In & Around Horse Country Winter-Spring 2024

VOLUME XXXVI / NUMBER 1 • THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE VIRGINIA STEEPLECHASE ASSOCIATION • WINTER/SPRING 2024

SPRING HILL

HEADQUAR TERS

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378 stunning acres located west of Charlottesville in the foot of the Blue Ridge, sharing a long boundary with the Shenandoah National Park. The land has numerous elevated building sites with amazing views, and complete privacy, and includes long frontage on the head waters of the Doyles River. With a significant trail system, the prop serty is ideal fo for hiking, riding, and hunting. Included in the property is log cabin, and a large utility barn. Land is protected by a conservation easement. Rare opportunity to own a significant parcel that adjoins the Park.

JUSTIN H. WILEY | 434 981 5528 PETER A. WILEY | 434 422 2090

C H A R LOT T E S V I L L E VA

CUSTOM ALBEMARLE RESIDENCE An exquisite, custom brick residence designed/built by the renowned team of Jay Dalgliesh, AIA, and Jeff Smith of Altera Construction. Only 6 miles west of Charlottesville and the University with incredible Blue Ridge views. Rooms flow together with an easy elegance, each showing off the high level of detail and materials for which the architect and builder are known. One of the highest quality homes currently on the markeet.

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PETER A. WILEY | 434 422 2090

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Beautifu ul 207+ acre farm in a protected enclave of Madison n County with incredible views of both the Blue Ridge an nd Southwest Mountains. The natural beauty and priv vacy are unparalleled. An attractive farmhouse with a c. 1804 section is perffeect as a weekend getaway or guestthouse leaving numerous incredible building sites for a main residence. Additional improvements include a large pond with dock, pool, manager’s cottage, a centerr aisle stable with 8, 12 x 12 stalls and finished office sp pace above, garage and good farm buildings and farm m infrastructure An excellent candidate ffo or conservation easement.

ORANGE V A

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Stony Point area productive grass farm with incredible mountain views. Less than 20 minutes to Charlo Ch l ttesville, tt ill this thi 435 acre ffarm represents t the th best b t Albemarle County has to offer. Rolling pastures and hardwoods, frontage on Preddy Creek and an elevated building site with sweeping views of the property and Blue Ridge beyond. 2,260 square ffo oot cabin built in 2008 overlooks the property. Currently ffeenced and cross ffeenced ffo or cattle. Pastures have automatic waterers. Large equipment/hay barn with copper roof.

Exceptional Albemarle County farm offering.

JUSTIN H. WILEY | 434 981 5528 PETER A. WILEY | 434 422 2090

PROSPECT HILL

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A classic Georgian Colonial built in 1842, overlooking the Rapp. River V Vaalley. This 70 ac. property is just mins ffrom F Fredericksburg, d i k b yett very private. i t The Th 5,000 5 000 sq fftt Flemish bond brick manor house was renovated in 1986 keeping in place all of its original woodwork. Owners added a matching addition that connects a large family rm through the kitchen. The second floor includes a master suite, with bath, two additional bedrm, and a full bath. Partially finished English basement includes an office/bedrm, wine cellarr, laundry y,, and utility rooms.

Other improvements include a detached 3-bay garage, workshop, kennel, garden sheds, and ffo ormal gardens JUSTIN H. WILEY | 434 981 5528

DEVONHURST

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A breath htakingly beautiful 86-acre K Keeswick area farm nestled up against the Southwest Mountains. The wellproportioned tii d residenc id e and d accompanying i outbuildings tb ildi are sited to take in views in every direction. The home was thoughtfully renovated in 2001, retaining its original character including floor-to-ceiling wormy chestnut paneling in the study. There is a guest cottage, small stable, gym on the property as well as impeccably maintained fields, and ffeencing. Not under conservation easement but surrounded by protected land. 25 minutes from Charlottesville.

JUSTIN H. WILEY | 434 981 5528 PETER A. WILEY | 434 422 2090

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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

FOXHUNTING

This handsome fellow gave the Piedmont Fox Hounds a good bit of sport when the hunt went from Fiddler’s Green on Saturday, December 2, 2023.

Douglas Lees photos

Hot on the line, Piedmont Misfit in the lead with Moccasin close behind her and Willard alongside, as they pursued Sir Charles from Fiddler’s Green, December 2, 2023.

Mackenzie Hicks, daughter of Jen Hicks and Piedmont Fox Hounds’ Huntsman Jordan Hicks, closed out 2023 with a day of hunting from the kennels on December 31.

First season entry Cancun, seen here hunting from the Ashland Bassets kennels on January 7, 2024, is proving herself to be a stellar member of the pack.

Snowden Clarke served as Field Master when Orange County Hounds hunted from Barton Oaks on New Year’s Day, 2024.

Orange County Hounds hunting from Kinross, Nov. 19, 2023 (l-r) Jeb Hannum, MFH Orange County, and Joe Davies, MFH Elkridge-Harford Hounds.

December 1, 2023, was Vixens Day at Orange County Hounds, hunting from Chilly Bleak. Ladies came from near and far to enjoy the sport. (l-r) Dr. Phoebe Fisher, MFH, Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Foxhounds; Hilary Jones, Piedmont Fox Hounds; Franny Kansteiner, Piedmont Fox Hounds; Natalie Epstein, Orange County Hounds; Emily Hannum, Field Leader, Orange County Hounds; and Celia Goodall, Honorary Whipper-In, Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Foxhounds.

Warrenton Hunt held their annual Community Meet at Elway on December 10, 2023. Good sport was had following (front to back) Twister, Pilot, and Marshal and the rest of the pack.

Proper Junior turnout was the order of day for Virginia Gilligan and Harley at Warrenton Hunt’s Community Meet on December 10, 2023, from Elway.

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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

SPORTING LIFE HIGHLIGHTS Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area to Host Foxhunting Panel Discussion On Thursday, February 29, the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area will host a foxhunting panel discussion at Buchanan Hall in Upperville. Learn about the past, present, and future of the long-established Virginia tradition of riding to hounds and how this wonderful equestrian community works together towards the mutual goal of preserving the land and culture of the Virginia Piedmont for future generations. Participating hunts include Blue Ridge Hunt, Loudoun Fairfax Hunt, Middleburg Hunt, Orange County Hounds, Piedmont Fox Hounds, and Warrenton Hunt.

Panel discussion 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm with a reception to follow. Tickets required. www.PiedmontHeritage.org.

•••••

An A-List team served as judges at the Belle Meade Performance Trials: (l-r) Toni-Ann Gambale, Apprentice judge; Stephanie Lee, Trial Huntsman; Buck Wiseman, Judge; Joel Merle-Smith, MFH, Judge; Rosie Campbell, ex-MFH,Judge; Nicolette Merle-Smith, Judge; Ivy Haynes, Judge; Chris Moll, MFH, Judge; Steve Thomas, MFH, Trial President and Judge; Dennis Foster, ex-MFH, Judge.

Allison Howell photo

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Denny Bomar Liz Callar www.lizcallar.com Coady Photography www.coadyphotography.com Michael Gomez Helen Houghton Allison Howell www.allisonhowellimages.smugmug.com Hannah Jones www.hannahjones.com Mark Jump markjumpphotography.com Karen Kandra Dr. William D. Kenner Douglas Lees douglaslees@comcast.net Joanne Maisano joannemaisano.com Stacy Tierman COVER PHOTO: Marcie Turjan Orange County Wicker was eager to VEA be off for the chase when hounds Steve Vorpahl met at The Covert, January 27, 2024.

Joanne Maisano photo

Hounds from seven hunts competed in the performance trials hosted by Belle Meade Hunt, Thompson, Georgia, January 19-20, 2024. Allison Howell photo

Belle Meade Performance Trial Recap

By Dr. Steven Thomas, MFH The 23rd annual Belle Meade Performance Trial was another success by any measure. Seven hunts participated (Belle Meade, Big Sky, Long Run-Woodford, Midland, Mill Creek, Sedgefield, and Shawnee) entering a total of 20½ couple.

Because of the horrible weather in the Midwest and Southeast, not every hunt that had planned to participate was able to bring hounds. So the number of entries from each pack was increased. Stephanie Lee, professional huntsman from the Old Chatham Hunt in New York, was the trial huntsman and did an outstanding job.

Although brisk, both days were beautiful and the footing was exceptional for Georgia in January.

And the masters and members of the Belle Meade Hunt know how to entertain! Wonderful food, comradery, and support for foxhunting in general but specifically performance trials are their forte and it’s unmatched. Ninety seven riders enjoyed the first day and 105 came out for the closing day on Saturday, representing 24 different hunts.

Congratulations to the overall winning pack, the Belle Meade Hunt, and all of the participating hunts that invest so much of their time and treasure to make performance trials one of the best aspects of the sport we love!

Carson McElheney enjoyed a special stirrup cup before moving off with Belle Meade Hunt for their combined Christmas/Junior Day, December 16, 2023.

Allison Howell photo

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Editorial and Advertising Address: 60 Alexandria Pike, Warrenton, VA 20186 For information and advertising rates, please call (540) 347-3141, fax (540) 347-7141 Space Deadline for Summer issue is May, 1, 2024. Payment in full due with copy.

Publisher: Marion Maggiolo Managing Editor: J. Harris Anderson Advertising: Debbie Cutler (540) 347-3141, (800) 882-4868, Email: hcdebbiebtc@aol.com Contributors: J. Harris Anderson; Stephen K. Heard, ex-MFH; Osmun; Betsy Burke Parker; Coleman Perrin; Dr. Steven Thomas, MFH; Virginia Equine Alliance; Darrell Wood; Jenny Young LAYOUT & DESIGN: Kate Houchin Copyright © 2024 In & Around Horse Country®. All Rights Reserved. Volume XXXVI, No. 1 POSTMASTER: CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Regular subscription 5 issues $25.00, U.S.A. First Class subscription $35.00, Europe, Canada, etc. $45.00

IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

FOXHUNTING

3

Hunt Club Longevity It Takes More Than Luck

By J. Harris Anderson, Managing Editor

The focus of this issue is on hunt club longevity. Sadly, recent years have seen the disappearance of some clubs or the merger of others as territory recedes and resources dwindle. On the other hand, the current decade will see two dozen hunts celebrate 100 years of continuous mounted sport.

Others have remained viable by concentrating on the key ingredient required for foxhunting: open land to hunt on. In at least one case, a club on the edge of folding was saved from the precipice by a motivated group of members. Together they orchestrated a Phoenix-like rise from what were about to be the club’s ashes.

The 1920s were a boom time for the creation of hunt clubs. Of the MFHA recognized hunts still active today, 24 of them show an “Established” date during that decade. Of those still active, they had to survive through the Great Depression, World War II, the creation of the National Highway System, and the conversion of massive tracts of rural land into suburban sprawl. Toss in such factors as a declining number of people born into the country sports lifestyle and the creeping influence of anti-hunting forces, and it’s amazing that any of those clubs, as well as those with older founding dates, remain today.

Besides those macro-societal factors, there’s also the tendency of group endeavors to suffer the vagaries of human failings. As Proverbs 16:18 puts it, “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Unfortunately, more than one hunt club that may have survived the assaults of outside forces has succumbed to pride-fueled strife from within.

Avoiding that danger exceeds our task here. Human nature is what it is. But, that factor aside, we hope to provide some helpful insights into both how a hunt’s founding may have foreshadowed its long term viability and what lessons might be drawn from having successfully weathered the ensuing years.

To that end, we look to the five clubs that are now marking, or have recently marked, the 100 year point. They are: Mill Creek Hunt (1920), Rolling Rock Hunt (1921), Sewickley Hunt (1922), Old Dominion Hounds (1924), and Golden’s Bridge Hounds (1924).

Deep Run Hunt, founded in 1887, has remained strong for nearly 140 years, in part by being attentive to landowner relations. Coleman Perrin, ex-MFH, recently shared his achievements in that effort in a “fireside chat” with the Virginia Foxhound Club members. See page 13.

Tennessee’s Mells Fox Hounds was a horse hair’s breadth away from folding after nearly 60 years. In our featured piece, Stephen Heard takes us through the step-by-step process undertaken to revitalize the club and assure it remains strong for many years to come. It’s an object lesson that may prove useful to many other clubs, whether now or at some future point. See pages 14-16.

We’d like to thank the masters and other members of these clubs for providing the information that follows. We hope their insights will prove instructive for others in the face of ongoing pressures for hunt clubs throughout North America.

••••

Evolution: The Key to Success at Mill Creek Hunt

Mill Creek Hunt began as the Onwentsia Hunt Club. The original clubhouse is shown here in a vintage 1920s shot. Photo courtesy of Mill Creek Hunt

Mill Creek Hunt Club’s history began in 1897 with the formation of the Onwentsia Hunt in Lake County, Illinois. (It’s possible that “Onwentsia” comes from a Native American word for “Earth.”) The club began as a “paper chase” and converted to drag hunting around 1904 under Vernon Booth, MFH. Around 1920 the name was changed to Mill Creek Hunt Club (according to the “Established” date listed in the MFHA roster). In 1927, as the increasing popularity of golf encroached on the hunt’s original territory, the club was moved to Wadsworth, along the banks of Lake Michigan, with live hunting conducted during the week and drag hunting limited to Sundays.

With the growth of Lake County came more road traffic which made it necessary to develop a more deliberate and biddable hound that would be easier to stop as the pack approached a road and that couldn’t outrun the hunt staff. PennMarydel hounds, known for their keen nose, booming voice, and deliberate scent-

ing behavior, were brought in.

Laren Jones’ memories of Mill Creek run deep. She and her brother Howard are former masters and their mother, Elizabeth Simpson, held the mastership before them up until her retirement in 1957. Their stepfather, Carey Rogers, served as huntsman. Laren notes that in those days two different packs of hounds were maintained: one drag; and one live. “A fox was kept as well to provide the urine for the drag,” she recalls. “During my stepfather’s time as huntsman, Charlie the fox walked out with the pack in the morning! With Mother’s retirement in 1957, the drag hunt was disbanded and live hunting took over three days a week.”

Keith Gray, MFH, has seen Mill Creek transition through what he defines as three different organizational structures for foxhunting clubs: Monarchy: One person or family primarily provides for hunting via land and finances, and who make most, if not all, meaningful decisions.

Exclusive Club: Leaders (masters and/or board) are hand-picked by landowners and/or major financers and balance the needs of those people (funding, indemnification, land use) with the needs of the paying membership.

Democracy: Paying members elect their leaders who then represent the club’s interests (land leases, club policy, etc.).

“When I came to Mill Creek in 1997 as a paying member,” Keith recalls, “it was a ‘Monarchy-style Club’. Shortly thereafter, it became an ‘Exclusive Club’ with the former singular leader entrusting one, then eventually three, riding members to operate the club to his standards, and without his obligation to underwrite.

I became one of those three.

“As more people with authority or ability to make decisions are added to leadership, complications and differences can creep in. One important lesson here is to have very clear lines of responsibility and to then stay out of each other’s way.”

More recently, with his joint master bowing out, Keith has taken a number of actions to help assure Mill Creek’s stability and long term viability.

“I’m able to move the club to a ‘Democracy’ structure. I’m divesting the club of its assets, leasing back what we need, and giving the club a nest-egg to use for income. I’ve engaged a new board, this time in function instead of primarily in name, who have stepped up by taking on responsibilities that I (and my very generous and understanding wife) used to handle. I’ve made sure that we’ve adopted by-laws to protect the nest-egg, and put in exclusions for future board membership of individuals that have a high likelihood of disrupting cohesive and productive relationships.”

This last point reflects the club’s overall position on those who seem to enjoy, as he puts it, “stirring the pot.”

“We were losing good members because of the toxic atmosphere created by some other members. So we wrote a ‘no-drama’ policy that everyone signs, and didn’t invite the troublemakers back. This has proven to be a good move as we’re getting some former members back, and not worrying about who is taking sides with who in the field. At Mill Creek, there is simply no tolerance for that.”

Two other moves were made to restructure the board. “I’ve also named to the board our professional huntsman. Controversial, but part of what I think has kept Mill Creek going through some very tough times is consistency in the huntsman, the breeding program, and the confidence our landowners have in her ability to respect their needs. About half of our members are non-hunting members, and the new board has two members from this group.”

In summary, Keith offers these points on how to keep a club going for an extended period of time (perhaps another hundred years?): Stability in the position of huntsman.

Excellent and never ending relationships with landowners (enhanced by a long-serving huntsman).

Focus on the club. Not real estate management. Not boarding. Not winning hound shows or hound trials (we participate, but do not breed for nor expect to win any of these).

Get buy-in from members (have them feel a sense of ownership through participation).

Plan for the next version of the club, whatever that is, relative to the resources, abilities, and needs of the members. Pay attention to legacy costs and legacy income opportunities.

Huntsman Brenda Yost with the hounds of Mill Creek Hunt. Stacy Tierman photo

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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

FOXHUNTING Sewickley Hunt: Three Hounds and a Drag Line

On the gray, Mr. J.O. Burgwin MFH 1924-1934. Third in line, Mrs. Adelaide Burgwin MFH 1924-1938. In the lead, huntsman Mr. P.G. Trafford 1926-1932. Photo courtesy of Sewickley Hunt

(l-r) Mr. Frank E. (Bud) Richardson Jr., Acting MFH 1942-1943, then MFH 1950-1988. Mr. James O. Flower, Acting MFH 1943-1944. Photo courtesy of Sewickley Hunt

Founded in 1922 by Mr. and Mrs. J.O. Burgwin, the Sewickley Hunt has those two people and three hounds to thank for more than a hundred years of mounted sport. To launch their new sporting venture, the Burgwins drafted three hounds—Silence, Fanny, and Comic— from their friend Daniel Sands, Master of the Middleburg Hunt. And the good sport continues.

The Burgwins served as the original masters. Mr. Burgwin stepped down in 1934 due to the demands of his business following the Depression. Mrs. Burgwin continued on as master until 1939 but remained closely associated with the hunt until her death in 1979.

She is remembered by her contemporaries as having been “very strict” in the hunt field and also as a “forceful leader…a superb and fearless horsewoman.” No weather was ever too bad to deter her from the hunting field and she was often heard to say, “Stay at home on a bad day and you will miss some of the best hunting.”

The founders’ decision to go with drag hunting from the inception has proven to be a prescient call on their part. Throughout the late 1920s and ’30s, there were six hunts in the Western Pennsylvania region: Sewickley, Rolling Rock, Westmoreland, Indiana, Fox Chapel, and Chestnut Ridge. Only Sewickley and Rolling Rock remain out of that original

group. As is the case in many parts of the country, increasing development was a likely cause for those now defunct clubs shutting down (or, in the case of Westmoreland, being absorbed into Rolling Rock). In the early 1960s, Interstate 79 cut the hunting territory in half. Despite the continuing loss of country as a result of development, the Sewickley Hunt still manages to provide its members with good sport in large part because it’s a drag hunt.

Current MFH Carol Semple Thompson says, “We wish we had many suggestions for continuing viability of live as well as drag hunts, but so many are facing problems like the loss of territory. Sewickley is no different, but has been blessed with the Sewickley Heights, a 1000 acre public park that we can access on a regular basis. It does help that we are a drag hunt but still we are becoming very hemmed in. Our local joke is that we hunt on a postage stamp.

“We have been able to acquire the rights to an area 45 minutes north of our base in Sewickley Heights from the former Saxonburg Hunt. It will take a great deal of effort, but we hope to be in contact with local land owners to be able to once again hunt that territory.

That is most likely where the future of the Sewickley Hunt lies.”

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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

FOXHUNTING

5

Golden’s Bridge Hounds Voices From the Past, Strong Leadership Today

In 1924, famed hotelman John McEntee Bowman registered a tract of land in Westchester County, New York, between Golden’s Bridge and Brewster in his own name with the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America. A few years later the name was changed to “Golden’s Bridge Hounds.” Benjamin Funk, from Pennsylvania, was engaged as huntsman and began a GBH practice of long-serving professional huntsman. Funk carried the horn for a total of 30 years; from 1924 to 1937 and again from 1940 to 1957. In its 100 year history, GBH has had two huntsmen, the second being Donald Philhower, serving over 25 years.

At the time of the hunt’s founding, there were almost as many cows as people in North Salem, with dirt roads and trails traversing the town. In 1940, Master of Foxhounds R. Lawrence Parrish moved the hounds to kennels at Rock Ridge Farm, known today as Stony Creek Farm. Rock Ridge Farm was originally built by M. Roy Jackson, the great-great grandfather of GBH’s current huntsman, Codie Feureisen.

The Masters of GBH have long been devoted to preserving the land and country life. The current five Masters—David Feureisen, Bruce Colley, Elizabeth Almeyda, Paige DeLeo, and Jamie Dinan—all encourage the maintenance of the land and sharing the sport with friends and members of the community.

GBH is fortunate to have in its archives a journal from 1930 kept by Langhorne Gibson, MFH. This voice from the past is a vivid reminder of how the dedication of GBH members over the years, along with the generosity of landowners, has contributed immeasurably to the ongoing success of the Hunt. Remarking on the importance of appreciating and maintaining the land in North Salem, Mr. Gibson wrote: “One has to go far before one can see a country nicer than ours—a country with more native beauty and a country without monotony of any kind. I, for one, would not swap it for any other.”

Hunting with GBH through the mid 20th Century, before Route 684 was built, often ranged from Somers into North Salem Center and over to Waccabuc. It wasn’t unusual for hunters to hack for an hour before even reaching the fixture.

In 1930, the excitement surrounding GBH’s Opening Meet was featured in the New York Herald: “The season opened in Westchester with the formal breakfast and hunt of the Golden’s Bridge Hounds and Hunt Club. Bright red jackets, white trousers and shining black silk hats melted into the vivid autumn landscape as the hunt club gave its annual breakfast to all the surrounding landowners….Each year the hunt club gives this party to some 800 guests on the day of the first formal fall hunt. During the fall and spring the farmers hear the call of the hunt and the yapping of the hounds as riders pass through Northern Westchester, but nobody minds it …for they are all friends. And it is to perpetuate this friendship that the people are given this party.”

As Golden’s Bridge Hounds observes its 100th Anniversary, MFH Bruce Colley notes the main points that have enabled the hunt to survive and thrive for these many years.

• A strong kinship with nature and the beautiful countryside alive with abundant quarry.

• A wonderfully supportive group of landowners and the local community at large.

• An amazing pack of Penn-Marydel hounds that have been consistently under the care of dedicated and knowledgeable hunt staff, from Ben Funk starting in the 1920s to Codie Feureisen carrying the horn today.

• Strong leadership that began with John Bowman and has continued through a succession of steady hands including Richard Parish, to Dan McKeon, to Eugene Colley, to Ed Kelly and the team of masters guiding the club today. Eugene Colley, father of current master Bruce Colley, served Golden’s Bridge for more than 50 years. On the morning of his 96th birthday, October 28, 2023, he blessed the hounds from the front door of his home, Windswept Farm, North Salem, New York. He passed away later that afternoon.

Langhorne Gibson’s 1930 diary concludes with a few lines of verse that are as appropriate today as they were decades ago: May your life-long chase Stretch out before you Over unending “best country.”

May the “run” be long, The “line,” true and strong.

Good Hunting!

Golden’s Bridge Hounds back in the day!

Photo courtesy of Golden’s Bridge Hounds.

Eugene Colley, father of current master Bruce Colley, served Golden’s Bridge for more than 50 years. On the morning of his 96th birthday, October 28, 2023, he blessed the hounds from the front door of his home, Windswept Farm, North Salem, New York and passed away later that afternoon.

Photo courtesy of the Colley family

Golden’s Bridge Huntsman Codie Feureisen returning with the field from a day of great sport! Helen Houghton photo

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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

FOXHUNTING Rolling Rock Rolls On

Rolling Rock Huntsman Sam Clifton, aided by his wife, Professional Whipper-in Shannon Clifton, leads hounds through the picturesque country around Ligonier, PA. Marcie Turjan photo

(l-r) William Burkland, MFH, Rolling Rock Hunt; Sam Clifton, Huntsman; Stewart Anderson Burkland, a fourth-generation foxhunter whose mother, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all MFHs. Marcie Turjan photo

E. Sue Bopp esbopp@emoagency.com 400 Rosedale Court • Warrenton, Virginia 20186 800-347-3552 • 540-347-3552 • Home: 540-439-8702 Cell: 540-272-4101 • Fax: 540-347-5906 www.rideemo.com

Rolling Rock Hunt, based in Ligonier, PA, has the Mellon family to thank for its creation. Richard B. Mellon (1858-1933) and his son Richard King Mellon (18991970) envisioned a “sporting paradise.” To achieve that, they methodically bought several contiguous small farms and created the hunt’s territory in the Ligonier Valley.

A 1920 father-and-son trip to England and Ireland resulted in the acquisition of hounds from several historic British and Irish packs. Rolling Rock Hunt was formally recognized by the MFHA in 1924.

Foxhunting in Western Pennsylvania was a family affair for many clubs that also thrived in the first half of the 20th century. A thread of that lineage still exists at Rolling Rock.

The Martin family guided the Westmoreland Hunt under the mastership of Sherwood C. Martin, who was succeeded by his sister Roberta (Bobby) Martin Watson (also a joint-master at Radnor Hunt). In 1975, its country shrinking due to encroaching development, Westmoreland merged with Rolling Rock.

The Chestnut Ridge Hunt was founded in the 1920s by A.A. Thompson. Following his death, all five of his children carried the horn and two of them, Evelyn Thompson Martin and Mark Thompson, served as masters for many years. But the family succession ended with Evelyn’s passing in the 1970s and the hunt disbanded.

William Burkland is the current master at Rolling Rock. His wife, Pamela Thompson Burkland, is the great-granddaughter of A.A. Thompson, thus continuing the family line of active hunters back to when it all started in the 1920s.

The Rolling Rock mastership saw another Mellon family member return to that position when Mrs. Armour N. (Sophie) Mellon was appointed MFH in 1997. She and Christina Henderson, another Mellon family member who served as joint-master, stepped down in 2017. Sophie Mellon and Mrs. Russell Byers (Anne) continue to serve as members of the Hunt Committee.

When asked how Rolling Rock is still in operation a hundred years on from its founding, William Burkland says, “We have had just enough revenue to keep going.

[But] as our membership shrinks, more and more of the costs are carried by the Master and Hunt Committee. We are blessed that many of our fixtures have deed restrictions, which grandfather us to hunt. Not that all are honored 100% of the time. We work to keep our country open. The Mellon family still owns the property underlying most of two of our fixtures and other families keep their land open to us.”

The Burkland family is also committed to securing territory for the hunt. “My brother Richard Burkland and I,” William reports, “have purchased enough property in our country to keep two other fixtures available to the hunt and to preserve the green space for years to come.” He does, though, give a nod to the many others who allow the Rolling Rock hounds to continue providing sport in the Ligonier area. “All foxhunters must acknowledge and applaud the generosity all of the landowners everywhere who allow us to enjoy a beautiful and exciting day on the back of a horse galloping across open country with a pack of hounds in full cry.”

He also cites the tension between maintaining enough open country to hunt with the need to attract subscribers. “There is no magic pill to keeping a hunt going today,” he says. “The primary reason a hunt can survive is also the primary reason it fails—an area with the green space necessary to hunt does not have the population density to keep the hunting fields full of riders paying dues.”

Looking ahead, he warns of a threat many hunting enthusiasts should be mindful of. “There have been efforts made very recently on a state level here in Pennsylvania to end hunting foxes with dogs. It has just recently been moved to a back burner, but we must assume it will reappear.”

It’s unlikely the original founders would have envisioned such a threat to their sport when putting together Rolling Rock Hunt’s original pack a hundred years ago. But with diligent and committed leadership, and a nod to family heritage, Rolling Mr. Herbert May, who served as Rolling Rock Hunt’s HonRock rolls on. orary Secretary for 20 years.

Photo courtesy of Rolling Rock Hunt

IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

FOXHUNTING

7

Old Dominion Hounds Celebrating 100 Years (and Counting) of Sport, Conservation

By Betsy Burke Parker

Moving off from Houyhnhnm Farm, Hume, Virginia, circa 1985, Old Dominion Hounds Masters Mrs. Mildred Gulick Riddell and David Semmes leading the field.

Douglas Lees photo

One hundred years ago, Virginia foxhunter Sterling Larrabee established his own private pack as a result of what he called “a row” between the Warrenton Hunt, for which he was briefly joint-master, and the Masters of Foxhounds Association.

Mr. Larrabee’s Hounds was recognized in 1924, becoming the Old Dominion Hounds when Larrabee changed to a subscription pack in the early 1930s.

This year, Old Dominion turns 100, the centennial year for a group that many believe checks all the boxes for a sporting organization with equally strong ties to conservation and community.

Today, joint-masters Debbie Welch, Kim Poe, Dawn Colgan, and Les Moeller recognize the importance of carrying the legacy into a second century.

Joint-master since 2019, Debbie Welch thinks the formula for reaching 100 years began at the start with strong business and management principles applied

by Larrabee and carried on by early masters who followed. “I think it’s a combination of extraordinary leadership in our early years, plus a welcoming social aspect continued today where people—subscribers and landowners alike— work towards the same goal,” Welch said. “Everyone has the same hopes—to keep land open for everybody’s benefit. Part of Old Dominion’s success has been retaining almost all our original hunting country. That’s the bottom line.”

Strategies for staying power, Welch notes, include the lure of getting to ride across wide-open hunt territory, which, she says, attracts subscribers and guests in droves. Steady hands on the helm—strong leadership as Welch put it—helps a club thrive, as does a strong family dynamic where multiple generations support a hunt through the decades.

Old Dominion joint-master since 2019, Kim Poe feels that ongoing family tradition is a chief indicator of the club’s continued health. “It’s one of the few sports that the entire family can participate in. I can honestly say Old Dominion helped raise my children,” said Poe. “They learned manners, how to interact with adults, respect for tradition and the sport.

“The entire membership watched over them and gave them confidence.

They always knew if they were ever to get in trouble, they had an extended family to fall back on.”

Poe’s daughter, Casey, is in her second season as ODH professional whip, having started in the hunt field on a leadline, later as a junior staff member in her Old Dominion Hounds Pony Club days.

Joint-master since 2021 and a foxhunter for 44 years, Dawn Colgan is a three-generation ODH Old Dominion Hounds has a deep tradition of family hunter. “The hunt is like an extended family,” involvement and encouraging young people to become Colgan said.

“The involved in foxhunting. (l-r) Sam Homeyer and Colby Poe, son of ODH Master Kim Poe, moved off from High Hinckley family is at four Meadows on Opening Day, October 28, 2023. generations, the Barr Steve Vorpahl photo

family, too. The McNear family and mine are at three generations.”

Douglas Wise Stuart says family ties spill into community relations. Jointmaster 1995 to 2015 and current board president, Stuart carries on the tradition of her grandfather, Albert Hinckley, ODH master 1947 to 1968. His wife, Helen, was master 1940-1945.

Stuart feels the club is similar to a rural church parish that ties far-flung residents with a strong bond.

“The sense of community has enabled the ODH to thrive,” Stuart said, citing club outreach, including a wide range of subscription options for riders and nonriders, a strong junior program, open community days, and the club’s popular annual landowners’ picnic, as big draws.

Land conservation plays a role, Stuart maintains. “In a strong effort to put land into protective easements, we have managed over the years to preserve our countryside and welcome landowners into our fold.”

“The Old Dominion territory is spectacular, every single fixture,” Colgan added. “Of course our amazing hounds and huntsmen (over the decades, including today) provide excellent sport, but our landowners are key to our success.”

Old Dominion territory comprises 100 square miles, west of Warrenton, south of Middleburg, north of Charlottesville, nearly at the center of Virginia’s famed “hunt country.”

New joint-master Les Moeller cites an often-forgotten ingredient—the fun factor. “Our members, our landowners and our leadership—everyone comes together to support the rural tradition and enjoy the beauty of the Piedmont,” Moeller said. “But as much as that, to just plain have fun.”

Maintaining open land and strengthening relationships with landowners is furthered through the associated Old Dominion Conservation and Educational Foundation that hosts seminars and provides grants for conservation programs.

The Old Dominion Hounds Pony Club is active with the hunt, too.

For more information and to read Sterling Larrabee’s fascinating account of the challenges he faced in the 1920s creating what was to become Old Dominion Hounds, visit www.theolddominionhounds.com.

8

IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

Blue Ridge hounds were eager to be at work hunting from kennels on December 23, 2023.

Joanne Maisano photo

Nine-year-old Liza Rose Shigaki was all smiles on Firefly when Orange County Hounds hosted a Junior Meet from Little River Farm, December 30, 2023. Joanne Maisano photo

(l-r) Connor and Bradley Spreadborough, following in the hoofprints of their father Reg Spreadborough, Orange County Hounds Huntsman, along with Schuyler Becker and Parker Simmons. All had fun during the Junior Meet from Little River Farm, December 30, 2023.

Joanne Maisano photo

Mallory Barnett was in fine form hunting at Blue Ridge Hunt on Junior Hunt Day from Woodley Farm, December 2, 2023. Joanne Maisano photo

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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

HOUND SHOWS

Elegant Country Living

Virginia Hound Show Meeting Challenges, Looking to the Future After successfully serving as president of the Virginia Foxhound Club for 16 years, Mrs. Joan Jones, ex-MFH, has opted to turn the reins over to Bob Ferrer, MFH. Bob assumes the leadership role at a challenging time for the club and its marquee event—the annual Virginia Foxhound Show.

“Today,” Ferrer says, “we face the reality that the costs of the show have significantly increased over the past several years. We must look for ways to improve the show while also The 75th Virginia Hound Show will be held at cutting expenses where possi- Morven Park, Leesburg, VA, on Sunday, May 26, 2024. For more info, ble. This is a challenge as the visit www.virginiafoxhoundclub.org. costs are organic to the locaJoanne Maisano photo tion of the show and requirements established by Morven Park.”

In his message to club members, Bob cites no fewer than 17 expense categories (plus an “etc.” bullet at the end), all of which are essential for a successful running of the show. “The costs have almost tripled over the past couple of years,” he explains, “and we are reluctant to increase costs for exhibitors who already spend a great deal of money coming to the show. So, we must find ways to make the show successful and pleasant for attendees but also economize.”

To that end, he’s instigated a variety of changes to help offset the overhead while assuring the show remains the star attraction that continues to draw hunters and their hounds from across North America.

One example is a redesign of the club’s website, www.virginiafoxhoundclub.org. The refreshed layout and navigation provide improved communication with members, exhibitors, and spectators alike. Moreover, it replaces regular mailings and printings of invitations and the prize list, thus eliminating those costs.

A sponsorship program instituted last year will continue to be offered. The cost of sponsorship for a ring or class is $500 and includes a sponsor banner at the ring, sponsor listing in the program, and a reserved parking space near the dinner tent for both the day before and day of the show.

In the interest of assuring the show runs smoothly, a former practice will be renewed to provide sufficient instructions to the stewards and clerks. Longstanding English Ring Steward, Mr. Bill Burnette, MFH, will serve as chief steward. Show Secretary Ms. Stuart Sanders will continue the initiatives instituted over the last couple of years to make registering, as well as changes, as easy as possible for exhibitors.

In addition to focusing on the immediate needs to assure the viability of the hound show, Ferrer is also looking to the future. The show runs solely on volunteer energy. Without the help of those willing to devote their time and talents to its planning and execution, there would be no show. However, many volunteers are starting to “age-out” and a new generation needs to step up to fill those roles. Bob recognizes the need to encourage that in his own position as president. “It is my intention to serve as President for no more than three years.

It is my sincere hope that a young MFH will step up to succeed me in this position.”

If you’re not currently a member of the Virginia Foxhound Club, we encourage you to consider joining. Annual membership is just $35.00 and you can easily sign up through the website. Even if you’re not a Virginia foxhunter, your membership will help assure this annual event will continue to serve as a popular gathering for devotees of mounted sport across North America. And if you’d like to volunteer, this would be a good time to get involved and find your niche at ringside or in any capacity that suits your preference.

To sign up for a sponsorship or to volunteer, contact Bob Ferrer directly at 703-447-2816.

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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

OSMUN’S OBSERVATIONS

Osmun to the Rescue In the Summer 2023 issue of In & Claudia Coleman illustration Around Horse Country, I described an encounter I had with an amazing dog when Marion and I attended the Dressed to Kilt charity event at the Omni- Shoreham in Washington, DC. This was a fundraiser created by Sean Connery (a fellow Scot, by the way) for the benefit of Navy SEALs. While there, I met Roxie.

A Military Working Dog, probably a Belgian Malinois, Roxie personified the image of “hero.” Even to a humble civilian like me, it was clear she was the type of dog who, at her handler’s command, would rush into a building, sniff out anything or anyone dangerous, and deal with whatever threats she found.

I’ve met countless fellow canines over the years. That was just part of life during my days on the show circuit.

And, of course, I’ve made many good friends among the local dog community since moving from Montana to Virginia. But I’ve never met any four-legged creature that could compare to Roxie.

Since then, I’ve sometimes wondered what I’d do if I had to make a quick decision in a dicey situation. Not that I could come anywhere close to handling dangers like an MWD. But could I help someone in need, maybe rescue another dog from the brink of disaster?

Well, on a frigid January morning, I got the chance to find out.

It was chilly for Virginia, about 7 degrees, and Marion and I were running late as usual, so the car didn’t have time to warm up properly. The clock was ticking. Marion tossed me on the front passenger seat as we headed up town to work. My car chewie was already on the seat waiting for me so I picked it up in my paws to warm it, worried that my tongue might stick to it. When it was sufficiently warm, I started chomping while lifting my head occasionally, watching cars go by.

As we rounded the first bend in the road, I halfway noticed what I thought was a discarded rug in the ditch. But I quickly realized it wasn’t a rug. It was a dog!

“Stop the car!” I yelped, dropping my chew toy on the seat.

“What is it?” Marion asked, surprised by my outburst.

“It’s a dog!”

She pulled over quickly, put the emergency flashers on, and hopped out.

While I waited and watched from inside the car, she went to the lump in the ditch and found a scruffy little thing of mixed lineage. It wasn’t moving, not even looking up at Marion. Filthy dirty. I couldn’t see a tag or even a collar.

“Call the vet! Tell him we’re bringing an emergency patient in,” I shouted through the closed window.

Marion picked up the little cur, thankful to be wearing gloves, I’m sure, opened the passenger door, and put the limp little dog on the front seat. She wrapped my personal Horse Country Hunt Button throw (which, fortunately, is washable) around him, then got back in the car. We headed to the veterinarian’s office on Garrett Street where Amanda had been alerted and was waiting.

“Osmun,” Marion said, “try talking to the little fellow.”

I did my best to communicate, to let him (or her?) know Marion and I were friends and were taking him to a safe place. But I could get no response.

A foul smell began to fill the car, made worse by the cranked up heater.

When I saw a muddy paw slide out from the blanket, grab my new chew toy, and drag it back under, I said, “Well, at least we know he’s alive.”

When we pulled up at the vet’s, I tried to assure the poor thing that all would be well. Dr. Rethman and Dr. Bartlett, along with Amanda and the rest of the staff, would take good care of him.

But the patient was having none of it. When Marion opened the passenger door, a flash bolted from under the blanket and before anyone could stop him, he ran to the corner of the building adjacent to the vet’s office.

What should I do? Hero or zero? What would Roxie do?

I took a deep breath, jumped out of the car, and slowly, in a non-threatening way, approached the “target.”

“It’s okay,” I said soothingly.

“We’re all friends here. We just want to help you.”

Apparently warmed from the car ride, he finally found his voice.

“Friends?” He eyed Amanda warily as she approached with treats and a pet carrier. “They just want to put me in a cage.”

“No,” I said. “They’re good people.” I took a step closer. “They’ll help you. Give you some food, make sure you’re okay.” I figured they’d also give him a bath but thought it best to not mention that. I took another step. Man, he really needed a bath.

I noticed his eyes soften and his defensive posture relax. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“Scot’s honor.”

I tossed a quick glance at Amanda to let her know it was okay. With a treat for added encouragement, the wee lad agreed to slink into the carrier.

We all breathed a sigh of relief.

Marion and I arrived at the store late and she explained to everyone the reason for our delay. “And,” she concluded, “Osmun was the hero. His sharp eye noticed the poor little thing in the ditch. And then he talked the dog into trusting that no one at the vet’s was going to hurt him, they were going to help. I thought he was going to run off and we’d never catch him, but Osmun saved the day!”

She reached down and patted me on the head.

Me? A hero? How about that!

I spent the rest of the day in our usual work routine. The spring races will be starting soon, which means tailgates and festive hats. We’re also in that midseason time when there’s still a need for scarves and shawls, Barbour clothing, spring cashmere, and quilted three-season jackets and vests. Sue and Kaylee are busy in the saddlery stocking our superior leather products and supplies, all the right stuff for avid riders, and sourcing new horse care products and preparations.

Jenny has fresh books for spring and is planning a book signing with well-known equestrian trainer and coach Julie Ulrich when her autobiography and training book comes out in June.

But all the while I was waiting for the call from the vet. Was the little guy all right? Was he even a guy? Was there a chip or tag, some way to find his owner? Was his health okay? Maybe just in need of nourishment…and a bath!

Ultimately, though, none of that really mattered. He was safe, and I’d helped make that happen. (We found out later that he was in good hands at the Fauquier ASPCA.) A Roxie-level MWD achievement? Hardly. But at least on one chilly winter day, I was happy to wear the “Hero” badge.

ALLISON HOWELL IMAGES

Equestrian & Sporting Photographer

404-408-8561

allisonhowellimages.smugmug.com

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11

IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

Winter is upon us—worse in some places than others—and for many of you, outdoor riding is not an option. It’s a good time to settle in and read a good book or two—or more. We still have many autographed copies of Rita Mae Brown’s latest Sister Jane mystery (Lost and Hound) and have restocked the biography of Lexington, which we had to wait for the publisher to reprint, as well as many other books I have reviewed in the past.

Bee, Vanessa. Rainy Day Horsemanship. What do you do when it’s pouring rain or pelting sleet and snow, and your kids—or students—or you—don’t have an indoor arena? Grab this book and try a few exercises from it! Here are 50 to do with your horse when, for whatever reason, you can’t ride. They will help your horse become more flexible and amenable to handle when done calmly without the irritations that pressing time can cause. Better still, they encourage bonding with your horse. Find out where he likes to be scratched or where it annoys him. Practice correct haltering, bending, leading—all essentials on any occasion, and if you have a timid beginner, how better for him/her to learn than on the ground at first? Later you’ll progress to acquainting the horse with “scary things”—flags, umbrellas, obstacles to step over or through or onto. And need I mention this is a great way to start an unbroken or new horse—by establishing his trust in you? Or you in him? Lots of color photos. Hardcover and spiral bound, 166pp. $27.95 Simonds, Mary Ann. A Horse by Nature. I confess I ordered this book as much for the section on the behavior of wild horses and its lovely photos as for my ongoing curiosity about the behavior of the equine species. As I read about feral herds, I became more fascinated with the various personalities and gestures of stallions, mares, and foals. The lead horse is more likely to be a dominant mare with the stallion following at the end to make sure everyone keeps up. Foals quickly learn their place when they start becoming too pesky. When a tame horse does not grow up with a herd or is removed from his dam too soon, he may not learn the body signals that other horses give to indicate “moving left” or “get out of my hay!” or “I’m friendly, are you?”

Following the section on wild horses is a section on horse training with consideration for the horse; before you start banging on his sides, see if he is hurting, scared, or just doesn’t understand what you’re asking for. There’s a lot to be gained from the author, a clini-

EVENT NOTICES Upcoming Events In and Around Horse Country Spring will soon be blooming with a bouquet of challenging, exciting, and just plain fun events. We encourage you to get out and enjoy Horse Country.

Hunter Pace Events and Spring Races: The spring races and the hunter pace series begin in March. For contact information and more details, go to www.centralentryoffice.com.

Spring Races, Virginia: Sat., March 2: Rappahannock Hunt Point-to-Point Sat., March 16: Warrenton Hunt Point-to-Point Sat., March 23: Piedmont Fox Hounds Point-to-Point Sun., March 30: Blue Ridge Hunt Point-to-Point Sat., April 6: Old Dominion Hounds Point-to-Point Sat., April 20: Middleburg Spring Races Sun., April 21: Loudoun Hunt Point-to-Point Sat., April 27: Foxfield Spring Races Sun., April 28: Middleburg Hunt Point-to-Point Sat., May 4: Virginia Gold Cup Races Spring Races, Maryland: Sun., March 31: Green Spring Valley Point-to-Point Sat., April 6: Elkridge-Harford Hunt Point-to-Point Sat., April 13: My Lady’s Manor Races

Bradford G., V.M.D. Understanding Equine HORSE COUNTRY Bentz, Colic. This is not a newly published book, but it’s one horse owner should read. Colic is all too often B O O K S E L L E R S every the cause of a horse’s death; even if he could be saved

Specialists in New, Old & Rare Books on Horses, Foxhunting, Eventing, Polo, Racing, Steeplechasing & Sporting Art 60 Alexandria Pike, Warrenton, VA 20186

800-882-HUNT • 540-347-3141 cian, who relates a few horror stories she has observed at various “horse expos” around the world. There’s the “trainer” with the poor 4-year-old Andalusian stallion that he keeps tied in his stall at all times except during feeding, when he goes into the stall and doesn’t turn the horse loose to eat or drink until it prances frantically in place. The apparent point? He’s “teaching it to dance.” And the animal welfare people refused to do anything because “the horse wasn’t starving” or suffering wounds. (Yes, the author had photos of it tied short, head in the air, no hay or water in reach.)

The final third of the book ventures into general expectations of horses today in the various fields of “entertainment” such as showing, racing, rodeo, etc.

Are we asking too much of them too often? We have to admit that too many horse owners own horses for the wrong reasons. The human proclivity to violence and greed breaks out too often (my opinion here!).

The Thoroughbred who is raced too often; the Arabian stallion who is “taken out back” and whipped just before he goes into the in-hand class so he prances spiritedly all around; the Tennessee Walker who can hardly stand up in his stall because his feet have been so “sored” in order that he pick them up smartly in the ring—this has to stop. It is an offense to all true horsemen in any activity who care as deeply about their animals as they do their families, and I’m sure most of our readers feel the same.

Especially if you did not grow up with horses, learning their signals of mood and intention, you owe it to your horse(s) and yourself to read this manual that will give tips on what to expect from expressions and gestures the horse makes. We all know flattened ears or a raised hind leg means “watch out!” but there are many subtleties that the many photos illustrate, such as the “dead” eye of a horse that has lost all enthusiasm for life. Read, and be enlightened. Softcover, 409pp. $45.00 Sun., April 14: Mount Harmon-Wicomico Point-to-Point Sat., April 20: Grand National Steeplechase Sat., April 27: The Maryland Hunt Cup Sun., May 19: Potomac Hunt Races Sat., May 25: Fair Hill Races Hunter Pace Events: Sun., March 24: Piedmont Fox Hounds Sat., March 30: Orange County Hounds Sun., April 7: Old Dominion Hounds Sat., April 13: Rappahannock Hunt Sat., April 20: Blue Ridge Hunt Sun., April 27: Warrenton Hunt Other Springtime Happenings: Foxhunting Panel Discussion Hosted by Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Thursday, February 29, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Reception to follow. Tickets required.

Buchanan Hall, Upperville, VA www.PiedmontHeritage.org Bull Run Hunt March Madness Hunt Week Sunday, March 17 – Saturday, March 23 www.BullRunHuntClub.com

by surgery, the cost is often prohibitive. Learn the reasons for the horse being so prone to colic, its symptoms, what to do when it is suspected, what happens with colic surgery, and post-surgical care. Softcover, 192pp. Sale priced at $10.00; limited copies.

We got some non-horse books in for the holidays that didn’t arrive in time to review for our holiday edition of IAHC last fall. Here are a few: Dean, A. J. Friday Night Cocktails. Here’s a collection of 52 cocktails, one for each weekend of the year, accompanied by an alluring photo of each one. A few bartender tips are tossed in as well. Shake up your life—try a new one! Hardcover, 152p. $19.95 Stephenson, Tristan. Cocktails at Home Deck. Since this box is bound in plastic to keep it together, I can’t open it to peek inside. According to the cover, it contains “50 recipe cards for classic and iconic drinks to mix at home” and a 64-page booklet explaining the fundamentals of cocktail making. Now, that could make for an interesting evening gathering—fan out the cards face down, tell your guests “pick a card,” and each one has to drink what comes up (unless there are allergies involved!). $24.99.

Butterfield, Suzanne. Color Palettes. While not exactly used books, these have been hiding out in Marion’s cubbyholes for long enough not to call them “new,” either, as the copyright is 1998. But if you’re tired of the all-white rooms you see all the time in TV makeover shows, this gentle introduction into color may inspire you to a change of décor. Based on hues from the Donald Kaufman Color Collection, the 26 interiors photographed offer soothing blends to dispel the raucous, overenergized world raging outside these days without being colorless. The final few pages revisit in one place the various color palettes used in the book’s interiors for easy comparison. Hardcover, 205pp. Sale priced at $25.00. Only 3 available.

Coming soon: No Bored Horses by Amanda Goble.

Paperback, 232pp, 220 color photos/illustrations. $29.95 Long Reining by Wilfried Gehrmann. Hardcover, 140pp. $34.95 Museum of Hounds & Hunting North America Members Reception Saturday, May 25, 5:00 pm The Mansion, Morven Park, Leesburg Open to current members and members’ guests. www.mhhna.org Museum of Hounds & Hunting North America Exhibition & Sale Sat., May 25 – Sun., May 26 The Mansion, Morven Park, Leesburg www.mhhna.org Virginia Foxhound Club Cocktail Party & Dinner Saturday, May 25, 6:00 pm Horning Blowing Contest, 7:00 pm www.virginiafoxhoundclub.org Virginia Hound Show Sunday, May 26, Show begins at 9:00 Morven Park, Leesburg rferrer@patricioenterprises.com For hound show scheduling info, www.mfha.com.

Upperville Colt & Horse Show Monday, June 3 – Sunday, June 9 www.upperville.com

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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

Jefferson “Tot” Goodwin celebrated his 80th birthday starting out with a day of sport hunting his Goodwin Hounds in Mill Spring, North Carolina, on February 2, 2024…

…And concluded with a birthday ball held in his honor the following night where he was surrounded by his countless friends and admirers. Mark Jump photos

IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

FOXHUNTING

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Deep Run Hunt Facing the Territory Challenge

On Sunday, February 11, Coleman Perrin, exJack McElroy sold the idea to the memMFH, was the featured speaker at the Virginia bers and we were off. My Joint Masters Mary Foxhound Club annual meeting. The event was Robertson and Frank McGhee worked very held at Chase’s End Farm, home of Bob and hard looking at tax maps and knocking on Elizabeth Ferrer, joint-masters of Caroline Hunt. doors.

As newly installed president of the club, Bob inOur Huntsman, Thommy Kniepp, was troduced Coleman for his “fireside chat” detailkey to making this all work. He spent many ing Deep Run Hunt’s move to Cumberland hours walking all the properties we were to County to maintain hunting territory in the face hunt as well as the State Forrest. He marked of ever-advancing development. Here’s what out connecting trails throughout the Forest.

Coleman had to share with those in attendance: There was only one problem. I’m colored ••••• blind and the dark blue and red survey ribbon Deep Run Hunt was founded in 1887. During he used I can’t see. its 137 years, it has relocated five times and Deep Run, thanks to Polly Bance, MFH, added new territory four times. and Red Dog Covington, MFH, has also exI began hunting with Deep Run as a Junior panded in Fluvanna County, which gives us in the early ’50s. I became Joint Master in 1980. more open country to hunt.

All this took place while we were living and We still meet in the home country sevhunting in Goochland County, our “Home eral times a month and for special meets like Country”. This country served us very well for Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day, and Opening 30 years, but by the mid ’80s it was getting very Meet. difficult to hunt three days a week and hound Today it should be much easier to idenexercising on the narrow county roads wasn’t tify prospective new territory. Google Earth safe for hounds or horses. and Onx Hunt weren’t available when I did Our introduction to Cumberland County this. I had to use topo maps and county tax was due to three people: Jimmy Saunders, Carmaps. olyn Baber, and Penny Baber. Jimmy owned a There are still and always will be challarge cattle farm named “Ampthill”. He invited lenges to preserving and keeping hunt terrius to come and hunt his property. He had made tory. There are positives and negatives to the arrangements with his neighbors for us to come moves Deep Run has taken. onto their land as well.

Starting with the positives, the CumberMy first step was to contact Jake Carle, the land country we wanted was not registered or Virginia District MFHA Director, for advice on close to another hunt. The one exception is how to proceed. Jake advised me to go ahead country along Route 15 in Buckingham Coleman Perrin, ex-MFH, Deep Run Hunt. Douglas Lees photo and hunt the territory to see if it would work beCounty. We traded that with Oak Ridge for fore trying to get it registered as Deep Run terthe country we were looking at in Fluvanna ritory. The first couple of years we hunted the Ampthill fixture two to three times County. a season. It worked very well and hunting members were enthusiastic.

Cumberland County was a rural farming area with a long history of hound At the Ampthill meets I was fortunate enough to connect with long time hunting. It has had slower growth than surrounding areas. Unfortunately, this is hunt members Carolyn and Penny Baber. They owned or controlled several large changing. We worked hard and continue to work hard on getting conservation cattle farms and timber tracts. Carolyn was very enthusiastic and determined we easements and hunting easements. This has proven critical in Cumberland and were going to hunt Cumberland. She was not one to take no for an answer. Car- Fluvanna where property has sold and we have been able to continue to hunt. olyn took Jimmy Saunders and me in her Jeep Wagoneer through her different This has really become an issue in the last four to five years. farms, timber tracts, and the 17,000 acres Cumberland State Forest at excessive We established the Deep Run Land Fund. We knew that we were not going speeds. Jimmy and I spent most of the tour with our hands pushed against the to be able to raise a large amount of money to buy large tracts, but we thought ceiling to keep from getting a concussion bouncing off the roof. Carolyn gave we could raise a meaningful amount to buy critical small pieces. We are not a us a full tour of what she called our future. Her mind was made up and she was 501c3 so contributions were not tax deductible. We raised close to $60,000.00. going to make it happen.

We bought a seven acre lot and put hunting easements on it and sold it. That The Baber’s controlled most of the deer leases in the area and made it clear money went back into our land fund. We are in the process of purchasing another to the deer hunters it was her land they had hunting rights on but the hounds and eight acres very close to the kennel. horses had right of way.

The negatives we faced with the new territories are that they are both about Penny Baber, a lawyer, was Cumberland County Commissioner of Ac- an hour drive one way from the old “Home Country” and about an hour apart counts and knew who owned what and how to contact them. from each other. Most of our members live in Goochland and our hunt staff mainMy joint Masters were on board and very helpful in convincing the board tains the paneling and trails in the old and new countries. Time that our staff loses of Directors this was doable and a good idea. The President of the board, Jack traveling between locations takes up productive hours and there is an increased McElroy, was also very helpful and especially with the later move to Cumberland fuel cost for the club and for the members.

County.

We have a long history of members volunteering in kennels and doing trail The Deep Run home country property is extensive. We have a clubhouse clearing. The lost time traveling and fuel cost have an impact. We try hard to with a pool and tennis courts, a large horse show facility, boarding stables, and have functions at the kennels that give the members a sense of ownership and a large cross-country course. We have a large social membership and therefore investment in the hounds and hunting. it was decided to move the staff horses, hounds, kennels, and staff housing to Like everything and everywhere, things continue to change. We have to Cumberland. adapt to these changes and stay focused on our future and look for opportuniPenny Baber found a small veal farm adjacent to the State Forest which ties. was for sale and had a horse barn and suitable housing for our staff. The veal operation was a large block building which would be easily converted to kennels.

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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

Phoenix Rises From the Ashes

By Stephen K. Heard, Ex-MFH

The attrition of foxhunting orI researched the Mells ganizations has been apparent Foxhounds and was surprised for quite some time. In 1996, by what I found. The founder of the Masters of Foxhounds AsMells was Colonel John L. sociation (MFHA) listed 171 Horner, Jr. Colonel Horner was member hunts. By 2020, that a highly decorated officer in the number had dwindled to 145 US Army who personally asmember hunts. In the MFHA sisted President Franklin D. 2022-2023 directory, 136 hunts Roosevelt during WWII with are listed. There are, of course, the invasion plans of Nazi-ocfarmer’s packs and other hunts cupied Europe and, at President that do not belong to the Roosevelt’s instruction, met MFHA, but the foregoing numrepeatedly with Winston bers are telling.

Churchill and General Dwight Foxhunting clubs cease to D. Eisenhower to coordinate Dexist for several reasons. A foxDay. When that fateful day ochunting organization requires curred, Colonel Horner landed sufficient land on which to hunt at Normandy (Utah Beach) and William D. “Bill” Haggard, MFH, welcomed riders and guests in preparation for the Blessing of the and adequate funds to support thereafter served under General Hounds and the start of the 2023-2024 formal hunt season. Dr. William D. Kenner photo its operation. Development of George C. Patton. Colonel hunting lands fueled by increasing land values and sales of land into smaller and Horner’s wife, Ann, had foxhunted with General Patton as a little girl with the smaller parcels has had a negative impact on some clubs. Additionally, the in- Rappahannock Hunt. ability of a hunt to raise sufficient operating capital through subscriptions, Prior to WWII, Colonel Horner enjoyed foxhunting in Northern Virginia fundraising and/or masters and benefactors’ contributions has had dire ramifica- with a number of hunts, particularly the Old Dominion Hounds. Following the tions for other such organizations. And, of course, a cascade of human failings, war, Colonel Horner accepted a position with the Chrysler Corporation’s Jet Enincluding a lack of competent leadership, has put a number of hunts on the ropes. gine Division located near Huntsville, Alabama. He moved his family to But there are situations in which hunts have met rising challenges with fore- Huntsville and developed a friendship with a fellow foxhunting enthusiast, Harry sight, imagination, and energy. Such brings to mind the legend of the Phoenix. Rhett. Rhett formed the celebrated Mooreland Foxhounds and he and Colonel This myth is found in several ancient cultures, notably those of the Greeks and Horner enjoyed hunting together with Mr. Rhett’s pack. However, Colonel the Egyptians. The story holds that the Phoenix is a bird that lives for 500 years, Horner wanted to establish his own hunt and have his entire family enjoy foxthen bursts into flames to be thoroughly consumed by same, and thereafter is hunting from the ground up. Accordingly, Colonel Horner moved to Giles miraculously reborn from its ashes. In the parlance of 2024, the allusion of the County, Tennessee, purchased a suitable farm, and formed the Mells Foxhounds.

Phoenix rising from the ashes symbolizes an organization or event that has been By 1966, Mells was registered with the Masters of Foxhounds Association and able to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to achieve rebirth when, recognized by same in 1970. Mells has remained an active member of the MFHA to all rational observers, the situation was hopeless. This is a story of a foxhunting for 57 years. While in England during WWII, Colonel Horner visited his ancestral club that was, for all intents and purposes, dead but for the burying, yet found a home, Mells Manor in Somerset, England, built in the 16th century for Edwin Horner. Colonel Horner took the name of his forebearers’ residence for his foxway to improvise, adapt, overcome, achieve, and ultimately prosper.

I was relaxing one Sunday morning in March of 2014 at my farm in Cor- hunting organization.

Bill laid out Mells situation to me. He told me Mells was nearly terminal. A nersville, Tennessee, when there came a knock on my door. I was at that time a member of a then splendid hunt in Kentucky comprised of some of my closest former master and huntsman who had given the Mells her all for 15 years was at friends, and I whipped-in to a huntsman who was a pure pleasure to work with. the end of her tether. This master sadly announced to her sole joint master, Stasia Previously, I had been staff with several hunts and had also spent some years as Bachrach, that she could no longer shoulder the crushing expense and necessary Master of Foxhounds. I was happy with my current arrangement and had no plans resources to maintain the hunt. During her 15 years of leadership (12 years as to change. I answered the door and found William D. “Bill” Haggard requesting huntsman), she had performed admirably.

My father once headed a university and received many accolades for his a word with me.

Bill and I sat down in front of my fireplace, and he told me that he had ac- leadership. He always responded to suggestions that he and he alone was responcepted an offer of mastership with the Mells Foxhounds of Lynnville, Ten- sible for the success of the institution by saying, “We are here because we have nessee. Bill indicated that he had a vision for Mells but he was going to need built on the foundation laid by those that have come before us.” Thanks to the help. Bill asked me if I would consider joining Mells to work with its hounds. efforts of its prior leadership, there remained a sound foundation on which Mells’ future could be built.

Skeptically, I sat quietly and listened.

Ms. Bachrach was faced with a choice: Whether or not to simply let Mells I first came to know Bill at a time when neither of us were old enough to hold driver’s licenses and, regrettably, at my instigation, he was part of a group go the way of the dodo into extinction or initiate efforts to build on that surviving of some 15-20 friends who decided to visit a girls’ slumber party. The entire en- foundation. Stasia decided that she had had too much fun with Mells to shut the deavor devolved into chaos when the chaperones of the young ladies took ex- door on its legacy. But, Bill explained, Stasia needed help and went to another ception to the plan and called the police. Order was restored and I later ex-MFH, Karen Kressenberg, to see if she would be willing to assist. Karen surrendered to my parents, was grounded, and was required to apologize to all agreed to sign on, but only on the condition that Bill Haggard be solicited to join of the parents whose sons I had led astray. Accordingly, I did not see Bill again the Mells “revival” effort as an MFH. Bill was ultimately so persuaded, although for decades. But, as fate would have it, we found ourselves foxhunting together he had a condition as well. All three of the masters would have to commit finanthirty-five years later. I was a first flight field master and Bill was one of the cially to building a state-of-the-art kennel. This term was unanimously accepted.

Bill told me that Mells had hounds but they were getting a little long in the “hard boots” who always finished the day behind me regardless of how tough tooth. However, he insisted that Mells was ready to move forward immediately. the going was or how long the hunt lasted.

However, I had not seen much of Bill following my joining another hunt. I agreed to sign on and was given the task of getting to know the hounds, exerWhat he was asking seemed to be a non-starter. Bill, however, is nothing if not cising them, and working with Karen Kressenberg in resurrecting their training. On my first day out walking hounds, one of the canine senior citizens persistent.

Why Mells, I thought? I had not heard much about this hunt in years. I had simply gave up and I had to carry the 60-pound animal half a mile back to the been a member of Mells Foxhounds for one season, 1994-1995, and had hunted kennel. As we began our first season hunting these good fellows, I found that behind the late Troy Taylor who showed great sport. I was thereafter called else- some had acquired a taste for venison. where.

IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

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Upon completion of the new kennel, a program for hound acquisition and breeding was instituted. Penn-Marydel hounds were drafted and bred with considerable initial success. While the first years of the rejuvenation of Mells were fraught with a bit of occasional frustration— some scattering of hounds, less than optimal fields, and no small degree of project reflection— there also was hilarity, spirited chases, and great camaraderie. Karen Kressenberg did hunt the hounds and showed commendable sport. Bill Haggard shared the duties of huntsman with Karen for a year and fulfilled a life’s dream of hunting hounds with spirit and joie de vivre.

The next year, I shared those huntsman responsibilities and it was an exceptional experience.

However, as all agreed, Mells needed a full-time huntsman. After appreciable effort and consideration of numerous candidates, the clouds broke, the sun shined and, in 2018, Charles Montgomery, along with his wife and first whip Boo, accepted the invitation to come to Mells. Charles Montgomery is a three-time Virginia Hound Show Hornblowing champion, has shown hounds at the Virginia Hound Show winning “best in show” on four separate occasions, and, in 2023, he was presented with the MFHA Ian Milne Lifetime Achievement award.

Upon installation as Mells huntsman, Charles set about the task of putting together a pack of hounds that were best suited for the Mells country. While the metamorphosis included some Penn-Marydels, the emphasis was on crossbred hounds with an English influence.

No hunt can exist without territory on which to hunt and permission to hunt the land in that territory. Mells had and has a significant amount of registered territory. But, over the years, the land on which the club had permission to hunt dwindled to a 2,500-acre farm called Sugar Valley that the parents of the late Ms. Vanna Husband (former MFH of Mells) had acquired Stephen K. Heard, ex-MFH, on a day of autumn hunting with for her use. However, as Mells was reinventing itself, the entire Sugar Valley Farm was put on Mells Fox Hounds, 2023. Dr. William D. Kenner photo the market and Mells was faced with looking for new hunting grounds. At this point, however, Gerald Robeson became a joint MFH and Karen Kressenberg left Mells as her business interests took her out of state. Bill Haggard collaborated with Gerald Robeson, both successful businessmen, to study the feasibility of purchasing the Sugar Valley Farm.

Gerald and I had hunted together for years as subscribers with several hunts and even rode together in Epp Wilson’s back pocket with the Belle Meade Hunt where we got a lesson in jumping coops in the dark of night. Gerald is a genial and generous fellow who is well liked by all. He also has extraordinary business acumen and a remarkable eye for real estate “diamonds in the rough.” Gerald invested in substantial acreage in the Mells hunt country and turned his new farm into a show place. Bill Haggard made a similar investment and extensive work was conducted such that the property rivaled any farm in Middle Tennessee.

Gerald Robeson and Bill Haggard then convinced others to make similar investments. A number of Mells members now own large tracts of the Mells hunt country and the improvements made include miles of four-board fencing, the installation of over fifty new or rebuilt coops, 50 new gates, many miles of new trails, and the building of clubhouses at two separate fixtures. The new coops, gates, and trails provide access to the entire hunt country for all flights of foxhunters, jumping and non-jumping.

Charles and Boo Montgomery also acquired a large tract of critical territory tying in A festive display greeted hunters and supporters at the entrance of many hundreds of additional acres and Charles has more than doubled the expanded hunt coun- MFH Gerald Robeson’s Sugar Valley Farm on Mells Fox Hounds Opening Day, 2023. Dr. William D. Kenner photo try through his favorable contacts with surrounding landowners. Additionally, the already state-of-the-art kennels that were completed in 2015 have been expanded to accommodate larger whelping facilities and to make room for the expanded pack.

In order to strengthen the Mells’ team, Stasia Bachrach, Bill Haggard, and Gerald Robeson successfully invited Charles Montgomery and Theresa Menefee to become joint masters.

I had served as staff with Theresa and her late husband Albert Menefee, III’s Cedar Knob Hounds. Theresa expressed to Bill Haggard that with the necessary folding of her hunt, Mells was the place she wanted to be. Theresa brought the love and passion for the sport that she had shared with her husband to Mells along with a number of former Cedar Knob members.

However, a foxhunt with too few members shall not long survive. Bill Haggard realized this at the inception of his Mells mastership as did his joint masters. Under their leadership, Mells was fashioned as a welcoming hunt to adults and juniors alike. An” outreach” to two of the Pony Clubs that have historically hunted with Mells was rejuvenated with regular and consistent invitations to hunt with Mells.

Mells also successfully sponsored the 2023 Junior North American Field Hunter Championships (JNAFHC) and raised $47,000.00, a record amount of sponsorship funding for the JNAFHC organization. Eighty-seven juniors who had qualified around the country for the opportunity to compete attended. This group represented the greatest number of foxhunts and Pony Clubs from the most states (and Canada) in the history of the competition. This event covered four days that featured a day of championships that included riding and hunting skills competition, along with contests of whip cracking, horn blowing, and hound judging (led by MFH Jack R. van Nagle). A day of full-blown foxhunting for the competitors and their parents was also part of the weekend. An awards banquet topped the weekend to the enjoyment of all.

To further encourage enthusiasts to come out, hunt with Mells, and join the organization, novices and experienced enthusiasts alike were and are advised that “this is a no drama hunt.”

Stated with greater specificity, “leave your strong feelings about politics, religion, and any other negative sentiments you may have at home and come out to hunt with Mells for the sheer joy of it.” Respect for fellow foxhunters and the traditions of the sport are required. If you Carter Webb on Tink, the incredible Fjord. need to belittle others to feel better about yourself, Mells is not for you. Bill and his joint masDr. William D. Kenner photo ters strive day in and day out to make the Mells a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

The Reverend Bill Forrester performed the Blessing of the Hounds, as he’s done for the past several years, as Huntsman Charles Montgomery looked on. Dr. William D. Kenner photo

Gerald Robeson, MFH, and Beth Holtz. Dr. William D. Kenner photo

Huntsman Charles Montgomery issued some final counsel to his hounds before moving off on Opening Day, 2020. Michael Gomez photo

Riley Jones, Junior Apprentice Whipper-In. Dr. William D. Kenner photo

Mells was able to put an “A” team of masters at the helm, but foxhunting organizations require hands-on business management. To that end, Mells has had excellent hunt secretaries to assist Mells’ escape from the crypt. Judy Kirk did yeoman’s duty moving the hunt forward in the early years and, thereafter, Dr. Cheri Thomas exhibited extraordinarily hard work, initiative, and energy. As Dr. Thomas’ academic and teaching responsibilities required her full attention, Melisa Webb took the daunting reins and has discharged the responsibilities of her office with diplomacy, skill, and indefatigable spirit.

It’s expensive to run a hunt and Mells keeps the subscription charges low to encourage membership and present the opportunity for many to participate who might find themselves priced out of some other hunts. Accordingly, Mells depends on its membership to volunteer for its many activities. Mells’ members, masters, and staff all participate in multiple work parties to keep the hunt country in excellent shape. This takes hard work and yet there are never any complaints. Mells also conducts a number of fundraising initiatives. Mells puts on an annual hunter pace that draws well over a hundred competitors. This is conducted with a luncheon serving over 200 participants in conjunction with an awards ceremony. Mells additionally underwrites a well-attended annual horse show which provides further revenue. Mells also sponsors an annual hunt ball which is held at the Milky Way Farm, a mansion once the home of Frank Mars, founder of Mars Candy (and an avid foxhunter himself). The attendees have repeatedly reported that this is the “most fun” hunt ball they have ever attended.

Mells has retained a number of subscribers who have been with the hunt for decades. However, the majority of members have come from numerous other hunts from around the country. In fact, the membership currently contains nine ex-MFHs from nonMells hunts.

Mells has also assembled an excellent staff to assist Charles Montgomery. With three professional whips, two of whom successfully completed the MFHA Professional Development Program, three honorary whips (and a junior apprentice), and two vehicle road whips, the hounds are expertly hunted three days a week.

And, where is the Mells today? The success has been overwhelming. The membership has increased exponentially. Beautiful facilities are enjoyed by the membership and their families. The hunts throughout the week are well attended. Each hunt is followed by a sumptuous “tea” at which time Charles Montgomery explains, blow by blow, how the day’s hunt played out from the huntsman’s perspective. This engaging review permits the membership to understand how the hounds are hunted, why huntsman and his staff are doing what they do, and the results of their efforts.

And, as further evidence of Mells successful regeneration, on Saturday, November 11, 2023, Mells Foxhounds celebrated its 59th consecutive Opening Hunt at the Sugar Valley Farm in Giles County, Tennessee. More than 220 members and guests gathered, 84 on horseback. Bagpipes played by Jim Drury echoed across the valley, all in the presence of 15½ couple of animated, well-trained foxhounds of Crossbred, English, and Penn-Marydel breeding under the stewardship of Charles Montgomery. This event, sponsored by the Mells masters, featured the Blessing of the Hounds by the Reverend Bill Forrester with attendant distribution of St. Hubert medals, Patron Saint of hunters.

A full day of activities played out for the 2023 Opening Meet and following Reverend Forrester’s words of prayer, safety, solace, and encouragement, the pack set off across verdant fields and into woods ablaze with the colors of fall. Four flights of mounted foxhunters followed them as did two “Tally Ho” wagons with 60+ non-riding enthusiasts. The hounds were skillfully hunted by Charles Montgomery and views of the coyotes abounded, flushed and pursued by the keen pack, thrilling the fields and Tally Ho wagon participants alike.

At the end of the hunting day, foxhunters and guests were treated to a sumptuous banquet of salmon, beef tenderloin, candied carrots, green beans almondine, potatoes au gratin, a variety of cheesecakes, and an array of beverages sufficient to slake the neediest of thirsts.

Mells prides itself on its contributions to land conservation in Giles County, the development of youth riding programs, the support of Pony Club organizations, and its participation in the charitable activities of the Volunteer State Horsemen’s Foundation.

Mells provides scores of volunteers to the Iroquois Steeplechase held each May, which benefits the Monroe Carell Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University and multiple other charities. Mells is also a featured event during the Iroquois Steeplechase Race Meet parading its hounds before 25,000 race goers.

Mells currently has over 116 MFHA-listed subscriptions and this does not include its five masters and four ex-MFHs who pay dues independently to the MFHA. Of the 116 subscriptions, 25 are family memberships. Accordingly, there are actually over 170 individual members that make up the Mells’ family.

A once almost dead yet storied hunt has survived, reinvented itself, and now flourishes, proving that vision, conviction, fortitude, dogged persistence, hard work, and an indomitably positive attitude can pay off. The Mells’ Phoenix has indeed risen from the ashes.

IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

A little snow did not deter Green Spring Valley Hounds from getting out for some sport from kennels, January 18, 2024. (l-r) Franklin Whit Foster, MFH; Huntsman Ashley Hubbard; Ned Halle, Ex-MFH & Honorary Whipper-in; Sherlock Gillet, Jr., MFH & Honorary Whipper-in. Karen Kandra photo

Penny Denegre, MFH, Middleburg Hunt, began her term as President of the Masters of Foxhounds Association at the annual meeting, January 26, 2024, in New York City.

Liz Callar photo

Huntsman Erin McKenney and members of New York’s Millbrook Hunt traveled down to Virginia for some sport with Blue Ridge Hunt from Fox Spring Woods, February 8, 2024.

Liz Callar photo

Saddle Fitting

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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

REMEMBRANCE The Voice of Virginia Steeplechase is Silenced

By Betsy Burke Parker

Post Time 12:00 PM Lorem ipsum

For Ticket & Parking Space Purchase: www.RappahannockHunt.com kpendleton8026@gmail.com

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William Francis O’Keefe, long “the voice of Virginia steeplechasing” and an innovator on the American jump racing circuit, died Dec. 18, 2023 after a long illness.

The Virginia Steeplechase Hall of Fame inductee, 76, was recently active as longtime race director for the Virginia Fall Races. He created racing’s Central Entry Office in the mid-1980s and William F. O’Keefe was a race caller for more than 40 years.

O’Keefe was born in Charlottesville, October October 17, 1947 – December 18, 2023 Douglas Lees photo 17, 1947, youngest son of Lillian Elizabeth Faulconer O’Keefe and Dr. Francis Aloysius O’Keefe, Jr. He grew up on the family’s Pine Brook Farm near Warrenton and attended Episcopal High School. O’Keefe earned a degree in history at the University of Virginia, where he was an accomplished hooker on the school’s nationally ranked rugby team.

He served on the Piedmont Regional Selection Committee for UVA’s Jefferson Scholarship program more than 25 years.

O’Keefe worked as executive director of the Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation at Leesburg’s Morven Park for 17 years. During his tenure, he was recognized with the Thomas Balch Library’s Loudoun History Award, the Virginia Association of Museum’s Distinguished Service Award, and was named Loudoun Preservation Society’s Preservationist of the Year.

O’Keefe hunted with the Casanova Hunt, kicking off his 40-plus year involvement with race management by volunteering for their annual point-to-point races in the mid70s.

He was also an active, working horseman: As owner and trainer, O’Keefe campaigned 1980 Virginia Point-to-Point Foundation champion race mare Royal Greed.

O’Keefe’s father bred dual American classic winner Kauai King.

In the early 1980s, O’Keefe created the Central Entry Office to streamline race entries and make a complete jump racing database. He also became the circuit racecaller, announcing most of the point-to-points and sanctioned meets in Virginia and Maryland, with appearances around the National Steeplechase Association circuit.

“I have a photographic memory, so I guess that helps a lot,” O’Keefe said in a 2021 interview when asked how he kept thousands of horses and hundreds of silks straight for his rapid-fire race calls. “I have the added bonus that I’m taking a lot of these entries myself (through the Central Entry Office), so I’m already ‘seeing’ the silks when someone calls to enter a horse, and I’m mentally seeing the horses and riders they’re naming so I have a little head start.

“After 40 years and more than 5,000 races, I’ve got it down pretty good.”

“There’s a certain rhythm to it,” O’Keefe said in an interview last spring. “I probably have a Southern accent when I talk, but I don’t think I do when I announce. You learn to project your voice.”

Starting in 2001, Will’s voice began to reach an even wider audience through his detailed accounts of racing action in the pages of In & Around Horse Country. For more than twenty years, his reports on racing results and previews of upcoming meets, enlivened by his knowledge of the personalities and behind-the-scenes insights, brought the action to life in written form.

O’Keefe’s final announcing job was last October at the Virginia Fall Races at Glenwood Park in Middleburg. In May, O’Keefe was awarded a Virginia Gold Cup medal, and the $100,000 Virginia Gold Cup timber stakes was run in his honor.

Longtime friend Don Yovanovich worked with O’Keefe for decades as a fellow officer of the Virginia Steeplechase Association and Virginia Point-to-Point Foundation.

“Will (was) always striving to do what was right for the growth and promotion of jump racing,” Yovanovich said. “He had a passion for the sport and a commitment to preserve its history.”

O’Keefe was on the board for Casanova Hunt, Loudoun Hunt West, and Loudoun Hunt. He was a member of the board for the Virginia Thoroughbred Association and chairman of VTA’s steeplechase committee. He was racing secretary for the Virginia Pointto-Point Association and president of the Virginia Steeplechase Association.

He was race director of the Morven Park Races and Virginia Fall Races, served on the National Steeplechase Association race chairman’s committee and was on the Virginia Gold Cup Association board.

O’Keefe was VPPA Man of the Year in 1986 and received the Master’s Prize in 1992 and the Yves Henry Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. In 1990 he won the VSA’s Francis Thornton Greene Award and was one of the first inductees into the VSA Hall of Fame in 2007.

In 2012 he won the Maryland Hunt Cup’s Bryce Wing Award and, in 2019, NSA’s Monk Noland Award.

Will is survived by wife Kathleen Drinkwater O’Keefe, their daughter Ashley Davis (Denver) and grandson William Holden Davis, his brother Edward M. O’Keefe (Carol), and two nephews.

A celebration of life will be held in spring, 2024.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Virginia Fall Races, P.O. Box 2, Middleburg, VA 20118.

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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

RACING

Virginia 2024 Spring Schedule Includes Seven NSA Sanctioned Jump Meets & Point-to-Points

By Darrell Wood, Virginia Equine Alliance Virginia’s horse racing event calendar for 2024 is set and, in addition to dates at Colonial Downs (Thoroughbred) and Shenandoah Downs (harness), seven spring Point-to-Point (PTP) meets along with seven National Steeplechase Association (NSA) sanctioned meets—three in spring and four in fall—fill in the calendar.

The Rappahannock Hunt PTP kicks the season off March 2 at The Hill in Boston with a rain date of the following Saturday, March 9. Additional meets in March include Warrenton Hunt PTP March 16 at the Airlie Race Course, Piedmont Fox Hounds PTP March 23 at the Salem Course in Upperville, and Blue Ridge Hunt PTP March 30 at Woodley Farm in Berryville. Heading into April, Old Dominion Hounds Point-to-Point kicks the month off on the 6th at Ben Venue Farm, followed by a pair of Sunday gatherings—Loudoun Hunt PTP April 21 at Morven Park in Leesburg and Middleburg Hunt PTP April 28 at Glenwood Park.

The Virginia Equine Alliance (VEA) will again offer a popular Starter Rewards initiative called “Point-to-Points Pay”. The program began in 2019 and has helped to enhance participation in the early spring race meets. The concept is straightforward—every time a Virginia-owned or Virginia-trained horse makes a start in any PTP race, the owner will receive a $200 starter reward. The bonus is designed to increase steeplechase participation at all levels, from owner-rider divisions to open hurdle and timber divisions.

Growth of this program is important and in 2024 two of the PTP meets will raise their profiles dramatically. The Old Dominion Hounds card will host a trio of NSA sanctioned races for the second year in a row and, for the first time ever, the Blue Ridge Hunt will host a pair of NSA sanctioned events.

“The Point-to-Point season is critical and gets horses ready for sanctioned races,” said NSA Director of Racing Bill Gallo. “It provides a feeding ground and gives trainers a good gauge on what they’ve got. The NSA is engaged with the Point-to-Points more than ever. It is a very exciting step to be able to combine sanctioned races into a non-sanctioned race card. That aspect provides a nice synergy between the Point-to-Points and the NSA.” “Spring in Virginia is heralded for many by the beginning of the steeplechase season,” said NSA President, Dr. Al Griffin. “From the Point-to-Points that begin in March through the National Steeplechase Association meets in April and May, jump racing provides an exciting and varied experience to gather with family and friends for a great day at the races.”

A trio of those NSA spring jump meets will be contested on three consecutive Saturdays. The schedule starts with the Middleburg Spring Races at Glenwood Park April 20, followed by the Foxfield Spring Races in Charlottesville April 27, and the Virginia Gold Cup (that features pari-mutuel wagering) at Great Meadow in The Plains on Kentucky Derby Day, May 4. Griffin spoke of the unique aspects each of the three provide.

“In addition to great racing, Middleburg’s Spring Race Meet is known for its beautiful setting and spectacular tailgates. The Foxfield Races is where racing enthusiasts and college students come together to celebrate spring at a renewed and greatly updated Foxfield Racecourse. Foxfield also contributes significantly to the local community in the form of its financial support of local charities, including Habitat for Humanity. The Gold Cup is known for its high quality racing and wide open race course and will be hosting a Grade One Hurdle Race this year for the first time, one of only two grade one steeplechase races in America run in the spring season.”

Heading into warmer weather months, Colonial Downs will continue its successful weekly steeplechase program by offering two jump races every Friday during their summer Thoroughbred meet—with a potential twist. Discussions are taking place about making the races part of Colonial’s betting card instead of presenting them before that day’s pari-mutuel program begins—and live streamed only to NSA online viewers. If that plan moves forward, the jump pair would be treated like Colonial’s flat races; simulcast to a broader audience that wagers an average of $2 million-plus per program. In all, 18 sanctioned steeplechase races will be offered at the New Kent facility.

“Having our races there each week has been impactful to say the least,” said Gallo. “It has made a significant difference to our summer racing schedule. It’s remarkable actually. To be part of the pari-mutuel program this year would just add another element. Having two races per week over the 9-week meet enables us to focus on maiden and ratings races, in addition to two nice filly stakes races (Life’s Illusion & Randolph D. Rouse), which don’t conflict with Saratoga. This

provides a tremendous opportunity for horsemen with jump racing at Saratoga on Wednesdays and at Colonial on Fridays. The schedule allows jockeys and trainers to travel back and forth easily.”

The state of steeplechase racing seems to be on the rise according to Gallo.

“Coming out of the pandemic, it’s been a long road back. But it’s been a remarkable journey, from competing with no fans in 2020 to where we are now. We have a solid horse population and have new owners coming into the sport. From an infrastructure standpoint, Foxfield revamped their racecourse and they, along with the Gold Cup, added an irrigation system. Foxfield will inherit races from Charlotte, North Carolina, and be able to present an upgraded card in 2024 which includes a $75,000 novice stakes renamed in honor of D.G. Van Clief. Middleburg Spring Races plays host to the Temple Gwathmey Stakes and the Gold Cup has the Semmes and Gold Cup Stakes itself. That is an impressive spring stakes lineup between the three Virginia tracks.”

Foxfield’s Van Clief Stakes, which had been known as the Queen’s Cup, is the middle leg of a three-part series with the Carolina Cup and a novice stakes at Iroquois.

Absent from the steeplechase scene this spring is Will O’Keefe, who passed away December 18. Will was a longtime race caller for race meets in Virginia and throughout the steeplechase circuit nationally who also wrote regularly for In and Around Horse Country. “Will was a longtime Virginia horseman,” said Griffin. “Will’s voice was easily recognizable to all in racing and his enthusiastic calls defined the thrill of racing in the countryside for over 40 years.”

“It’s quite a loss,” added Gallo. “He wasn’t just a race caller. He worked the PTPs and created the Central Entry Office (clearinghouse for all events), which will continue to be used. I knew and worked with Will for 45 years. He was a special kind of guy. He put his heart and soul into racing.”

The 57th Annual Loudoun Hunt Point to Point Races Sunday, April 21, 2024

LH

Morven Park Leesburg, VA

First Race: 12:30 pm Racing Day Includes: Hurdle and Flat Races Junior Pony Races

General Admission $40 per car Subscriber Parking $75 per car For ticket information, visit

loudounraces.com

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FOXHUNTING

IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

Mark Jump Photos

Before moving off for Palm Beach Hounds’ Opening Meet, January 6, 2024, Whipperin Lyssa Brennan appears to wonder “Should she or shouldn’t she?” when Douglas Russell hands her “The Jar.”

Jack Anderson on the pipes added a musical accompaniment among the palm trees as riders moved off for the start of Palm Beach Hounds’ formal season, January 6, 2024.

Douglas Russell (left), Huntsman for Limestone Creek Hunt, Cazenovia, NY, filled in for newly appointed Huntsman Mark McManus who was still working out some transitional issues on his move from Canada’s Eglinton and Caledon Hounds. Palm Beach MFH Adam Brown led the way.

Trey Bennet, Huntsman for the newly formed Cedar Grove Hounds, Edgefield, SC, walks the pack up for the Blessing of the Hounds on December 3, 2023, as Whipper-in Anne Gilbert follows.

Under the Spanish moss, riders moved off from Coosaw Plantation on Saturday, January 13, 2024 during the Low Country Hunt Weekend in Walterboro, SC. (l-r) Joanna Lacey, John Sanford, and Melissa Greene.

Angela Murray, MFH/Huntsman, Big Sky Hounds, traveled from Montana to hunt the Big Sky pack with Wateree Hounds (established in 2020) in Camden, South Carolina, January 16, 2024.

IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2024

21

Horses and People to Watch

RACING

Virginia Equine Alliance Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders Share $1,850,000 in Bonus Award Monies in 2023 Virginia’s breeders benefitted from a continued business boom in 2023 courtesy of Historical Horse Racing (HHR) revenues at seven Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums (owned by Colonial Downs) located around the state and the continued renaissance of the Colonial Downs Thoroughbred meet in New Kent which is expected to grow to 40 days in 2025.

Virginia breeder’s bonus monies distributed in 2023 nearly doubled that of levels from just two years ago—$1,850,000 versus $975,000 in 2021. Up until the 2022 campaign, bonus money had been paid for the win position only from races anywhere in North America. In the last two years (and moving forward) the bonus program was extended to reward not just wins, but second and third place finishes in any race including NSA sanctioned races. As a result, 65 different breeders earned awards in 2023 that came from 409 top-three finishes.

As Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums continue to expand in the Commonwealth and more HHR terminals are placed in operation, signs point to the Breeder’s Fund incentive program potentially growing even more in coming years. A new Rosie’s resort hotel called The Rose is expected to open in mid-2024. The Northern Virginia venue will feature up to 1,200 HHR machines and replace the current Rosie’s in that market which only has 150 terminals.

Topping the 2023 Breeders bonus leader board was Audley Farm Equine with $220,246 from 31 individual awards. The uptick in award monies distributed has been dramatic. In 2021, the top bonus earning breeder, Morgan’s Ford Farm, received $126,694. Audley’s combined bonus checks that year amounted to $69,353. In this new era, Audley saw eight different horses they bred reach the winners circle in 2023, including Determined Kingdom, who had stakes scores in the Meadow Stable and Punch Line; Galilei, who crossed first in the Brookmeade Stakes; and Low Determined Kingdom, bred by Audley Mileage, who was best in the Jamestown Farm, wins the Punch Line Stakes at Colonial Downs last July.

Stakes. Program details are at Coady Photography vabred.org.

•••• Colonial Downs, Shenandoah Downs 2024 Dates Approved at Virginia Racing Commission Meeting

Colonial Downs will host a 9-week summer racing season from July 11 - September 7.

VEA photo

The Virginia Racing Commission (VRC) approved 2024 spring harness dates for Shenandoah Downs in Woodstock and summer Thoroughbred dates for Colonial Downs in New Kent at its December meeting.

Shenandoah’s seven-week season will run from April 6 - May 19 with race cards scheduled every Saturday and Sunday at 1:05 PM. The traditional fall meet will take place from September 14 - October 27 pending VRC approval. A fourday meet at the Shenandoah County Fair will run from August 28-31.

The track offered spring racing for the first time ever last year and will continue with a nearly identical plan in 2024. Racing fans in the Shenandoah Valley can wager both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in conjunction with harness racing action on May 4 and 18.

Pacers and trotters will compete at scenic Shenandoah Downs during both spring and fall in 2024. VEA photo

Colonial’s 27-day season in New Kent will be conducted over nine weeks from July 11 through September 7 with racing every Thursday through Saturday and twilight racing on Friday. The popular “Festival of Racing” program will return with the Grade 1 Arlington Million on Saturday, August 10. The 21st running of the Grade 3 Virginia Derby, along with the Virginia Oaks and a handful of additional stakes, will anchor the closing day card on Saturday, September 7. The 2023 season offered more than $650,000 per day in purses and boasted an average of 8.19 starters per race. Average daily handle was $2,658,028. Purse money for the 2024 season is expected to be nearly $700,000 per day.

•••• Longtime Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Representative Frank Petramalo Retires Frank Petramalo, longtime Executive Director of the Virginia HBPA, retired on December 31. He will be replaced by Glen Berman, who served as Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Director and General Counsel from 2009-2016 and, most recently, as head of the Florida HBPA. Petramalo served on Virginia’s HBPA Board from 2001-2005 and took over as Executive Director in his final year. A native of Rochester, New York, he was introduced to racing at a young age, betting harness races at nearby Frank Petramalo (right) poses with the Batavia Downs. “Everyone in the neigh- VRC’s Stephanie Nixon at the December Racing Commission meeting. VEA photo borhood was crazy about playing races there,” he said. “I remember winning my first daily double on a 5-5 combination that paid $18 and was hooked instantly.”

Highlights from Petramalo’s HBPA stint read like a history of Virginia racing.

He played a lead role in many accomplishments and victories. Included in the lengthy list: Ensuring that a percent of a track’s live race signal sales is directed to horsemen, legalizing Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) in Virginia, and to enact legislation that allows Historical Horse Racing in the state, which led to the reopening of Colonial in 2019 and a new era of higher purse levels and quality racing.

This year, over $4 billion will be wagered on 2,790 HHR terminals in play at seven Rosie’s Gaming Emporium locations across the state.

Petramalo, who handed the torch off to Berman on January 1, leaves the industry in an enviable spot. “I think it’s a nice position to be in. Virginia is one of the few states where racing’s future looks pretty good as far as increasing days and purses. Glen should be a perfect fit here. Where else can you have an opportunity to do something positive versus handling damage control?”

Asked if he’ll miss being involved in racing on a day-to-day basis, Petramalo admitted that he will. “During the meet, I spend most of my time on the backstretch. The time between 6 and 10 AM on the backside is the most enjoyable part of the racing experience. There are a lot of characters working back there that make the day fun and interesting. There is great satisfaction in being able to help grooms. The people there work seven days a week and the pay is pretty low.

We provided medical, dental, and optical care for folks back there. Satisfaction comes from helping folks who could really benefit,” he added. “They are pleased as punch that you are helping them. They are very nice people. The part I won’t miss though is being away from home for three solid months and coming home (to Leesburg) only on Sundays.”

GOLDSMITHCOUNTRY OLIVER The temperament you are looking for in a correct, athletic package.

Temperament can’t be trained, it can only be bred.

By Holycross o/o Goldsmith Country Mollie

by Grange Bouncer C1 Bronze Merit Imported Irish Draught Stallion

Camden Littleton photo

Oliver is an enjoyable stallion to be around and can be ridden by a 5-year-old girl, handled by a 78-year-old woman and trailered and hunted iron-to-iron with a mare.

The temperament doesn’t get any better.

He has a mutli-discipline performance record in Ireland, get proving themselves with merit, and has started his US hunting career in Virginia hunt country with multiple packs. A true hunting stallion!

Contact: Mary Ewing, Nonesuch Farm, Ltd. (303) 886-5400, maryewingesq@aol.com Standing at Bridon Irish Draughts, LLC, Middleburg, Virginia