Wicomico's Hark Forward Performance Trial . The trial started in a whirlwind....

 Hark Forward Wicomico Performance Trial March 2-4, 2018

-By Barbara Smith

Zeus, Champion Hound , Thornton Hill Hunt

 The MFHA Hark Forward Hound Performance Trial hosted by Wicomico Hunt in Chestertown, Maryland started in a whirlwind. Literally, Winter Storm Riley brought wind gusts over 70 mph, which resulted in travel restrictions on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and overturned tractor trailers that closed I-95 to the north. Many participants were delayed more than a day with the high winds and traffic problems. Jan Sorrels MFH, Sedgefield Hunt, and Barbara Smith, Bull Run Hunt and Marlborough Hunt, two of the 5 judges, had decided to come a day early due to the wind warnings. We met up with fellow judge and host organizer, Alison Howard of Wicomico Hunt, on Thursday night for dinner and a lively discussion about hound trials. Head judge Fred Berry MFH, Sedgefield Hunt, and host Ed Fry of Wicomico were busy sorting out the storm delays.

Friday morning dawned with Winter Storm Riley’s full strength. The wind was ferocious, opening a stall door was almost impossible, and we began to hear of the problems other participants were having trying to arrive. Beth Opitz MFH of Thornton Hill Hunt had the roof blow off her puppy kennels, a fire started in a hayfield’s round bales from a sparking wire and a tree fell on a tenant’s moving truck! But she was still coming! David Twiggs, MFHA Executive Director, was stuck in traffic for over 9 hours due to bridge and highway closings. Fellow judge Mitzi Cabeen of Smith Mountain Hunt, and the huntsman from Mt. Carmel Hunt, both travelling with hounds and horses, finally gave up and spent the night on the Western shore or went home after trying for 11 hours to get here. One half of the participating hunts decided to wait until Saturday to avoid long delays at bridges. For the brave ones who crossed the Bay Bridge in scary winds and beat the traffic delays we dined on delicious prime rib, chicken marsala and Caesar salad at Garon and Donna Stutzman’s Muleskinner’s Lodge in Centreville, MD. We congratulated those who made it and shared stories and Moscow Mules in the lovely lodge. All looked forward to Saturday’s “hurricane hunt”, sure to test even Penn-Marydel hounds!

The winds had diminished slightly by morning. The sun came out and with an hour delay to help the Saturday arrivals we trailered 40 minutes, to Starkey Farms on the water near Galena, MD. Seven hunts had made the journey; Marlborough Hunt, De La Brooke Hunt, Carrolton Hounds, Mt. Carmel Hunt, Kimberton Hunt, Red Mountain Hunt, Thornton Hills Hunt. This was an all Penn-MaryDel hound trial and we were expecting to hear some great hound music. The five entry from each club were painted, some collared and the guest huntsman, Greg Thompson of Wicomico Hunt, simply put the pack together and we quickly moved off to the first covert. . Large open fields bordered by the Chesapeake Bay offered pine trees and thick brush along the shoreline. Hounds opened quickly on a red fox and, as Greg had hoped, the pack came together as one. This fox was turned back several times by the fields eager for a view, ran into Greg Thompson’s horse at one point and soon after that he slipped away in the thick brush. Hounds settled and we continued on, but the wind was still a factor.  Gusting 30 mph, we could see white caps on the water and Garry Riggs MFH, Red Mountain Hunt, told me at the breakfast, when waves are slapping on the shore the game “sits tight”.  The next fox ran tightly in the thickets and marsh, never breaking out into the open. Viewed briefly by one judge and the riders in Garon Stutzman’s mule-driven carriage, this fox ducked back into covert and eventually was put to ground by the raucous and excited pack. We were able to get some great Marking scores.  Greg Thompson said he could just see the fox, which the hounds were determined to get, but after much praise he remounted and called them away. But a few of the hounds would not leave the fox until Fred got off his horse and yelled at them. And as soon as the last hound was out of the hole, the fox bolted- to a chorus of delighted Tally-Ho’s from the field. The Gone –to- Ground was the highlight of the day.

We called the hunt after several more short runs and returned to the Starkey Farm buildings for a hearty, delicious tailgate and to tally scores. We were to meet at dinner for the Day One results and another fun evening at Muleskinner’s Lodge. The jokes and wisecracks abound between huntsman when they get together, but Fred Berry’s  “Smart Ass” award actually went to the Stutzman’s chef who was determined to hold his own with these foxhunters. We cheered and gave him a warm thank you for the food and fun! Thornton Hill Hunt’s Beth Optitz MFH, the sole woman huntsman, won the requisite horn- blowing contest and she was widely cheered by all in the room for her excellent Gone Away. Her closest competitor from Mt. Carmel Hounds graciously said he couldn’t come close and just bowed to her prowess. Doc Addis MFH, her dad, at the table with wife Happy and other daughter Anne, couldn’t have been prouder!

Thornton Hill Hunt took top honors on Day One. Red Mountain Hunt and Marlborough Hunt were second and third respectively. Every hunt had hounds represented in the Top Ten hounds in the categories, which are Hunting, Trailing, Full Cry, Marking and Endurance. These are combined to reach the Best Hound and Top Three Hunts. Red Mountain’s Remus was Best Hound on Day One and the favorite of the trial’s organizer, Fred Berry MFH, Sedgefield Hunt. Marlborough’s Vice Admiral also ribboned in several and the Thornton Hill hounds did Beth proud, with Zeus, Lentz and Utz receiving high marks. It had been a great day and tired foxhunters thanked our hosts again and left to get ready for Day Two.

Sunday was sunny and less windy, though gusts were still in the 30 mph range! We met at Chino Farms, the 5000 + acre farm of Dr. Henry Sears. Our gracious host welcomed us, wished us a good day and said to stay off the landing strip as his wife was coming home at 11! He has deeded a large parcel of the farm to Washington College in Chestertown, MD and every year Ed Fry hosts the Chino Chase, a foxhunt fundraiser for the College that draws hunts from near and far. It is a beautiful fixture and we immediately found a fox on the north eastern shore. Hounds came together quickly, just as the previous day and we continued to draw towards the east along the water. Today we were getting solid hunting and trailering scores, as we paralleled the landing strip eastward. Once we turned back into the tall grasses, hounds opened and judges raced for full cry scores. This fixture yielded lots of fox and the field was treated to many views. At one point the huntsmen group, shepherded by Garry Riggs MFH of Red Mountain Hunt, viewed 4 fox coming out of the same ravine. Grumbling that no judge was present, they were relieved that the scorers did arrive to get great scores as the hounds ended the day on another fast, all-on, full cry across the field back in the direction of home. As we were galloping toward a road and the clock was reaching noon, we called it a day when there was a simultaneous quick dismount and hound check.  With all hounds on, we roaded back to the meet to again tally scores, put tired horses away and return to the 4-H Park for breakfast.

Hosted by Wicomico members Leo and Liz Courtney, chili, fried chicken, ham and all the fixings as well as endless cakes, awaited grateful foxhunters who ate and drank as they waited for final scores. It was a long wait but well worth it for those who stayed. Thornton Hill Hunt was the top scorer overall, followed by Marlborough Hunt and Carrolton Hounds. Thornton Hill and Marlborough had three hounds each in the top ten hounds.  Thornton Hill’s Zeus and Lentz were champion and reserve champion respectively, with Utz also top ten. When asked about her hounds Beth Opitz said Zeus was by Bishop, her best THH hound, “ …(he) is heavy Kimberton/ Addis bloodlines.  Zeus and littermates are super hounds-in front when on fast run, but can really get down and hunt when scenting is tough…Lentz is all Addis bloodlines. ... Utz is Golden’s Bridge bloodlines”.  Marlborough’s Vice Admiral was third, Valor was fifth, followed by Vidalia, also in the top ten. This sort of placing in a Performance Trial is one of the ways hunts and huntsmen can evaluate a breeding.  All three of Marlborough’s aforementioned hounds and a fourth, Victor, are littermates, by Marlborough’s O’Jay out of Golden Bridges Kelby. When I checked with Marlborough’s MFH Katherine Cawood, she said, “ Both O’Jay and Kelby were outstanding hunting hounds”. To see the get of a breeding excel like this at a Trial is gratifying to any huntsman. Another hound worth noting was Carrolton’s Hounds Korvette, number 23, who placed fourth overall. I saw this hound up front on the lead in every full cry run on Sunday and every judge had him placed numerous times. Red Mountain Hunt’s Remus, was the favorite and top hound on Saturday in tough scenting conditions. Huntsman’s Choice was De La Brooke’s Vector, number 32. Greg said he noticed the hound due to his diligence and honesty, acknowledged to the delight of De La Brooke’s kennelman. Ribbons, silver trays and beautiful wooden sweat scrapers were handed out amid much applause. As the goodbyes were being made and plans laid for the next Performance Trial, everyone agreed it had been a fun, successful weekend, albeit a windy one! Beth Opitz MFH, Thornton Hill Hunt, said in a follow-up message to her members, ”While it’s nice to get ribbons the best part is getting together with fellow fox hunters”. I think we all agree.

Of interesting note to myself is that our guest huntsman, Greg Thompson, Wicomico Hunt, whom everyone thought did an excellent job in tough conditions, is leaving to assist MFHA President Tony Leahy of Massbach and Fox River Valley Hunts in western Illinois.  These two hunts hosted the first Performance Trial of the 2017 Hark Forward Tour Hark last September. I was blessed to have been at Leahy’s and Wicomico’s and a few in between.  Hound Trials are really fun and a great way for hunt clubs to support each other and to share ideas on breeding, membership, land conservation, to mention a few issues.  We all face the same challenges and we need to come together as we move into the next generation of foxhunting.

Huntsmen

  

Belle Meade Hunt 2018 Hunt week

Belle Meade’s “ Gone Away with the Wind” Hunt Week 2018

I drove down from Virginia in torrential rain on Sunday. My weather app’s promise of a 70-degree week in Thomson, Georgia, was one of the reasons I was heading away from a very cold Mid-Atlantic winter. The other reason was that hunting at Belle Meade Hunt, in particular, following Jean Derrick, First Flight Fieldmaster, is one of the best things in life!

I am a die-hard foxhunter. It is my passion and I think racing through those Georgia pinewoods at warp speed is my addiction. Some say it’s crazy. An eventing friend who jumps BIG fences thinks I’m brave (figure that one out)!  At home I whip for Bull Run Hunt in Culpeper and Marlborough in Maryland and love every day. I hunt with Thornton Hill Hunt, going up and down the mountains near Sperryville. Foxhunting is what I do. So what rocks my world is perhaps a step up from the normal. But Jean Derrick rips and rolls through those pine forests like Mario Andretti. I’ve never really seen anything like it. Perhaps it feels so fast because 90% of Belle Meade’s country is woods and the trails are narrow and uneven and Jean stays right behind Huntsman Epp Wilson, MFH. In other country, like Virginia, you can see across hayfields and cattle pastures and watch hounds at a distance. There you can see in front of you and pick the best gallop to follow. You can watch hounds trail a line up the hill towards a wood and follow, listening to the music. At Belle Meade Hunt, you have to stay with hounds, literally, to follow them and you cannot see around the bend, let alone across a field. The coyotes are fast. Charlie Lewis MFH, in his pickup, with his boar guns, is more likely to call a Tally-Ho on a coyote flashing across a meadow, than for the riders. All I see is the disappearing hind end of one of Jean’s lovely mares and I ride right behind her!

You are flying down washed out skinny slick trails, jumping over muddy creeks, all the while dodging tree branches and stumps just to keep the one in front of you in view. I hunt with some of the best huntsmen and riders I know and I still think Jean Derrick is the fastest fieldmaster ever. It is a hard call between her and Rosie Campbell, MFH, at Bull Run Hunt, so I will concede a draw. But it is the flying through narrow trails, so fast that there are tears streaming from my eyes, hearing Jean call out,” It’s almost a Rough Rider” that keeps me coming to Georgia.  A continuous 45 minute flat out gallop on a coyote earns the Rough Rider award here and I’ve been one a few. They are memorable. As a footnote, Belle Meade Hunt offers four fields, for all levels of riders. Everyone gets the thrill, no matter which field you choose.

Today was Day One of Belle Meade Hunt’s ”Gone Away with the Wind” Hunt Week. They offer 4 Belle Meade hunts and 2 more are possible at nearby Aiken hunts, dinners at Boots Hall or a cocktail party at a member’s home and the week is wrapped up by the Hunt Ball. It is a great value and the most fun to be had on horseback. The Belle Meade family is the biggest foxhunting community I know. The local cops are road whips, the juniors sometimes outnumber the adults and the truck followers bring you beer in the middle of the hunt. I think this tradition should be encouraged. In France, when stag hunting, the locals bring you wine, baguettes and cheese at every possible check. In England and Ireland we start and end the hunting day in a pub, but Belle Meade is the only place I have been given candies and beer in between runs! We started with a stirrup cup at 1:30 PM and moved off across the road from the kennels at 2PM. 3 coyotes were viewed and hounds were off in about 20 minutes. We ran for the next hour and enjoyed great music and great galloping. The beer break was a place to catch our breath, let horses catch their wind and catch up with old friends. I look forward to seeing people every year that I know from many different hunts. This year North Hills Hunt from Nebraska had made the trek in 22 hours and we all had the pleasure of hunting with huntsman David Kruger and 13 of their hounds. The North Hill MFH and several members had made the trip as well.  Subscribers and staff from Cloudline Hunt in Texas, Millbrook in New York, Loudon-Fairfax and Snickersville in Virginia were only some of the other people I had the pleasure to meet again. After a short break to gather hounds we moved off, hunting home. It was a great day, which finished with another delicious dinner at Boots Hall and welcoming remarks from Master Epp Wilson and Jean Derrick. Great day.