The Hounds of the Hunt

Myopia Hunt is a blend of athleticism and tradition. / by Brion O’Connor

FOR ALL ITS PAGEANTRY and majestic steeds, the rollicking gathering that is the Myopia Hunt is often heard before it’s seen, thanks to the joyful howls of more than 30 rambunctious foxhounds leading the charge.

“When the hounds find the line, they’ll take off at full cry, which you can hear from a mile away,” says Phillip Headdon, Myopia’s Huntsman. “That’s the thrill of the chase, with the hounds running and you on your horse keeping up with them through every twist and turn and jump.”

And when every rider and all the animals are working together, a special alchemy occurs.

“It’s very rewarding to be a part of a hunt,” says Nicholas White, joint master of the Hunt since 2014. “It’s the culmination of hard work and dedication. It’s the coming together of all three components that make up a hunt—horsemanship, training of hounds and setting a route through our countryside.

“We hunt through approximately 225 different properties,” White says. “Our horses and riders have put in countless hours working together. The hounds are fit and healthy. Riding in the countryside following a pack of hounds is much different, much better, than doing circles in a riding ring.”

It’s an experience that members of the Myopia Hunt want to share. The Myopia stable has been public for many years, and visiting riders from other hunts and other stables have always been welcomed.

“Each year, the Hunt hosts several events which draw participants from outside our area,” says Wendy Wood, joint master of the Hunt along with White. “Our own homes and stables often house the overflow.”

Just as important, Wood says, is that the Hunt is open to the general public. Despite a popular misconception, riders don’t need to belong to Myopia to participate.

“We are always ready to greet a new member or follower,” she says. “The history of our area is rich with fox-hunting tradition, and it’s very important to all of us to keep this wonderful history fresh and relevant. The more, the merrier.”

The responsibility of getting the hounds—don’t even think of calling them “dogs”—ready for their romp through the woods and fields of the North Shore falls to the 63 year old Headdon.

“Training for the hounds starts when they’re pups and continues through to when they retire,” Headdon says. “The key elements (of an elite foxhound) are good manners and discipline and routine. I’m the one they look to for direction. I try to make myself the alpha male. The hounds must respect you, and you have to respect them.”

The hounds and the Hunt have a long and colorful history on Bay Road in Hamilton, as befits the Myopia Hunt & Polo Club.

“Our club logo is made up of a fox head and hunting horn, so I’d say that the hunt plays a very important part as far as public recognition of the club,” says Kim Cutler, former joint master of the Hunt and longtime member of the Hunt Committee. “One of the unique aspects of the Hunt is its ability to hold onto its long traditions. Things that were done in 1882 still take place today—the Blessing of the Hounds, Hunt Ball, Hunter Paces, etc.—and I think traditions are very important to the club as well.”

More often than not, however, the Hunt is associated with the horses and the riders, in all their sartorial splendor, including the distinctive “pink coats” (the red jackets named after London tailor Thomas Pink) worn by the masters and Myopia’s canary colors found on riders’ collars. But the hounds have always been an integral part of the event. Myopia is home to 35 foxhounds, with 28 Crossbred—their lineage tracing back to England— and nine American, male and female, ranging in size from 21 to 25 inches at the shoulder, and weighing 50 to 90 pounds.

“Crossbreds work well with drag hunting because we need a hound that is not too fast,” White says. “American hounds are a ‘little racy,’ according to our huntsman.

“We also need hounds that will follow the scent we put down for the hounds to follow,” he says. “In general, crossbreds are more biddable, which means they are more easily led, taught and controlled. They’re a combination of all the best hound traits.”

For Headdon, there’s an unmistakable joy in the partnership with his four-legged cohorts.

“The hounds really live for their job and will do anything to please their huntsman,” he says. “For me, as huntsman, it’s very rewarding to watch and listen to my hounds as they puzzle out a line with little or no direction from me.”

One tradition that has changed from those bygone days of the 19th century is that Myopia is “not a live quarry pack,” meaning the hunt doesn’t chase actual foxes.

“We hunt what is called a ‘drag,’ which is a mixture of fox urine and a few secret ingredients,” he says. “Our hounds are trained to hunt a particular line and are trained not to chase anything live.

“Me and my kennelmen go out the day before a hunt and determine where we are going to lay the line for the hounds,” Headdon says. “I try to keep it as close to hunting a fox as possible, with all the twists and turns as a fox would do in the woods and open farmland. We make sure it is safe for riders and respect the wishes of the landowners and farmers whose land we ride over, so we don’t do any damage.”

During a normal year, the hunt goes out every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from May 1 till the Thanksgiving Hunt, with breaks for the hounds in August.

“We normally lay three to four lines in a day, which we walk the day before,” Headdon says. “So, over the course of a days hunting, we will run an average of four to six miles, maybe more.”

Headdon and his kennelmen are also responsible for cleaning and maintaining the land and trails over which we hunt during the season, to make sure it is safe for everyone who hunts, or just rides for pleasure.

Woods said the goal of the Myopia Hunt is “to provide a safe, friendly and fun environment for adults and children who want to experience this traditional sport and enjoy our beautiful countryside.”

“We take pride in our relationship with the community of Hamilton and Essex County,” Wood says. “We’re very involved in the local and state conservation and public land groups - providing assistance in maintaining the public trails and parkland, as well as encouraging private landowners to allow public passage from one area to another.” Another public benefit of the hunt, Cutler says, is “its never-ending quest to keep land open for all— walkers, bikers and riders—to use.” “I’m sure most people as they walk, bike or ride the trails around Hamilton and many others all the way up to the Merrimack River have no idea that the hunt clears and maintains many of them,” she says. “One of the best examples is right in the middle of Hamilton—the Myopia Schooling Field.”

For more information about Myopia Hunt, visit myopiahunt.org.