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North American Field Hunter Trials 2010

North American FH Trials 2010

The North American Field Hunter Trials at the Kennels, Sept 28

The following report was provided courtesy of Susan Monticelli, Member of Keswick and Deep Run Hunt Clubs

The Theodora A. Randolph Field Hunter Championships of North America resumed competition on Monday, September 27, 2010 after a one year hiatus. The annual event, begun partially in memory of Mrs. Randolph, a Piedmont Fox Hounds MFH and a noted patron of Virginia foxhunting, routinely draws a colorful crowd of participants who enter for a wide variety of reasons. Many are keen competitors, enthusiastically vying each day to qualify for a chance at winning the coveted title of Field Hunter Champion which is determined during the final test held the first Sunday of October at Glenwood Park. Others are eager to savor a few days of hunting in the Old Dominion with a wonderful slate of premier packs such as the fabled Orange County Hounds or the venerable Fairfax Hunt. For some, myself included, the gathering has become an annual rite of passage which heralds the start of a new hunting season. The week-long competition marks the transition from summer into autumn and a special opportunity for foxhunters to make new friends, renew old acquaintances, and share in the enjoyment of hunting across the unparalleled beauty of Virginia's finest hunt country.

This year’s event began on a misty Monday morning with the Orange County Hunt meeting at a revered fixture considered by their ex-MFH Jimmy Young to be one of the three best hunting venues in their territory. Meets scheduled at this 900 acre farm are usually reserved for the high holy days of hunting. The farm has been owned since the 1930’s by the members of the Darlington family, one of whom, along with his new wife, accompanied Admiral Byrd on his expedition to Antarctica in the late 1920’s. Memories of their icy honeymoon adventure later gave rise to the name of the farm, “Chilly Bleak”.

Due to the forecast, the meet time was moved back one hour and luckily, the rain held. By 9 AM, a huge field of competitors and regular OCH members were assembled beneath an overcast sky. Amid a heightened air of tension that was nearly palpable in the moist humidity, riders swung into their irons, tightened their girths, and circled around Masters John Coles and Malcolm Matheson. After a hearty welcome by the two Joint-MFHs, their huntsman cast the handsome deep chestnut-coloured hounds into covert and within minutes, the hills resonated with the sounds of the eager pack.

Chilly Bleak is mostly rolling pastureland crossed by small creeks and broken by small coverts and ridges. The property is entirely fenced and replete with chicken coops, stacked rails and stone walls, and first flight was soon flying over the many panels while second flight followed, using the elevated hills to their advantage; from our perch above the fields, we could watch the hound action whilst enjoying panoramic views across the undulating countryside.

After a lovely eternity of strenuous galloping and magical hound music, we returned to the hill above the trailers where Bundles Murdock, sporting a pair of unique faux leopard spotted mini Wellies, had arranged a hearty tailgate. After hunting, the judges announce those contestants selected that morning and for the first day, which is possibly the most difficult one in which to qualify, due to the huge field and nervous tension, five riders excelled: Leslie Hazel on Bob for Orange County Hunt; Brett Jackson, Jt.-MFH, nattily attired in three buckle field boots, on his grey mare, Kiara, for Thornton Hill Hounds; Melanie Marks on Karma for Snickersville Hounds; Julie Matheson on her strapping chestnut Ambler for Orange County Hunt; Charles Ross on Wordsmith for Casanova Hunt and Jen Stewart on Not At All for the Fairfax Hunt. Best turned out for the first day of competition was awarded to Bobby Kirk of the Blue Ridge Hunt; he was the height of British fashion wearing cool summer khaki and vintage Newmarket boots.

Day Two from the Farmington Hunt in Charlottesville dawned with a mixture of rain and humidity. Parking concerns caused the meet to be moved to the kennels in Free Union, VA, located on the edge of the Blue Ridge foothills. Due to the distance and weather, a smaller field convened at 9 AM to follow huntsman Daron Beeney and field masters Ken Chapman, Kay Butterfield and Liz King into the challengingly steep and trappy countryside. For those who made the trip, it was well worth the effort. As we started off, the clouds parted and the field was treated to glorious views of shrouds of mists lying atop the heavily wooded hills and intermittent open fields. It was altogether a satisfying few hours spent following the Farmington hounds before our entourage retired to their clubhouse, a structure which clung to a hillside overlooking the kennels and offered stunning vistas of the adjoining countryside. Here everyone enjoyed a wonderful breakfast as Tuesday’s qualifiers were announced: Emily Day, with her beautiful long legs, riding Another Look for Blue Ridge Hunt; Mark Thompson on his spotless grey Gaelic for Farmington Hunt; Bonnie Kempner on Mystic’s Fortune for New Market-Middletown Valley Hounds; Jean Derrick on Dixie all the long distance from the Belle Meade Hunt, GA and Suzanne Louisell on Jiminy Cricket for Thornton Hill Hounds. Suzanne had a busy morning, also winning Tuesday’s best turn out award.

Wednesday, Day Three of competition. The Loudoun West Hunt pack met at Johnson’s Field, off Harmony Church Road, located just south of Leesburg, VA. Threatened on all sides by encroaching development, LWH has admirably managed to retain an area of remarkably lovely hunt country. Trappy creeks and softly rolling hills merge with open pasturelands that stretch to a far distant western horizon rimmed by mountains. Many of the residences are older farms and outbuildings, all of which add a flavor of long-ago farm life.

Under leaden skies, huntsman Martyn Blackmore, astride his steady bay and white pinto gelding, cast his English pack of hounds and within moments the air was rent with the cry of hounds. The result was nothing short of electrifying.

Cooler temperatures, perfect footing, lush pastures and inviting panels, accented by the cry of hounds, it simply does not get any better than this. For the greater part of two hours the field galloped nearly non-stop and the hunting only improved as fox after fox was found.

Most memorable was the one of the first foxes of the morning. Sitting with second field on a hillside while hounds keenly worked a covert below us, we heard the door of the house beside us open and the landowner called out “there he goes, a fox by the spring house” and indeed, so he had! It was matched only by a superlative view later in the day when the rider next to me cried “Tally-Ho” as a fox literally exploded beneath my mare; a huge shaggy russet red fellow that fairly flew across the field as we excitedly viewed him away with hounds screaming in hot pursuit.

Many miles later, a tired but elated group of riders returned to a satisfying tailgate hosted by LWH. The food was eclipsed only by a life size bronze sculpture of a fox which was proudly displayed by its owner Donna Rogers, MFH of LWH. Chosen Wednesday were: Mimi Schmitz, a dark haired and hard riding member of Green Springs Valley, MD on Blue Steel; Karen Wilson on Chase for Fairfax Hunt and Snickersville Hounds; Bobby Freeman on Buster for Princess Anne Hunt and Laurie McClary on Can Do for the Snickersville Hounds. Bobby Freeman, who was having a most enjoyable week as evidenced by his perpetual smile, also won the award for best turn out.

The Fourth Day was sadly, punctuated with heavy rainfall, soggy ground, gusting winds and tornado warnings. Despite the squalid weather, a few hardy souls managed to show up at the Snickersville meet, rescheduled for 1 PM at Frog Hollow Farm, located on the backside of Glenwood Park just outside of Middleburg, VA. In the pouring rain, Gregg Ryan, a noted steeplechase rider recently turned Jt.-MFH of Piedmont Fox Hounds and sole MFH of Snickersville Hounds, took a field of the few and the brave, while debonair huntsman Todd Kern led the pack off across the lovely fields of Mrs. Smithwick’s rolling acreage, Sunnybank Farm. Alas, scenting conditions were abysmal, and it was a hardworking and tired pack of hounds that returned to Frog Hollow after two plus hours of frustrating and muddy efforts. The field, however, were amply rewarded to a tasty repast graciously hosted by Snickersville member Laurie McClary. Autumn decorations added a festive affair to the hearty breakfast held in an adjacent farm building. The drenched riders chosen Thursday included three ladies all from the New Market-Middletown Valley Hounds; Marcie Michael on her husband’s steadfast pinto (who had quickly become a favorite horse of mine), Tonto Cavallo; Mary Ann Jacobsen on her adorable dapple buckskin Thistle, and Jt.-MFH Katherine Bryon on her most elegant bay, Welton Limerick. Also chosen were Makendra Burns on Gia, riding from the Loudoun West Hunt and Snickersville Hounds.

Best turned out went to the demure and classically attired Robyn Harter, winner of last year’s Virginia Field Hunter Championships, riding Liz William’s good grey, for Snickersville Hounds. (Be sure to look for her this November in the Virginia Field Hunter Championships, where in honour of her win last year, she will be leading the mock hunt for Snickersville.)

Friday, the final day of the event, was held at 4 PM and hosted by the Fairfax Hunt at Huntland, the expansive and newly restored estate of Dr. Betsee Parker, once owned by Joseph Thomas, MFH, and fairly bursting with American hunt history. The imposing kennels and stables, built in 1911 and 1913 respectively, are a tribute to Virginia architecture. As a special gesture, the huge field at Friday’s meet was invited to hack up to the imposing kennels and stables, beautifully decorated with fall trimmings, before proceeding to the stately brick house where they paraded down the circular drive to the front of the lovely antebellum mansion. The field then briskly trotted down the front lane and exited the estate through the grand old substantial brick columns and wrought iron gates. It was a fitting start for a lovely late afternoon of hunting.

Hounds hunted due north towards the hamlet of Philomont with airy clouds sailing overhead until the shadows of dusk began to lengthen. Riding hard in first field, we galloped on over miles of classic Virginia hunt country, all bathed in a golden glow as the air had cleared from the prior day’s storms. Coops and creeks, hills and cornfields, all fell beneath our horses’ hooves until the cavalcade of foxhunters hacked across another gorgeous property, Farmer’s Delight, before finally turning for home. At the tailgate, Fairfax outdid themselves with table after table of delicious food - shrimp and salmon, cheeses and fruits, deserts and drinks - you know you have had a good time when you do not leave a tailgate until long after dark!

Chosen Friday: Liz Billings, a friendly blonde with a lovely smile, riding for Orange County Hunt; Karen Murphy, as cool and steady a rider as they come, riding Ambassador Z and hailing from the Essex Fox Hounds, NJ, where she is their Honorary Secretary; Pann Drunagel, another repeat finalist, on Jimmy Slide for Warrenton Hunt, and Marian Swanson on Martini Magic for Fairfax Hunt. Best turned out for the day went to the absolutely immaculate Karen Murphy from Essex Fox Hounds, NJ.

Glenwood Park was the setting for the final event, held Sunday, October 3, 2010. A stone's throw outside of Middleburg, Virginia, the celebrated race course is beautifully situated in a natural bowl that is bordered on one end by a rocky hillside where the official's grandstand and spectator box seats are built among old hardwoods. The view from here is due west, where crouched on the far horizon one can see the dark blue smudge of the distant Blue Ridge Mountains. In between, like a giant punchbowl, lay acres and acres of the most luscious galloping turf this side of heaven. The perfect venue from which to conduct the final tests for the Field Hunter Championships.

Twenty-two strong, the crew of handsomely turned-out riders on greys and bays, blacks and chestnuts, even a dapple buckskin and a bright pinto, lined up for the judges to evaluate their turnout. As they moved from one contestant to the next, examining in detail everything from bits to braids to bridles, the announcer named each rider, their horse and their respective hunt, beginning with those selected on Monday and ending with those picked the last day of hunting.

Nelson Gunnell, from the Snickersville Hounds and Orange County Hunt, who has led the mock hunt for several years, once again stepped forth to lead the contestants off across the course and into the woods bordering the race course. After a few minutes, they eventually reappeared and galloped full tilt back to the judges. There they cantered over a final coop framed with cornstalks and pulled up to form a line in front of the growing crowd which had stepped onto the course to better observe the final tests.

Seven riders were selected and the remainder of the field excused. The lucky seven were Bobby Freeman, Princess Anne Hunt; Emily Day, Blue Ridge Hunt; Mary Ann Jacobson, New Market-Middletown Valley Hounds; Charles Stuart, Casanova Hunt; Leslie Hazel, Orange County Hunt; Marion Swanson, Fairfax Hunt and Karen Murphy, the Essex Fox Hounds.

Each rider was now required to jump four fences; first, a gallop to the slightly uphill stacked rails, then downhill to a thick pole jump, a quick halt and immediately after that, a reversal and a return to the first obstacle from the opposite direction, only this time, the rider was to first drop the topmost rail, then back up and from a short trot, put their mount over the remaining rails. Finally, from there a good gallop to the fourth obstacle, the cornstalk coop.

Three horses nailed it. Leslie, Emily and Karen. The tension only heightened when it became apparent that Leslie and Karen’s horses were tied so closely that there was to be a ride-off for reserve champion. Two of the judges elected to ride each of the horses themselves before casting their final judgment. First, Mike Elmore climbed on Leslie’s grey and Sean Clancy onto Karen’s bay. After two fences, they returned and switched mounts.

Mike Elmore, a long time judge at the Championships, is undoubtedly one of the finest riders to be found anywhere. He is lithe and whipcord thin, with a quiet countenance only enhanced by his studious wire rim glasses and soft smile. Often traditionally clad in jodhpurs and paddock boots, he cuts a remarkable figure in any hunt field. I watched him one morning, jotting down the numbers of riders on a pad, while the horse he sat on fidgeted obnoxiously beneath him. Mike effortlessly sat on the twisting beast, sitting with a casual nonchalance that was breathtaking in its simple grace and elegant beauty. Suffice to say there are very few that ride like he does.

Now, Mike showed us what had carried him from Petersburg, VA, where he began riding many years ago, to a first place finish in the Maryland Hunt Cup aboard Welter Weight in 1999. On Karen’s gelding, a handsome bay with white accents, we were treated to a riveting performance as the pair galloped hard down the stretch to the coop, and any horseman could clearly see that even many strides out, Mike knew his spot and had positioned his long-striding mount to perfectly clear the coop at a rousing hard gallop.

And so it was decided, chosen as this year’s Champions, first, the lanky dark bay Another Look, aka “Al” owned by Emily Day and Whitney Hagan, and ridden by Emily of Blue Ridge Hunt. They made a distinctive pair; Emily, with her achingly long boot legs and Al, an equally long-legged equine cohort. Cheers to the Champions!

Reserve Champion was awarded to the classically riding Karen Murphy on Ambassador Z, a particularly handsome horse that had gallantly and effortlessly carried Karen all week long over the arduous Virginia hunt country while ably representing their Essex Fox Hounds, NJ.

Once again, in a repeat performance, Leslie Hazel, Orange County Hunt, garnered top honours for best turn out. Leslie was a classic presentation of the most exacting standards of proper and traditional hunt kit. Ladies, look closely, for she is the epitome of turn out in any field she graces. Smartly attired in a navy shadbelly and top hat, she is a study in correctness. Sewn-in bit, full bridle, boot garters and sans saddle pad, she attained a hard-won perfection that is to be emulated.

The Most Suitable award was won by the twinkling and brightly blue-eyed Bobby Freeman from Newport News, VA riding Buster for Princess Anne Hunt.

The Sportsman’s Trophy was awarded to capable Julie Matheson on Ambler for Orange County Hunt. Julie unselfishly gave up some of her day’s hunting when early on Monday morning she pursued a loose horse and captured it before returning the errant mount to its fallen pilot.

Thanks also to this year’s tireless judges, especially Michele Rouse, always energetic and smiling, endlessly offering us all positive encouragement, along with Mike Elmore, Sean Clancy, Rob Banner and Beth Fout, as well as the many landowners who make hunting possible through their generous sharing of their properties and ceaseless conservation efforts; without them, there would be no hunting. Notable among them are Donna Rogers, MFH, Loudoun West Hunt; Dr. Betsee Parker, owner of Huntland; and Mrs. Smithwick, owner of Sunnybank Farm.

A final thanks to the riders who put forth incredible effort to ride each day, and not least, to our horses, for whom a thanks need consist of nothing more than a hug and a carrot.

A small price to pay for a priceless friendship.

Susan Monticelli