes I climb a tree,” reports Stiemert, “so I can watch all the action and take in the show.” Martha Drum is a staff writer for Covertside and editor of ecovertside.net. in Virginia.
Whiskey Road Foxhounds
HUNT WEEK 2018 February 7th-February 11th Aiken, South Carolina
Stirrup cups, hunt breakfasts and evening soirees hosted at some of the lovliest homes in historic Aiken. Annual Hunt Ball at Woodside Country Club, February 9th.
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Tried and True Fox Hunting Horses Marketing Site Ethical Ads - Experience Verified - All Types of Country For Sale - Wanted Rosemarie Merle-Smith, Proprietor WINTER 2017 | 41
BETTER RIDING
Whipping-in is a
DAVID TRAXLER
year-round job.
So, You Want to Whip-in?
Answer the questions to see if you have what it takes to be staff.
M
any field members romanticize whipping-in, but truthfully, few are well suited to the task. Huntsmen demand your time, you have to be a keen and skilled rider, and you have to be a rain-orshine foxhunter, among other things. Huntsmen and Masters consider many attributes when choosing a whipper-in. Do you have what it takes?
1. HAVE YOU BEEN AN EXEMPLARY FIELD MEMBER?
Whippers-in need to be the cream of the hunt’s crop as they are very visible representatives of the hunt to landowners, neighbors, the public, and upand-coming members. From etiquette to proper turnout, 42 | COVERTSIDE
think about the message the dress and conduct of a whip send to others. They need to know what is expected of the field and to embody every aspect to perfection. Keep in mind that whippers-in are likely to encounter disgruntled members of the public or landowners, so they need to be calm under pressure, good listeners, and able to smooth over difficult encounters. As many a mother has said, “Dress for the job you want, not for the job you have.” This means that in addition to proper field turnout, you carry your whip, wire cutters, extra stirrup leather, etc. You never know when an impromptu pull out of the field might turn into a more permanent position.
2. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE?
This is probably one of the most important attributes of a whipperin. If you are the type that is “never lost,” you have a good shot at making a good whip. Good whippers-in have spent many years in the field getting to know their way around every fixture. A whip who does not know where he or she is, how to get to where he or she needs to be, and how to get home from anywhere is useless to the huntsman and hounds. 3. ARE YOU A MORE THAN PROFICIENT RIDER?
Your riding needs to be second nature so you can focus on the quarry, the hounds, and the strategy of the hunt. Just keeping up is not enough. You often have to outrun or outsmart the pack. If you cannot traverse
BY SARAH MARTIN
uneven ground, ditches, jumps, and all obstacles in your country at full speed then you are not ready to help control hounds in full cry. No one will be around to help you if you fall or have to get off. The nearest help will likely be far away. 4. IS YOUR HORSE A MORE THAN PROFICIENT HUNT HORSE?
Everything stated above is also true of your horse. Is he exemplary? Is he ready for this? If your horse is green, skittish of hounds, cannot pony another horse, cannot easily be stopped at a gallop with one hand, misbehaves alone or in company, is a kicker, is a danger to those around him, is buddy sour, or has trouble crossing any obstacles in the country, he is ill suited as a staff horse
* SAVE THE DATE * Tejon Hunt Week February 3-11, 2018
Performance Trials February 9-10, 2018
“Destination Foxhunting” on the historic 270,000 acre Tejon Ranch. Housing accommodations, stabling, and livery available. Only one hour north of L.A. 661-599-0710 | hmothershead@tejonranch.com equestrian.tejonranch.com
OUTFITTING Foxhunter’s
ADVENTURES
OutbackTrading.com
WINTER 2017 | 43
and possibly even as a field hunter in general. It is true that many experienced whips bring out green horses, but when starting off it is important for a new whip to be mounted on a made and game hunt horse. A good staff horse can teach you more about whipping-in than most humans. It should also be noted that many honorary whips keep two or more hunt horses so that they can always be ready to be of service to their hunt. Additionally, honorary whips generally have their own truck and trailer. If your participation is dependent on another, you may not be a reliable staff choice for the hunt. 5. ARE YOU READY TO MAKE YOUR HOBBY A JOB?
No more excuses to miss hunts because “it’s too cold/wet/ muddy/hot/I have something else scheduled/I’m tired/my horse is tired/etc.” Whippingin is a huge life commitment. The hunt is looking for those that already consistently hunt more than once a week and those who have shown they are not fair-weather hunters. If you are willing to come only if you get to wear the pretty red coat while you ride out unencumbered under the shining sun, parading in front of the field, then you are ill suited to whipin. Whips are frequently out longer than the field and are expected to stay out and help the huntsman until all hounds are safely back, no matter how long that takes. As the saying goes, “a good whip is not seen or heard,” so do not expect a lot of praise or celebration for your efforts. It is a labor 44 | COVERTSIDE
of love. If you are not willing to get cold, wet, or hungry, or you are worried about missing afternoon tea, you may want to rethink your desire to whip-in. 6. ARE YOUR SUMMERS FREE, TOO?
Face it, this is now your new job. There is much to do in summer: learning new hounds; walking out puppies; bringing along green horses; training hounds for hound shows; weed whacking; brush hogging; fence fixing; coop building; trail clearing; meet and greet with neighbors; conservation projects. No more summer vacay. 7. CAN YOU TAKE A LOT OF CRITICISM?
Do you think your huntsman an insufferable fool? Do you think you could do it better? Have you ever even talked to him/her? A hunt is not a democracy. It is a dictatorship. Loyalty to your huntsman is paramount. You will also need to be a flexible team member. Even if you think the orders you have been given are suspect, if you cannot cheerfully and silently carry them out, then you should not be whipping-in for that huntsman. If you cannot take criticism from your huntsman, internalize it, try to be better immediately, even if it is delivered rather hotly, then walk away from this job. If you sulk for the rest of the day/week/ month over a correction, well deserved or not, then whippingin is not for you. Expect to be critiqued a lot in your first few seasons as a whip. If you can stomach the criticism and work very hard to improve — and you will have a lot to improve — you will be a wonderful whipper-in!
8. HAVE YOU MADE ANY EFFORT TO START LEARNING HOUNDS?
10. HAVE YOU READ “WHIPPER-IN” BY DENNIS FOSTER?
If your main interest lies somewhere other than with the hounds, forget about whippingin altogether. After all, your job as a whipper-in is to monitor their every movement, learn their personalities and habits, and assist in their training and hunting. No, they do not all look alike. Pick one to three hounds a day to learn while in the field and let the huntsman and Masters see your interest. Ask to visit the kennels or aid in walking out in the summer and on non-hunt days. Volunteer to foster puppies, clean kennels, or help at hound shows. Knowing hounds and showing an interest in hounds is key to becoming a whip. Training someone to whip-in who already knows 20 of your 50-60 hounds is much easier than teaching someone who knows none.
If you have not read this front to back, back to front, then front to back again, you have a lot of reading to do! If you were able to check off all the boxes, congratulations! You are a good candidate for becoming an honorary whipperin. Keep up the good work. While whipping-in can at times feel like indentured servitude, it is punctuated by wonderful moments that make all the hard work worth the while. If you were able to check off just some boxes, keep at it. It can take many years to become a well-rounded candidate to become an honorary whipper-in. Maybe you checked a box or two, or maybe you have read the above and seriously reconsidered your hunting goals. This is perfectly respectable. The field possesses the past, present, and future of foxhunting. Without field members coming out to enjoy the hounds working and to support the hunt, there is no reason to have a hunt or hunt staff at all. Hunt staff is there to serve the field and make sure that everyone has a day of wonderful sport. Remember that the field enjoys all the perks of whippingin, such as being able to view the quarry or enjoying a great run, without all the extra work. Those exemplary and picturesque fine gentlemen and ladies of the field are an inspiration to us all. This can be you, and it is a most admirable goal. Never underestimate your worth as a field member, for it is the field that is the beating heart of any hunt.
9. ARE YOU PATIENT?
Most hunts only have a handful of whips. Keep in mind a position may need to be vacated before there is room for someone to step up. Be empathetic that your promotion is the end of another whipper-in’s long and great career. You will have big shoes to fill. So bide your time with quiet patience and respect. Do not pester the Masters or the huntsman incessantly. Help your hunt in earnest without constant reminders that you expect reciprocity. Remember that good whips are patient, silent, and biddable.
Sarah Martin is a whipper-in for Bridlespur Hunt in Missouri.
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U.S. Postal Service Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (Published in accordance with 707.8.3, Domestic Mail Manual) 1. Publication Title: Covertside 2. Publication Number: 021-771 3. Filing Date: 10/1/2017 4. Issue Frequency: Quarterly 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 4 6. Annual Subscription Price: $20.00
7. Mailing Address of Publication: Masters of Foxhounds Association, P.O. Box 363, Millwood, VA 22646 8. Mailing Address of Head quarters: E-squared Editorial Services, 2329 Lakeview Road SW, Albuquerque, NM 87105
9. Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Emily Esterson, 2329 Lakeview Road SW, Albuquerque, NM 87105 10. Owner: Masters of Foxhounds Association, P.O. Box 363, Millwood, VA 22646 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Securities Holders Owning or
Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None 12. Tax Status: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months 13. Publication Title: Covertside 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: Fall 2017/ September 30, 2017
15. Extent and Nature of Circulation: 6100 members, association; comp copies to supporters, advertisers & friends
Average No. Copies Each Issue Preceding 12 Months
No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date
a. Total Number of Copies b. Paid Circulation (1) Mailed Outside by Other Classes of Mail c. Total Paid Distribution d. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (1) Outside County (2) In-County (3) Mailed at Other Classes via USPS (4) Outside the Mail e. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution f. Total Distribution g. Copies not Distributed h. Total i. Percent Paid
6962
6980
6073 6073
5964 5964
113 0 0 508 620 6693 269 6962 90.73%
119 0 0 512 631 6595 385 6980 90.43%
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16. This Statement of Ownership will be printed in the Winter 2017 issue of this publication. 17. Signature and Title of Editor: Emily Esterson, Editor, October 9, 2017
WINTER 2017 | 45
FARE & FLASK
from Yolanda & Richard Knowlton’s Windward Mark Farm This page: Jingle Bell Jog, hosted by the North Salem Bridle Trails Association and Golden’s Bridge Hounds, ends with a special cocktail.
tack. It’s a caroling horseback ride toward Masters Yolanda and Richard Knowlton’s Windward Mark Farm, where horn-blowing and whip-cracking competitions commence as guests enjoy a repast that always includes slices of super-sweet hummingbird cake and Winter Windward Mark cocktails. On the subject of adult libations, few American hunt holiday traditions have attained the fabled status of the rum cakes made by Deborah McKechnie of Kimberton Hounds. It used to be that Debbie baked a bunch of her holidaylicious cakes to give away to riding members of her club; but a while back several of High-spirited merriment is the order of the season. the group volunteered Debbie STORY AND PHOTOS BY MICHAEL STERN to make enough of them to give to landowners. They have since become coveted Christmas gifts throughout southeastern Pennthe hounds takes place Thanks- ham biscuits; and those in oliday celebrasylvania ... and beyond. Debbie the know stop by the beloved giving morning. A formal hunt tions staged horse-district diner called Track now turns out hundreds every breakfast would be redundant by hunt clubs Kitchen, where “Pockets” Carter season; and when she built a on Turkey Day, but the morninclude parties new house, she included double is known for the deep-fried ing is heralded by a come-one, and formal balls, costumed ovens in the kitchen just for the turkeys he prepares for people come-all pick-me-up called mounted parades, and all sorts purpose of making cakes. With “Bloodies and Bagels,” hosted by to take back home. of high-spirited merriment. rum in the batter and more Ham biscuits are a featured the Aiken Land Conservancy on Accordingly, the bill of fare at the sweeping lawn of the Aiken delight also at Goshen Hounds’ rum drizzled on top and sopbreakfast and for stirrup cups ping through as it bakes, how opening hunt, known for the County Historical Museum. gets extra colorful this time of groaning-board stirrup cup pro- intoxicating is this cake? When year. Here at Aiken Hounds, our When the hunt is done, riders one is delivered to a landowner, vided by the Masters and their and friends enjoy a round of opening meet and blessing of spouses. Once mounted, mem- it comes with instructions to keep it away from children and bers hoist a single-malt Scotch whiskey toast to foxhunters who to not get behind the wheel of a have crossed the rainbow bridge car after eating a slice. As for the recipe, that’s a closely guarded in the last season. secret. “It will be on my tombAfter Thanksgiving on the first Sunday in December, folks stone,” Debbie proclaims. from Golden’s Bridge Hounds, Michael Stern has co-authored along with the North Salem over forty books about AmeriBridle Trails Association, stage can food and popular culture. a jolly Christmas cavalcade He created roadfood.com and is known as the Jingle Bell Jog, for heard weekly on Public Radio’s which jingle bells are mandatory “The Splendid Table.”
HUNTS’ HOLIDAY FARE
H
46 | COVERTSIDE
the recipe
WINTER WINDWARD MARK DIRECTIONS: In a highball or double rocks glass (10-12 ounces), filled with ice, mix: • 1-1/2 ounces Maker’s Mark bourbon
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Pour over and back in a shaker Add a small float of Fireball cinnamon whiskey
Aiken members enjoy “Bloodies and Bagels.”
PHOTOS COURTESY KATIE ROTH, AIKEN LAND CONSERVANCY
A POEM FOR RUM CAKE Kimberton Landowners we agree Are the nicest there can be They let us hunt across their grounds From early fall ‘til spring abounds The air is crisp, the view is grand, For sighting foxes on your land. To hear the music of the hounds For us is such a lovely sound.
“Bloodies and Bagels” is very well-attended. There have been as many as 500 people at the event.
For giving us a joy so sweet We offer you this tasty treat. And thanks to you for all the fun from all who hunt with Kimberton.
WINTER 2017 | 47
LAST RUN OF THE DAY Photograph by Andy Anderson
Benjamin H. Hardaway III 1919-2017
EDITOR’S NOTE: Do you have a photo, story or essay to share with Covertside? Send high-resolution, 300 dpi photographs or essays to editor@covertside.net, or snail mail to Covertside, 2329 Lakeview Rd. SW, Albuquerque, NM 87105 48 | COVERTSIDE
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466 MONTANA HALL LN S, WHITE POST • $2,850,000 200+ acres in Clarke Co., VA Historic farm, 705 acres, being divided one time. Parcel offered includes main house (8000+ sq ft) attached 1 bedroom "Coal House", 1 tenant hse, a 4 car, 2 level garage, summer kitchen/guest house, Ice House/wine cellar, rolling pastures, fantastic views of the Blue Ridge Mnts, VOF esmt, barn, outbuildings, 2 ponds, spring hse, VA historic registry. Anne McIntosh • (703) 509-4499 Maria Eldredge • (540) 454-3829
3672 HALFWAY RD, THE PLAINS • $1,995,000 Wonderful opportunity for complete country living. Charming stone & stucco 3 bedroom, 2 bath farmhouse w/ 5 stall banked barn, 1 bedroom 1 bath guest house. Wide plank hardwood floors, fireplaces, large porches for entertaining. Plenty of room for horses, multiple paddocks w/water. A must see! Close to I66 at exit 31, 45 minutes to Dulles Airport. Orange County Hunt Territory. Peter Pejacsevich • (540) 270-3835 Scott Buzzelli • (540) 454-1399
39984 BRADDOCK RD, ALDIE • $1,985,000 Custom Stone French Chateau 6,300+ sq ft home on 27 acs. 2 lots, Gourmet kitchen with granite countertops & Commercial grade appliances. First floor bdrm, 4th lvl au-pair suite, artist studio. Jetted & over-sized bathtubs, vaulted & tray ceilings. 12 stall barn w wide center aisle & full 2nd floor, 8 fenced paddocks, run-in shed, 2 paddocks with waterers. Equestrian facilities & beautiful home! Scott Buzzelli • (540) 454-1399 Peter Pejacsevich • (540) 270-3835
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40124 NEW RD, ALDIE • $1,195,000 ALDIE GOLD. Ideally located, perfectly remodeled! 30+ ac. Sparkling, light filled, great open floor plan, gorgeous wood floors throughout. Gourmet kitchen, granite counters, open to family breakfast room with fireplace. 5 BR, 3 FB, 1 HB, Main level BR. Check out interactive floor plan & aerial video tour online. Plenty of room for horses. Close for commuting & shopping - with a rural feel. Carole Taylor • (703) 577-4680 George Roll • (703) 606-6358 ED AT Y V A NO AW RE ET G
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677 FEDERAL ST, PARIS • $349,000 Beautiful Federal home, c 1810, with wonderful character. Close to the Ashby Inn on east side of Blue Ridge Mountain, Paris lies in protected Crooked Run Valley surrounded by large farms. Mature landscaping, wonderful old boxwoods. 2 BR, 2 FB, updated kitchen, new septic. Perfect, relaxing weekend retreat or full-time residence; a very special home. Carole Taylor • (703) 577-4680 George Roll • (703) 606-6358