Covertside, Summer 2020

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S U M M E R 2 020

Volume 11, Number 2

10 THE SOUND OF HOUNDS

WILL NEVER DIE

BY OCTAVIA POLLOCK

UK hunts are alive and well 15 years post-ban.

15 WHEN AN ARTIST

SEES A HORSE

BY JOSH WALKER

Three artists draw inspiration from horses and foxhunting.

22 SCENTING IN BLACK

AND WHITE

BY EMILY DAILY

French hounds boost sport in California.

26 THE DAUGHTERS

BY EMILY DAILY

Foxhunting forged the careers of three decorated hunter/ jumper riders.

IN E ACH ISSUE 2 FROM THE PUBLISHER

Strange Times 4 NEWS 6 WHY WE HUNT Speaking the language 8 ASK THE HUNTSMAN Famed author Rita Mae Brown writes and draws inspiration from the hunt.

Page 10 Despite the ban, the UK hunts on.

30 FARE AND FLASK Aiken Hound’s Wednesday gentlemen ride and jest in the off season.

32 LAST RUN OF THE DAY

ON OUR COVER: Snyder, Genevieve, Portrait of a Radnor Hound, 12 x 9 in.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

WWW.MFHA.COM

ROBERT KORNACKI

OFFICERS Patrick A. Leahy, MFH President Leslie Crosby, MFH First Vice President Penny Denegre, MFH Second Vice President Bill Haggard, MFH Secretary-Treasurer

Strange Times

A

s I write this, we’re on day 31 (or 33? 40?) of shelter-inplace, wash your hands, stay home. The world as we knew it has vastly changed.

We’re lucky. Many foxhunters keep horses at home, and social distancing on horseback is something we know how to do: We know to keep horse’s length between ourselves and the horse in front.

Everyone’s new safe personal space is our normal. And many of us are lucky to live in rural areas, with plenty of space to roam.

Still, the foxhunting community will not be immune to the impact of Covid 19. Many hunt clubs had to cancel their annual fundraisers, and some will most certainly see a drop in dues and subscriptions thanks to the virus’ toll on personal income. And, come autumn hunting, we may not be released from quarantine. We just don’t know.

All we can do is remember our community — our chosen family, as it were, and give back to the sport in imaginative ways. Whether that means helping out in the kennels (with permission and safe social distancing) or, if you’re financially able, sponsoring members who might not have the excess income this year, or helping out the hunt club, because hounds still have to be fed and staff paid and horses exercised. Together, we’ll come out on the other side of this adaptable and ready to kick on.

MFHA FOUNDATION Patrick A. Leahy, MFH President PO Box 207, Mddileburg, VA 20118 (540) 883-0883 COVERTSIDE EDITORIAL BOARD Leslie Crosby, MFH Penny Denegre, MFH Emily Esterson, Editor-in-Chief Patrick A. Leahy, MFH

HUNT STAFF BENEFIT FOUNDATION Nancy Stahl, MFH President PO Box 207, Middleburg, VA 20118 (540) 883-0883

DIRECTORS Canada • Dr. Charlotte McDonald, MFH Carolinas • Fred Berry, MFH Central • Arlene Taylor, MFH Great Plains • Dr. Luke Matranga, MFH Maryland-Delaware • John McFadden, MFH Midsouth • Lilla Mason, MFH New England • Suzanne Levy, MFH New York-New Jersey • David Feureisen, MFH Northern Virginia-West Virginia • Anne McIntosh, MFH Pacific • Angela Murray, MFH Pennsylvania • Sean Cully, MFH Rocky Mountain • Adren Nance, MFH Southern • Mason Hardaway Lampton, MFH Virginia • Ginny Perrin, MFH Western • Susan Denny Gentry, MFH At Large • Dr. G. Marvin Beeman, MFH At Large • Ed Kelly, MFH At Large • Mason H. Lampton, MFH At Large • Dr. Jack van Nagell, MFH At Large • Daphne Wood, MFH

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/PUBLISHER EMILY ESTERSON publisher@covertside.net 505-553-2671 ART DIRECTOR GLENNA STOCKS production@covertside.net MANAGING EDITOR SARAH K. WILLIAMS sarah@e-squarededit.com STAFF WRITER EMILY DAILY edaily@covertside.net SALES TOM KIRLIN tkirlin@covertside.net E-SQUARED EDITORIAL SERVICES LLC 2329 Lakeview Rd. SW Albuquerque, NM 87105 505-553-2671 • www.ecovertside.net Covertside (ISSN 1547-4216) is published quarterly (February, May, August, and

Emily Esterson Editor-in-Chief/Publisher 2

COVERTSIDE

November) by the Masters of Foxhounds Association, PO Box 363, Millwood, VA 22646. Periodical Postage paid at Winchester, VA 22601 and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MFHA, PO Box 207, Middleburg, VA 20118.

COVERTSIDE READERS: Direct all correspondence to the same address. (540) 883-0883.

SUMMER 2020 3

MFHA NEWS

CLUB NEWS

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM 2019/2020 GRADUATING CLASS

Alyse Phipps, Norfolk Hunt Bennett Barclay, Elkridge-Harford Hunt Brianna Graf, Essex Fox Hounds James Dean, Radnor Hunt Kallie Wallace, Shawnee Hounds Jacob Cotton, Rose Tree-Blue Mountain Kim Levy, Shelburne County Foxhounds The Professional Development Program provides participants with access to mentors, tools, and peers to develop a well-rounded and bettereducated hunt professional. The yearlong course runs May 1 – May 1 to align with traditional employment years for hunt staff. Along with an extensive collection of reading and learning materials, the program facilitates access to a variety of hunts, hound shows, kennels, and one-on-one guidance from fellow hunt professionals.

For more information on the program visit mfha.com or follow MFHA on Facebook.

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Tommy Lee Jones hunts the Casanova hounds.

HALF A CENTURY HUNTING TOMMY LEE JONES CELEBRATES 50 YEARS WITH CASANOVA HUNT.

BY MRS. WILLIAM G. FENDLEY, EX-MFH, CASANOVA HUNT

We are proud to announce that the 2019/2020 season marks the 50th year that Tommy Lee Jones has hunted the Casanova hounds. What a remarkable feat, made possible by the fact that he began riding very young, and has always been an extremely talented rider.

As a young man, Tommy Lee was fortunate to be able to hunt with many fine Virginia huntsmen, including Melvin

Poe, Albert Poe, Andrew Branham, and Duke Leach, to mention a few. While hunting with Casanova in 1967, Tommy Lee was appointed whipper-in to Irish Huntsman Captain Ian Benson. When Captain Benson returned to Ireland in 1970, Tommy Lee was asked to carry the horn for Casanova.

He has a fine eye for both horse and hound, with strong opinions regarding both. Thus he has bred hounds able to win on the boards, yet full of the drive, stamina, and speed necessary to find and pursue the fox. Their size and temperament make them especially

suitable to the Casanova Hunt territory, which can be heavily wooded with thick areas of briars. He possesses that admirable Virginia trait of allowing the pack to hunt the fox with minimal interference.

An active participant and competitor in the annual Virginia Foxhound Club Hound Show, Tommy Lee and his whippers-in showed Casanova hounds with success over the years and brought home many trophies and ribbons to honor the hunt.

There has been considerable success for Tommy Lee as the manager of the Upperville Colt

ROBERT MCCLANAHAN

The MFHA Professional Development Program, now in its 15th year, will celebrate the following graduates in a delayed ceremony at a yet-to-bedetermined date.

Seven individuals completed the 2019/2020 program, which is designed to enhance and improve the skills of hunt professionals and encourage a career in hunt service.

Gone Away THE FOLLOWING ARE MESSAGES OF WELL WISHES HONORING TOMMY LEE JONES AND HIS YEARS OF SERVICE: We of the Casanova Hunt, our staff members, subscribers, landowners, and friends are grateful for the time and expertise given on our behalf.

What a grand time we have had. Thank you!

“Tommy is the epitome of a professional huntsman. He has been a significant influence to other professionals and to the sport of foxhunting in America. Tommy is a true professional, one that all should try to emulate.” – PATRICK ANTHONY LEAHY, MFH, President, Masters of Foxhounds Association & MFHA Foundation.

“I first became aware of Tommy in the mid-70s, when I was whipping in to Les Grimes, a fellow Virginian and great huntsman. We were at the Virginia Hound Show and as we walked by Tommy, Les commented “He’s a good guy.” For Les to say that meant a lot. It was the gold standard. Over the years he has been proven right. Tommy has been a great huntsman and a wonderful spokesman for the sport. He wrote some wonderful articles over the years; his knowledge of the history of hunting in Virginia always added some real color to his writing. But the time I remember best was in 1996, when Ben Hardaway had the first hound trial in modern times. I was checking into the hotel in Montgomery, Alabama, and there was all kinds of commotion in the lobby and at the front desk. When I asked what was going on, they told me that Tommy Lee Jones and a film crew were due to check in. The looks on their faces, when in walks Tommy Lee and a group he had put together to film the hound trials, was priceless.” – ANDREW BARCLAY, former Green Spring Valley Huntsman, Museum of Hounds & Hunting Inductee, MFHA Foundation Professional Development Program Instructor

and Horse Show since 1985.

The Upperville Colt and Horse Show is the oldest show in America and under his management won Horse Show of the Year in 1991,1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2011, and 2012. For more than 35 years, Tommy Lee has also served as the manager of the historic Warrenton Horse Show and more than 20 years as president of the Senior Advisory Board for the Warrenton Pony Show, the oldest pony show in America.

Accolades include the Virginia Horse Shows Association’s Horseman of the Year in 1998 and induction into the VHSA

Hall of Fame in 2013. The Masters of Foxhounds Association established an award for hunt professionals who have shown the utmost dedication to the sport of foxhunting. Casanova Hunt is very proud that Tommy Lee was the first professional huntsman to be presented with the Ian Milne Award in 2013.

In 2018 Rick Gerhardt, supervisor for the Cedar Run Magisterial District named Tommy Lee and Diane Jones as Fauquier County Cedar Run District’s Citizens of the Year. When Tommy Lee Jones and Diane Carr met on a high school blind date in Leesburg

in 1964, no one could have expected the impact these two would have on Fauquier County and its equestrian community in the decades to follow.

Among their efforts, tens of thousands of dollars have been raised to support the Fauquier County SPCA and the Fauquier Free Clinic.

The Commonwealth of Virginia’s General Assembly passed House Resolution No. 238 commending Tommy Lee Jones on January 31, 2019, as an expression of the House of Delegates’ admiration for his legacy of service and his extensive contributions to the Fauquier County community.

House Patrons were Delegates Elizabeth Guzman, Mark Cole, and Michael Webert.

Casanova Hunt takes great pride in announcing that Tommy Lee Jones is to be inducted into The Huntsmen’s Room, which was founded in 1997 by the Museum of Hounds and Hunting in North America. The Huntsmen’s Room at Morven Park is dedicated to those particular huntsmen who have made significant contributions to the furtherance of the sport of foxhunting, are recognized for their successful hound breeding, and for showing great sport to those who followed them. Casanova will be unique in the sport of foxhunting in North America with two honorees installed in The Huntsman’s Room whose tenure covers 75 of its 110-year-long history.

Tommy Lee Jones is a true Virginia huntsman who has provided Casanova Hunt with 50 years of memorable sport. The agile and cohesive pack he’s bred and hunted is one of the finest Virginia has to offer.

JOHN LARSON, MFH Mill Creek Hunt 1947-2020 John Larson, lover of adventure, animals, and people was Master at the Mill Creek Hunt Club from 2005 through 2009.

As Master, John successfully transitioned the club governance from landowner leadership to a more subscription-based structure. Always happy to ride alongside new hunters along with his wife Sharon, their patience, kindness, and humor was instrumental in making numerous life-long hunters.

John headed Precision Instruments, Inc., the family business, until his retirement in 2005. An inventor and designer of specialized tools, he was awarded numerous patents.

In retirement, he put his skills to work rehabbing some of the structures making up the historic Mill Creek Hunt Club kennel and stables. Like many special people who have a positive influence on so many lives, his human form will be missed, but his spirit will always be present.

SUMMER 2020 5

WHY WE HUNT

Speaking the Language Animals speak. Be sure to listen.

BY KEITH GRAY, MFH

M

any of us who spend our days in the company of animals develop the ability to know what our furry companions are saying.

It’s easy to see this connection when, while sharing a great story, the person will quote what their horse or dog said along the way, as if the creature verbalized clearly for all to hear and understand.

My daughter, Emily, epitomized the concept when, at the age of 7, she caught the foxhunting bug. Her first season consisted of three caps atop a recently retired thoroughbred on a lead line. The next season, we visited the local lesson barn in search of a more suitable mount. Based only on, “We’d like to buy a pony,” the owner, Chris, appeared with an adorable 13-hand bay mare. Upon Emily’s butt hitting the saddle, the pony bolted, crying ensued, and girl and pony parted ways.

I suggested another pony.

Understandably, Emily refused the offer for another try, and little sister Erin climbed aboard the next pony, gave a 6

COVERTSIDE

squeeze, and walked and trotted around the ring obediently.

SOLD! In the following weeks, Scooter and Emily explored the trails, went out with hounds, and progressed to autumn hunting on a lead line. It didn’t take long for the duo to detach from dad, sans lead line.

As they progressed through the season, I would check-in with Emily by asking, “What is your pony saying to you?” Responses varied: “She LOVED going fast!” or, “She told me ‘No!’ at that creek, but Mrs. Larson’s horse told her it was going to be okay, so she went.” Sometimes I’d get: “She says she’s tired,” and I’d know that we might have to peel off if the hounds hit again. Often, I’d hear: “She’s having a good time running with all of these horses!”

It was apparent that Emily and her pony were talking.

The next summer, we were back on the trails near the barn whence Scooter originated and rode over to visit Chris. After pleasantries were exchanged, Chris asked what Emily had been doing with Scooter. Emily

Emily Gray had a special relationship with Scooter, who spoke for her in the hunt field. Pictured with her father, Keith, Master of Mill Creek Hunt.

Foxhunting connects us to animals in ways that I’ve not seen elsewhere.

Just remember, appreciate the conversation for the precious gift it is. proudly answered, “foxhunting!” An uncomfortable silence ensued. As I began explaining

foxhunting, Chris declared with a blend of admiration and admonishment, “I know what foxhunting is! That pony was a birthday party pony. All she’s done is walk around the ring here or be led around people’s front yards. She can’t foxhunt!”

After we said our goodbyes and walked back home, it occurred to me that neither Chris nor her students spoke Scooter’s language. Yes, that pony could foxhunt. It merely took a rider to listen and act accordingly.

Foxhunting connects us to animals in ways that I’ve not seen elsewhere. Just remember, appreciate the conversation for the precious gift it is.

Keith Gray is MFH of Mill Creek Hunt in Illinois.

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SUMMER 2020 7

ASK THE HUNTSMAN

For famed author Rita Mae Brown, foxhunting is life and language is magic. BY JOSH WALKER

R

ita Mae Brown made her name as a New York Times bestselling author and Emmy-nominated screenplay writer. In the equestrian world, it’s hard to say whether she is better known for her Sister Jane Foxhunting Mystery series or her charismatic nature and authenticity in the field as Master of Foxhounds and huntsman for Oak Ridge Fox Hunt Club in Charlottesville, Virginia.

She grew up with a love for animals and the magic of language, and she says she believes both profoundly shape the human experience. Brown says she draws her stories, both figuratively and literally, from the world of foxhunting, which serve as the subject matter for many of the stories created during her nearly 50-year-long career as an author.

“When I hunt the hounds, it’s my greatest love. I don’t think of anything else, which is why I think it’s so refreshing.”

8

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Rita Mae Brown, MFH and famed author, is inspired and refreshed by hunting the hounds.

COVERTSIDE: Where do you find inspiration for your stories?

BROWN: All you have you have to do is draw a breath.

Everywhere there’s a story, whether you’re a foxhunter or whether you’re not.

COVERTSIDE: Do you draw inspiration from the hunt field?

BROWN: All the time. Some of the funniest ones involve a fox. People don’t realize how intelligent they are.

I have seen them do the most extraordinary things.

The funniest thing I ever saw happened years ago. I was out with my buddies at Farmington [Hunt]. One of them, Posy Dent, had a big red Wagoneer. It was warm, so she had the back open and was sitting there listening to the hounds.

When one of the horses in the group threw a shoe, we started back to the trailers.

By God if the fox didn’t shoot in front of us as we were heading back and jump into the back of Posy’s Wagoneer. She didn’t know it was in there and started to drive off. We all screamed,

BARBARA BOWEN

The Plot Will Take Care of Itself

“Posy, you’ve got the fox!”

The hounds ran by us and, of course, stopped because the scent was gone. And there goes Posy and the fox down the road. That was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.

COVERTSIDE: What parallels do you see between storytelling and foxhunting?

BROWN: I’m not sure there’s a difference. The drive to tell stories and make sense of experiences goes back to before The Iliad. It’s one of the things humans need to survive. My first memories are of animals, and I think we need animals to live. I see foxhunting as a metaphor for life and our place as a species in it, and I draw great inspiration and knowledge from animals.

I’m open to everything they have to teach.

COVERTSIDE: Do you find it difficult to separate writing while riding and vice-versa?

BROWN: When I hunt the hounds, it’s my greatest love.

I don’t think of anything else, which is why I think it’s so refreshing. If you start to

think of other things while you’re foxhunting, you’re probably going to do an involuntary dismount. I just want to be with my hounds.

I have rough territory, so it’s often very difficult to stay with them. So, my focus is completely on them.

COVERTSIDE: And how do you focus when you write?

BROWN: I look at all the mouths I have to feed. Or I pull out one of my Latin or Greek books and read a page or two. I grab the Latin books first because they’re the easiest to read.

It’s like ice for the brain. It’s so clear, and in many ways it’s so precise. It just snaps you right back into what language can do. When people talk about novels, they talk about the plot. If you’re a writer, you better master your language tools first. The plot will take care of itself.

Josh Walker has written for equestrian publications since 2005. He hunted his Irish Draught with Stonewall Hounds in Lynchburg, Virginia. He now lives in Charleston, South Carolina.

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Huntsman Robert McCarthy exercises the hounds of Percy Hunt through Northumberland.

10

COVERTSIDE

Hounds The Sound of the

Will Never Die FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, THE FOXHUNTERS OF

RIDING TO HOUNDS IS ALIVE AND WELL 15 YEARS POST-BAN. BY OCTAVIA POLLOCK

ENGLAND AND WALES BEGAN LIVING IN A WORLD WHERE THEIR SPORT HAD BEEN OUTLAWED. They had been cast as bloodthirsty ‘toffs’ by a Labour government refusing to understand that followers of field sports love and appreciate the countryside better than anyone else. The anti-hunt campaign could not see beyond the outdated image of a red-faced lord in a top hat looking down his nose from a horse. Little did they know that anyone and everyone is welcome out hunting, from plumber to plasterer, doctor to duke.

“Something based in such prejudice is never going

SARAH FARNSWORTH

to be good,” says Tim Easby, former chairman of the UK Masters of Foxhounds Association. “It was purely class warfare, nothing to do with foxes.”

SUMMER 2020 11

I

n the 15 years since, hunts still meet at 11 a.m. at pubs, private houses, and market squares across the country, and not a single hunt has ceased operating due to the ban. Moreover, more people are riding to hounds than ever before. Many started hunting after the ban, such as Nick Alexander, chairman of the Grove & Rufford, who laughs: “I didn’t want someone from north London telling me what to do!” Easby, who was hunting the West of Yore in Yorkshire when the ban came in, adds: “Farmers who had never had us before said ‘come.’ Proper British defiance.”

Any changes in hunt countries have been due to pressure from development and ever-busier roads. To adapt, hunts have amalgamated, with great success.

“There are too many people and too little space,” notes Tim Bonner, chief executive of rural campaigning group the Countryside Alliance. “Hunts in wide-open areas such as Northumberland are fine, but most are facing major changes, as in Leicestershire [home of the classic Shire packs].”

Although old-timers may rue the loss of the unfettered past, young people starting now are “more optimistic about the future than some who have spent their whole lives doing it,” says Bonner. “It’s not going to be the same as in Ronnie Wallace’s day, but it can still be great. There is so much determination to keep it going.”

Easby concurs: “It’s not without its difficulties, but I am hugely encouraged by the people still hunting. We have always adapted. They said it would end with the distemper outbreak in the 19th century, then with the railways and barbed wire, but we survived all that, two World Wars, two outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, and the Hunting Act. The ban is just another hurdle to overcome.”

Another hurdle is the proliferation of claims on people’s time, but the chance to watch man and animal work together in the countryside is still a draw. “Hunting remains a fascinating, multi-faceted activity,” says Catherine Austen, hunting editor of Horse & Hound. “It continues to attract 12

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UK hunts are more likely to face changes in hunt territory from land development rather than effects from the ban.

new people, old and young, who are as captivated by it as those of us who have been involved with it all our lives.”

The UK-MFHA runs symposiums and training programs for new staff, and Easby says he is hugely encouraged by the quality and passion of trainees.

STILL PROTESTING This is not to say there is no opposition.

Furious that the class war failed, anti-hunt saboteurs still follow with faces covered, screaming abuse, spraying hounds with citronella, blowing horns, and filming. They trespass on private land with impunity, which is finally attracting the attention of the law. Bonner notes there are fewer than in the 1980s and 1990s, but they are increasingly well coordinated.

“They are fit and run with the hounds in two or three groups, connected with radios,” explains Easby. “Trespass laws are difficult

to enforce. What can three or four police officers do against 30 black-clad thugs?”

In some areas “the police seem to refuse to deal with their activities.” However, the tide is perhaps turning with the arrest of eight saboteurs in Cheshire for assault and possession of offensive weapons.

“The thought of [people wearing balaclavas] rampaging through the most beautiful parts of Britain is difficult to grasp. How is it deemed acceptable?” despairs Easby.

GATHERING EVIDENCE For hunt staff, the threat of prosecution is ever-present, with photographic “evidence” concocted by anti-hunting saboteurs. Several have been charged, but subsequently won their cases when it was shown that the court had seen only a fraction of the footage. In the case of the Heythrop Three in 2012, they pled guilty

This is not to say there is no opposition. Furious that the class war failed, anti-hunt saboteurs still follow with faces covered, screaming abuse, spraying hounds with citronella, blowing horns, and filming.

They trespass on private land with impunity, which is

SARAH FARNSWORTH

because they could not afford to fight the RSPCA, an animal charity that spent £326,000 bringing a private prosecution.

The vast majority of convictions under the Act have been for poaching — nearly 500, compared with only 30 for foxhunting. What is certain is that many hours of court time and much public money has been wasted.

However, hunts are fighting back — by filming. “It adds to our work, but if you get evidence, it does make a difference,” notes Easby. “A master in Wiltshire called the police about aggravation and was dismissed until he said he had three different videos showing the scene, which led to prosecution.” Some packs, including the Duke of Beaufort’s, have teams — all girls to avoid inciting violence — following antis with cameras, both as a deterrent and to ensure evidence.

Social media is a significant weapon for antis, as “whatever appears there has a façade of truth, even if it’s highly edited,” says Easby. “Antis spread lies behind the mask of being animal lovers.” Now, hunts’ Instagram pages have proliferated, depicting the good things about hunting, different people, hound puppies, conservation, raising money for air ambulances, litter picking, and so on. “The key is the normalization of hunting, in the hope that common sense will prevail.”

What about hunting’s most crucial element — the fox? Jim Barrington is a former head of the League Against Cruel Sports who, after meeting and listening to hunters, realized that hunting was the best thing for animal welfare. He is now a consultant for the Countryside Alliance

How it Works LOOPHOLES IN THE LAW include flushing a fox to a bird of prey, but most hunts are trail hunting, which differs from drag hunting in resembling the real thing as closely as possible. Traillayers on horseback, quad-bike, or foot will pull a fox-urinesoaked rag, sometimes lifting it or doubling back, pushing through coverts or crossing streams, imitating a fox’s route.

“Virtually every huntsman will have a different view on which scent and what concentration works best, as well as how far in front of hounds it should be laid,” explains Polly Portwin of the Countryside Alliance. “All are united in the view that whatever scent is used, it should be a quarry-based scent to keep their hounds settled.”

Key is keeping the foxhound’s natural ability to draw country, find and follow a scent, preserving the skills developed over centuries of breeding.

“We’re still producing canine athletes, fit for purpose,” says Easby. Vital to the continuing health of the sport is the hound, and there is no diminution in quality.

SARAH FARNSWORTH

finally attracting the attention of the law.

Anti-hunt saboteurs often trespass on private land to interfere with hounds and hunts.

and, in Easby’s words, “seldom loses the debate.” He is quite clear that the ban has not benefitted wildlife.

“Millions of pounds were spent drafting and enforcing the law, but not a penny has been spent on what it has done to wildlife,” Barrington points out. “The antihunting lobby knows it has not improved animal welfare — if it had, they would be putting it out there.” He cites anecdotal evidence that more foxes are being shot or snared than before the ban, with no need to “keep one for the hunt.” A 2018 mammal survey by the British Trust for Ornithology showed fox numbers had fallen by 42 percent since 1995, the steepest decline being after 2005.

“Young foxes that would have evaded the hounds are being shot,” he adds.

“Hunting is natural selection, which keeps a healthy population; shooting is not. It should never be discussed in isolation, but as part of a jigsaw.” Barrington also works with the Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management, a group of vets who make a clear case: “Hunting provides a vital search and dispatch system for detecting debilitated, wounded, and diseased animals. Before the Act, the rural fox population was in good shape precisely because it was managed. Now foxes are persecuted as pests. ... The moderation ethic has been lost.”

SUMMER 2020 13

Boxing Day hunts are gaining popularity with 2019 turning the largest crowds to date.

SARAH FARNSWORTH

Huntsmen are now pitting their skills against humans, rather than foxes. “The challenge of reporting on pre-ban hunting was in describing and reporting on venery, which is no longer possible,” notes Austen. Impressively, in the past couple of years, Horse & Hound’s hunting pages have increased considerably, with features on history, horses, stalwart followers, and more, “which is thoroughly appreciated by the hunting world.”

Boxing Day 2019 was the biggest ever, despite horizontal rain. In Keswick, Cumbria, where the council had tried and failed to stop hounds meeting, Barry Todhunter of the Blencathra “was on the point of tears” having “never seen so many people.” He was not alone. The pernicious hunting ban is just another hurdle that we will clear with room to spare.

Octavia Pollock is based in the UK. She’s a regular contributor to Covertside.

Tim Easby and MFHA

14

IT IS ALL CHANGE AT THE

nels and hunting, assessing

tions,” emphasizes Easby.

the highest standards of

MFHA IN THE UK, with Tim

sustainability, providing sup-

“Those of us who have been

hound and horse welfare

Easby stepping down as

port and setting and main-

lucky enough to savor the

and organization of the

director after 10 years in

taining standards through a

joys of hunting and have

kennels and the breeding of

office. His counterpart at

rigorous kennel inspection

benefitted from the way

hounds as well as under-

the Association of Harriers

regime.” Experience and

of life that it brings must

standing hunting’s role in

and Beagles, Lizzie Pinney,

practical knowledge of hunt-

do all we can to uphold all

the rural community are

is also standing down.

ing and all aspects of kennel

the traditional values that

critical. Our mantra must re-

In the UK, the work of

management and master-

it represents. It is therefore

main — ‘Nothing less than

the Hunting Office, encom-

ship are critical, and the UK

now more important than

excellent is acceptable.’”

passes all hunting genres,

hunting world is fortunate

ever to maintain the stan-

Hunting under a perni-

the MFHA, and the media/

to have Alice Bowden, Mark

dards and quality of every

cious law and, now, coping

campaigning Countryside

Hankinson, and Richard

part of hunting’s activities.

with the impact of corona-

Alliance. Easby and Pinney

Tyacke as new joint directors.

The professional conduct

virus makes 2020 a more

of each day’s hunting, the

challenging year than most,

have created a new Hunting

“It is clear to me that

Office Executive Committee,

securing the future of hunt-

considerate behavior of the

but Easby has left the UK

with field-based directors

ing for our children and

followers, the communica-

hunting world in a strong po-

responsible for “overseeing

grandchildren is one of this

tion, liaison, and respect for

sition, and we are assured of

the daily operations of ken-

generation’s main obliga-

farmers and landowners,

an equally strong future.

COVERTSIDE

Snyder, Genevieve, Hilltoppers, 24 x 18 in.

WHEN AN

A RT I ST S E E S A HO R S E Three emerging

artists find lifelong inspiration in horses and foxhunting.

BY JOSH WALKER

MAYBE FAMED CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR DR. SEUSS SAID IT BEST: “Art is when an artist looks at something, like a horse for instance, and they see something in that horse that excites them. So, they do something about it. They tell you about it in any number of ways.”

When some artists look at a horse, they see a million things. Equestrians know how horses shape their lives and foxhunting is a special case in and of itself. We all feel it and that’s part of what we love about it. But recording that feeling on canvas takes a special eye and a delicate hand.

These three artists all grew up with an adoration for art and horses and foxhunting. They all saw something that excited them, and they all did something about it.

SUMMER 2020 15

G

enevieve Snyder grew up riding in Chester County, Pennsylvania. She loved horses, and found just as much joy in drawing and painting them as in riding. After a 20-year hiatus, “I had just begun to ride again,” she says. “with the thought that I might hunt.”

Unfortunately, a car accident shattered her leg before she could get into the field.

Instead, she took to following Radnor Hunt in a car and snapping the photos from which she paints. “Some things may be for the best,” she says. “The angle from the ground, while not as fun as [on a] horse, makes for better paintings.

“The red coats were a siren’s song to my artist eye,” she continues. “Originally, I was drawn to that pop of color. As I followed the hunt more, I began to really see the relationship between man and animal.

How they need and rely on each other is impressive. That is my inspiration now.”

Snyder lives with her husband, Eric, near Radnor’s territory. She began her art career in television set design but shifted her focus solely to painting in 2005. She works mostly in oil because of the medium’s forgiving nature, but also, “I feel like oils, unlike acrylic and watercolor, is the only medium that can give me the depth of color I am looking for,” she says.

She loves a backlit look and enjoys the challenge that technique creates on a canvas. To compliment the ethereal serenity of some of her hunt scenes, she also captures the dynamic movement and playfulness of hounds as they roll in the grass and toss their legs in the air. Her muse is a hound she adopted from Radnor.

As a supporter of land conservation, she donated 50 percent of the sales from her first solo show last December at the Rushton Conservation Center to the Willistown Conservation Trust. Located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, the Willistown Conservation Trust is a nonprofit that aims to manage and preserve the land, character, recreational, historic, agricultural and natural resources of the Willistown area and nearby communities. Its Rushton Conservation Center, a rustic timberframe gathering space, features a variety of events each year that help engage the public and illustrate the Trust’s mission.

“I was humbled by the turnout,” Snyder says. “It has also been an honor for my work to be used for posters, calendars, and featured in magazines.”

T H E R E D C O AT S W E R E A

16

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GENEVIEVE

Opposite page top: Snyder, Genevieve, Adoration, oil on board, 20 x 16 in.

Opposite page bottom: Snyder, Genevieve, Portrait of a Radnor Hound, 12 x 9 in. Left: Snyder, Genevieve, On Alert, 18 x 24 in.

“ SNYDER

SIREN’S SONG

As I followed the hunt more, I began to really see the relationship between man and animal. That is my inspiration now.

SUMMER 2020 17

O

ne of Lauren Fanning’s earliest memories is sitting at the end of the bar at her parent’s restaurant drawing horses on the waitresses’ notepads. She had always loved horses and took riding lessons through high school. Though she also continued pursuing art and took drawing lessons, she opted for a less financially risky route in college and studied aerospace engineering at Penn State University. She worked in the field for twelve years and it wasn’t until one of her customers invited her to hunt with Green Spring Valley Hounds as a guest that she fell in love with the sport. After that, it didn’t take long to weave it into her art and lifestyle. “That first chase over gorgeous territory had me completely hooked,” she says.

Fanning and her husband, Matthew, had just started their family when she was laid off from that job. It compelled her to consider a more flexible way to make a living while raising two children.

“Suddenly I was left with a one-year-old, another on the way, and the flexibility to consider a new career,” she says.

“One of my biggest inspirations when I started was Lisa of Lachri Fine Art,” she continues. “Her excellent colored pencil tutorials gave me the technical skills to bring photo realistic portraits to life and that in turn gave me the confidence to pursue a career in art. My daughter was twelve months old when I transitioned to full-time stayat-home mom. I unpacked my old colored pencils because it was a medium that was safe to use at the table with her and also one that I could quickly and easily set aside during her frequent interruptions.”

She started crafting from photographed experiences to build a body of work. She generated income by taking commissions to paint horse and pet portraits. She most enjoys working with oil paints. “The challenge of trying to capture a horse’s strength and expression in a painting will keep me occupied for a lifetime,” she says. “It’s also important for me to have a deep understanding of the three-dimensional forms that a photograph can’t convey. But luckily, I have four live models at home that I can run my hands over and study,” she adds referring to her three hunt horses and kids’ miniature horse, Peewee.

Her favorite piece is called Snarky Fox. In the portrait of a sitting fox, Fanning strives to capture the complex and charismatic personality of the creature in his wry expression and clever eyes. “He has so much expression in his tiny eyes.

The whole painting is only eight inches wide and his face is about the size of a quarter, but his disdain for being interrupted is palpable from across the room,” she says.

She continues taking commissions and photos, and still hunts with Green Spring Valley Hounds in Reisterstown, Maryland. She says she ends each outing mentally refreshed and grinning from ear to ear. Her now 5-year-old daughter, Evie, often rides Peewee around their property.

Likewise, Ryan, 3, cheers, “Trot, Peewee, trot!” as he bounces along.

“

He has so much expression in his tiny eyes ... his disdain for being interrupted is palpable from across the room.

SO MUCH EXPRESSION

18

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LAUREN

Opposite page top: Fanning, Lauren, Emmy aka Absolute Empress, pastel and colored pencil on sanded panel, 12 x 16 in.

Opposite page bottom: Fanning, Lauren, Sapphire, oil paint on hard board, 11 x 14 in.

Left: Fanning, Lauren, Snarky Fox, oil paint on aluminium composite panel, 8 x 10 in.

FANNING

SUMMER 2020 19

W

hen Anne Stoeber was 12, she won a two-week riding camp experience as an award for work she displayed at an art show.

Her early passion for art connected her to horses and it eventually drew her back to the saddle at the age of 55. Now 59, she enjoys taking lessons, and though she doesn’t hunt or show, she finds inspiration in the details and unexpected colors of the foxhunting and equestrian lifestyles.

Stoeber lives with her husband, Ralph, in Succasunna, New Jersey. She always enjoyed drawing and painting horses, even though her participation with them in sport has been minimal. “I love bringing an animal to life on the canvas,” she says.

She studied art at The Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art and gained some experience as a graphic artist after graduation. Ultimately, though, she returned to the canvas to do commissioned pet portraits and bring quiet moments with animals to life with oil paint.

“The quality of the animals and the environment in which foxhunting takes place is what drew me to the sport as an artistic subject,” she says. Her piece, Ready and Waiting, doesn’t come from any specific hunt but is a composite of reference material. “Having grown up in northern New Jersey and having access to beautiful horses and rolling countryside my entire life, I was inspired to put together an ideal hunt scene from photographs to paint.” She says these types of scenes combine every artistic and compositional element she loves to work with, and she hopes to produce more.

All three artists profiled here are members of the American Academy of Equine Art, whose mission is to nurture, advise, educate, and promote those artists interested in the classical representation of the equine subject. Visit AAEA.net for more information.

20

COVERTSIDE

“I look for quiet spaces within vibrant environments,” she says. “I always look for the contrast of bright light and shadow. The subject matter alone is not what compels me. It is the addition of sharply defined patterns and shapes created by this light, and the intensity of color contained within. I want to document it, make it solid and crisp, paying attention to unnoticed details and making them interesting.”

Stoeber presented her first solo show in 2018 at Studio 7 Art Gallery in Bernardsville, New Jersey. Her work has been featured in juried exhibits throughout the state and includes a Best in Show honor at the Tewksbury Juried Art Exhibit in 2017.

“

Josh Walker is a regular contributor to many equestrian publications. He currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina.

The quality of the animals and the environment in which fox hunting takes place is what drew me to the sport as an artistic subject.

QU I E T S P A C E S W I T H I N

ANNE

VIBRANT ENVIRONMENTS

STOEBER

Opposite page: Stoeber, Anne, Ready and Waiting, 20 x 30 in. Above: Stoeber, Anne, Horse in Stable, 30 x 30 in.

SUMMER 2020 21

Hubert, a Grand Gascon Saintongeois, is one of the foundation hounds. “We always call him ‘His Highness Sir Hubert,’ because he very much thinks he deserves it,” says Claire.

TIFFANY EVITTS

22

COVERTSIDE

SCENTING

BLACK &WHITE

in

French hounds boost sport in California.

BY EMILY DAILY

“You have to build a hound for your hunt country.”

Those words have guided Claire Buchy-Anderson in her twelve-season journey as huntsman of Santa Ynez Valley Hounds in Los Alamos, California.

SUMMER 2020 23

F

or Claire Buchy-Anderson, horses and dogs have been her life. She discovered hounds and hunting in 2006 when she moved to the United States from France and met her husband, Chip Anderson, who was serving as huntsman for Tryon Hounds. After spend-

ing some time globe-trotting together, they eventually moved to central California where Chip took a job as huntsman for SYVH. When an injury from his past called for major surgery, Claire carried the horn.

VAL WESTOVER PHOTOGRAPHY

The arid conditions of the hunt’s central California territory aren’t problematic for the hard-working French hounds.

“

They learn the sound of the horn before they’re eight weeks old. They follow her on foot as pups and then mounted later. “It creates a very strong bond,” she says.

One of her first orders of business became importing the French Blanc et Noir and Gascon Saintongeois hounds to build her pack for that specific hunt country. “If a Gascon cannot smell it, nobody can,” Claire says. She didn’t import the romantic breeds for their noses alone. Perhaps to understand why she forged such an innovative path for her hunt, it helps to understand from where “build a hound for your hunt country” came.

Many of Chip’s stories from the hunt field have graced the pages of various publications (including this one). They tell tales of pursuing glamorous game such as wild boar and jaguar in radically diverse and faraway territories like Italy, Morocco, and South America. When Chip passed in December 2013, he left an anthology’s worth of stories and priceless knowledge.

But perhaps those profound words, “you have to build a hound for your hunt country,” have resonated deeply for Buchy-Anderson as she strives to make hunting with SYVH as unique an experience as Chip’s stories, right at home in California. The French Blanc et Noir and Gascon Saintongeois hounds have done just that.

ARID ENVIRONMENT Imagine following the pack on a crisp, dry, autumn morning. The hounds catch

24

COVERTSIDE

a scent and open up, the field pursues for a minute or two, then the hounds break and resume trailing. This happens for a few hours without a view. Now multiply that heat, dust, and dryness by ten. Then divide the scent by even more.

“Our hunt country is terribly dry, hot, and dusty, especially at the beginning of the season,” Buchy-Anderson says, of the arid Mediterranean-like environment just north of Santa Barbara. “When I talk about a bad scenting day, it means there’s no scent at all.

The hounds can walk over a coyote and not smell it. If one hound gets left behind, he won’t be able to track the pack to regroup.”

Blank days like that used to plague the pack. It frustrated her. Then she met Hubert. “I will never forget that day when he was the only one working,” BuchyAnderson described Hubert, the Gascon Saintongeois hound she imported from the Equipage Le Verney aux Fées in 2012. “His nose literally dragged on the ground. He opened and the other hounds had no idea what he was ‘talking about.’ He got louder and louder working his line-up. Then, little by little, other hounds joined in until he led the whole pack to a clapped hare. It was so beautiful. Hubert can track down a dinosaur in the right conditions.”

Buchy-Anderson knew she was on to something. Hubert helped lay the foundation of a pack to suit her hunt country.

“When they’re working a line, I cannot

Finn is one of the French Blanc et Noir hounds. Below: The SYVH hounds are deafening when working a line.

hear anything but them. It’s deafening,” she described the breed’s vociferous nature. She reckons the Gascon’s voice is unmatched. But, unlike foxhounds, they are not sprinters. So, “unless you have eight hours and limitless territory to hunt down your animal, you need a faster hound to catch it.” That’s where the Gascon and foxhound crosses enter the mix.

Not only do the SYV hounds perform well at home, but they’ve also earned accolades at top hound shows and performance trials in her area. She showed a pack of pure Gascons, an inaugural occurrence in the United States, at the last Pacific District Hound Show and won. “Nothing, absolutely nothing, could have made me happier,” Buchy-Anderson says. “Also, Hubert won the title of Best Trailing Hound at the Western States

Performance Trials in 2018 and SYVH got the overall second place behind Grand Canyon Hounds.”

“I have to thank the SYVH Masters who have been so supportive,” BuchyAnderson says. “Chip said that I’d have to build a hound for my hunt country. I am working on it!”

Emily Daily is a writer for Covertside. She’s based in South Carolina.

VAL WESTOVER PHOTOGRAPHY

The combination, Buchy-Anderson says, produces finely tuned cold nose, loud voices, laser-focused disposition and patience, and utilitarian pack orientation. On the other hand, you also get an extremely sensitive animal with (it bears repeating) a very loud voice, which early on, can truly test one’s resolve as a pack leader.

“They will use every little bit of patience you have,” Buchy-Anderson says.

“They take at least three years to mature.”

So, she starts them young. They learn the sound of the horn before they’re eight weeks old. They follow her on foot as pups and then mounted later. “It creates a very strong bond,” she says. “Since they have so much voice, you have to put up with a lot of babbling when they’re young. Then, because they’re so sensitive, I can’t be too harsh on them without hurting their feelings, especially the girls.”

Introducing the breed into her kennel also injected some French style into how they hunt. It’s more methodical now. “It’s different than running fast foxhounds on a hotter line,” Buchy-Anderson says. “Both are beautiful, but we just don’t have the scenting conditions to do that here.”

She now hunts her big pack of males two days a week, but limits the brood bitches to once a week to lead the pups when they’re big enough to follow. The boys routinely chase wild boar and coyote, while the bitches and pups pursue hare, “which is actually my favorite game,” Buchy-Anderson says. “Now we rarely have a blank day because these hounds always manage to find something and are able to track it, despite the harsh hunting conditions.”

GRETCHEN PELHAM

THAT VOICE

SUMMER 2020 25

,p,p,p,p,p,p,p,p,p, p

The

DAUGHTERS A childhood full of foxhunting has forged brilliant people, horses, and careers for three decorated stars of the show ring.

BY EMILY DAILY

T

he greatest riders often begin their careers as children of huntsmen or Masters. Take Rodney Jenkins, one of the most

acclaimed show jumpers of all time. His father, Enis, was the

huntsman for the Rapidan Hunt at Hill Top Farm in Orange, Virginia.

,p,

Jenkins’ early riding education was all in the hunt field, whipping-in for his father. His first forays into the show ring were on the field hunters.

ALLISON HOWELL IMAGES

He earned almost every accolade in the hunter/jumper world between

26

the 1960s and 1980s, making him a living legend.

COVERTSIDE

p,p,p,p,p,p,p,p,p,p, Caelinn Leahy competes at the Junior North American Field Hunter Championship in 2017.

SUMMER 2020 27

D

OES THAT REAL-WORLD, TENACIOUS EDUCATION IN THE HUNT FIELD STILL SHAPE HUNTER/JUMPER RIDERS TODAY? Some of today’s successful young show jumpers share similar upbringings to Jenkins. Consider 18-year-old Caelinn Leahy. She’s the daughter of Tony Leahy, MFH, huntsman for Fox River Valley and current MFHA president. Based at Bellis Show Jumping Stables in Maple Park, Illinois, she discovered at an early age how hunting keeps show horses fresh in body, mind, and spirit. She says she owes much of her show jumping aptitude to hunting alongside her Irish father early in her childhood.

Likewise, it was the thrill of galloping across the rolling fields of Virginia that emboldened international grand prix show jumper Sloane Coles in and out of the ring. Her father, John Coles, is the Joint Master of Orange County Hounds in Virginia. Sloane now owns and operates Springledge LLC, a top-class hunter/jumper facility located at Springfield Farm in the heart of Virginia’s hunt country.

And third-generation foxhunter, Alden Moylan, learned all about horsemanship, community, and a love of the lifestyle from her mother, Priscilla (“Penny”) Denegre, Master of Middleburg Hunt, and MFHA second vice president, as well as her grandmother, Priscilla (“Pat”) Rogers. Alden and her husband, Gavin, own Gavin Moylan Stables, a full-service show barn in Upperville, Virginia, where they import, train, and sell top-class show jumpers, hunters, and equitation horses. She actively competes in the Amateur-Owner jumper and hunter divisions.

Alden PHOTO COURTESY ALDEN MOYLAN

CREATING CONFIDENCE

28

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Steve Schaeffer, a hunter/jumper trainer, helped shape her riding education, he also helped her overcome her fears.

“It made me realize, especially in hunting, that you can’t always be one-hundred percent in control all the time,” says Leahy, a high school senior who plans to attend Vanderbilt University in the fall. “Whereas in the show jumping, if you want to, you can try to have as much control as you can. In hunting, you’re going over rough terrain, and your horse has to use its brain to figure out what’s going on. Once you realize you’re not just riding a machine, you’re riding something that can think for itself, that instills more confidence because then you start to create a partnership with your animals.”

One of Leahy’s grand prix show jumping partners, Splendor, enjoyed time in the hunt field, even in the midst of show season. “We had him on a two-week rotating schedule,” she says. “He’d be in Georgia foxhunting for two weeks with my dad and then come down to Florida and show for two weeks, and then go back to Georgia. It was a lot of traveling for him, but it was important for our partnership and both our brains. Hunting is a peaceful environment. I think at the jumper shows, there can be a lot of pressure.”

Caelinn

PHOTO COURTESY CAELINN LEAHY

Moylan began hunting at seven. She learned the ropes aboard an inimitable pony named Ginger, the previous mount of Jeff Blue’s daughters. Blue is Jt.-MFH of Middleburg Hunt.

“My first day out, Mr. Blue invited me midway through the hunt to ride up front with him,” recalls Moylan. “I will never forget my immense pride or the smiles I received from members of the field as I walked up to join him.” She also remembers bringing up the rear at the famous Middleburg Hunt Christmas parade for

several years alongside her father.

Coles, who hunted often with her parents with Orange County Hunt, also enjoyed riding behind Melvin Poe’s hounds in Bath County, Virginia. “Melvin was a mentor to my father, and he was like family to me,” she says. “He was a legend in the hunting world and a blast to hunt behind.”

She fondly remembers her mother leading or running beside her during a hunt.

They’re some of her earliest memories.

Coles’ mother put her on a small pony named Oil Can Harry (named for the white markings on his face that resembled drippings from an oil can) when she was still in diapers. “He could jump anything and keep up,” Coles says. “Every day that I hunted on him, or any horse, I learned something new.”

Coles says she was naturally brave on a hunt horse. It gave her an adrenaline rush, but more than anything, “it gave me the confidence to do more,” she says.

In contrast to Coles’ experience, when Leahy’s pony bolted down hills in her early experiences in the hunt field, it shattered her confidence. But just as her stepfather

,p,p,p,

p,p,p,p,p,p,p ALWAYS GIVING THEIR BEST For Moylan, horses were a family enterprise. Everyone contributed. She always had a horse to ride, groom, feed, or clean up after. “I was taught to take care of my horse before tending to my own needs,” she says. Her parents would tell her, “Your horse just carried you over hill

family thing,” she adds. “I’ve learned the fundamentals from him, like doing groundwork with young horses and understanding how horses’ brains work.”

Coles’ father designed systems in their barn specifically to facilitate efficiency in superior horsemanship. Her mother always stressed cleanliness. Both were consistent in teaching basics and safety, she remembers. “I think the biggest lesson was just learning how to read my horse’s body language,” she adds.

PHOTO COURTESY SLOANE COLES

EXTENDED FAMILIES

Sloane and dale for four or more hours, and it is your responsibility to care for him the best you can.”

Even now, the same applies to Moylan’s top hunters and jumpers. “We ask the best of them,” she adds, “so we should always give them our best.”

It helps that Moylan always found peace and comradery in readying equipment and horses with her mother and grandmother the nights before a hunt.

They bathed horses, cleaned tack, and polished metal well past sundown. “Turnout is not just about aesthetics; it’s also about function, safety, and the wellbeing of your horse,” she says.

Leahy’s father grew up with horsemanship in his Irish blood. It was a way of life for him. “So, it’s kind of a Leahy-

Growing up among adults in the foxhunting community, Leahy earned a keen sense of thoughtfulness, sportsmanship, and an appreciation for good humor, even in the face of the roughest challenges. “Being with all those foxhunters definitely fostered a sense of appreciation for the sport,” she says. Leahy has always considered club members extended family. They shaped her into the rider and person she is today.

When Moylan earned her colors with Middleburg Hunt, her connection to her community made the achievement more memorable. “There was a core group of adults that were incredibly kind and nurturing to me in my formative years. I couldn’t have asked for better ‘aunties,’ ‘big brothers,’ and ‘goshparents.’”

Through watching her mother, a Master at Middleburg since 1994, the sport became a lifestyle for Moylan. “I have stuffed envelopes, counted tickets, designed a website, managed the mailing list, printed invitations, gone on deliveries of turkeys to farm managers, cleaned up after the point-to-point, cleared trails, walked hounds, showed hounds, searched for hounds, and enjoyed countless hunt breakfasts,” she says. It’s a labor of love she cherishes Emily Daily is a staff writer for Covertside.

She is based in Charleston, South Carolina.

Those Summers Were Magical

A

lden Moylan remembers falling in love with foxhunting for the hounds, not just the horses.

Between school years at Foxcroft School, she spent five summers at the Middleburg Hunt kennels walking hounds every morning. “We were a club,” she says. “The huntsman, Troy Taylor, his whippers-in, and a select few members of the hunt that he invited. We had many fun, beautifully choreographed walks, broken up by hounds expertly catching biscuits, going for swims in the pond, and wrestling with Troy’s ball cap.”

As the only kid, she began as “the enforcer” in the rear of the pack. She kept stragglers moving. As years passed, she earned her place and more responsibility. “I found myself in more vulnerable positions where one wrong move with that keen group of born hunters would cost me the day searching for hounds,” she says. “I took my role seriously. I got to know and love each hound not only by name but also by lineage and character.

Those summers were magical.”

When you live and breathe the sport the way Moylan does, she says she often translates it for lay-people: “I describe the beauty of the countryside and the places you would otherwise never get to see,” she says. She speaks of “the thrill of the sport, the chill that goes up your spine when the pack is in full cry, the fierce friendships formed in the field, and the chance for animal lovers to commune with the best trinity in the history of animals: fox, horse, and hound.”

Just as foxhunting shaped her life, she hopes her own two young daughters will earn the fortitude, profound appreciation for tradition and history, and experience the joy of communing with nature and animals. “I believe that foxhunting can teach a young person a great deal about courtesy and respect,” she adds, “getting gates and leaving them the way you found them, staying off seeded pasture, not passing the Master, letting those with colors go first, allowing plenty of room before you take a fence after someone, volunteering to go in with someone whose horse lost a shoe, and not talking when listening for hounds.”

SUMMER 2020 29

FARE & FLASK

MICHAEL STERN

MICHAEL STERN

Left: Wednesday Gentleman’s Riding Club ready horse and rider for the season.

Below: Sal Manetta greets guests at the Rye Patch.

WEDNESDAY GENTLEMEN’S RIDING CLUB The Gentlemen of Aiken Hounds ride, jest, and eat well in the off-season. BY MICHAEL STERN

A

fter a vigorous hunt season, horses (and humans) often take a breather. But pulling shoes and browsing pasture isn’t always the way to go. For some horses, it makes sense to keep in shape and hone skills; and many humans don’t want to relinquish the high spirits and physical brio of the hunt. So it is with the Wednesday Gentlemen’s Riding Club, a group of Aiken Hounds members who get together once a week in post-season summer months to enjoy each other’s company, sustain their (and 30

COVERTSIDE

their horses’) fitness, and possibly introduce a new horse to the protocols of moving in a group.

As opposed to Aiken’s formal hunt season, when traditional etiquette and livery are de rigueur, gentlemen’s Wednesdays have all the informality of a trail ride.

With no hunt to disturb and no working hounds to respect and no field members present, there’s plenty of the jocular badinage that guys do when they’re stag.

But it’s not only a lark. With Aiken Hounds Master Larry Byers in the lead, riders engage in cavalry maneuvers that get

horses accustomed to leaving the group and being left back as well as to horses coming up alongside and from behind. The most important take-away, Byers says, is that a rider stops overthinking and picking on his horse.

The esprit de corps of summer Wednesdays extends into the hunt season, when the Gentlemen’s Riding Club hosts one of Aiken Hounds’ Saturday hunt breakfasts. It takes place in an historic venue called Rye Patch — a celebrated estate with deep roots in Aiken’s heyday as a winter colony for sporting folk. The

food is created by Christian Carlisle, whose Blue Collard catering is a city favorite; and the menu is always local and historic.

A recent such breakfast was inspired by a meal recounted in Harry Worcester Smith’s 1935 book, “Life & Sport in Aiken.”

Reflecting the town’s golden years, twenty-first century guests were greeted by Riding Club member Sal Manetta in full-morning coat. Breakfasttable centerpieces, crafted by Steve Pearcy, showed pictures of equestrian life in Aiken then and now, surrounded by miniature Aiken fences. The vintage South Carolina meal included smoked-brisket Brunswick stew, honey-glazed Edgefield ham, collards picked just two days before, and fried apple bread pudding — a dessert so extremely yummy that no encomia are worthy of it.

Michael Stern has co-authored over forty books about American food and popular culture. He created roadfood. com and is a frequent contributor to Covertside.

THE RECIPE

MICHAEL STERN

Fried apple bread pudding is a local and historic recipe to Aiken, SC.

CHRISTIAN CARLISLE’S FRIED APPLE BREAD PUDDING

INGREDIENTS: • 12 small slices raisin cinnamon bread, crust removed and torn into bite-size pieces • 5 eggs • 4 egg yolks • 1 cup sugar • 1/8 tsp salt • 4 cups whole milk • 1 cup heavy cream • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 1 can of Glory Foods fried apples (from Effingham, SC) • Powdered sugar and cinnamon for garnish DIRECTIONS: PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees.

BLEND the eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt. In a saucepan, heat the milk and

heavy cream just below a boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

SLOWLY COMBINE the egg mixture with the milk mixture, tempering as you go. Butter a ramekin for each guest and place several pieces of bread in the bottom of each.

POUR THE LIQUID CUSTARD over the bread in each ramekin and top the puddings with old glory fried apples. Bake in a water bath for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Garnish with powdered sugar and a little cinnamon.

WARM CARAMEL SAUCE is a recommended optional topping.

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