Outfoxed

by Ritchie Rozzelle

Looking back on the great thrills of your life (assuming your life possesses great thrills — if not, stop reading right now and go get some) you might notice a pattern. The fondest memories are not of those moments when you held up a trophy, measured the weight of some massive fish, sat breathing hard on top of a mountain or in some other way achieved a monumental goal. No, the memorable moments are the ones spent in pursuit of these things — those times when you surprised even yourself, when you felt yourself and the world working in complete harmony toward a common end. That's the good stuff.

Now that you, me and our forefathers agree the great pleasures of life are in the pursuit of happiness, imagine a sport that is 100% pursuit. That's right, the whole point of this sport is the chase; the quarry is secondary. Then imagine that during this chase you have the following items at your disposal: a French horn, a stylish red jacket, a flask of port wine, a leather case containing the sandwich of your choosing and a whole mess of finely trained smell hounds. As if that wasn't enough, for the duration of this chase, you are riding a horse capable of clearing tall fences, jumping deep ditches and crossing swift currents. What is this sport that joins man, dog, horse and sandwich on a lively jaunt through pastoral settings? Fox hunting.

To The Detractors

In the interest of time and full disclosure, let’s address any criticisms right out of the gate. Yes, this is hunting. True, it is not the most humane sport. And yeah, the fox (or coyote, or bobcat for that matter) occasionally gets it in the end. Of course, we doubt anyone supports the total de-foxing of America, but part of the tradition of fox hunting is to hunt predatory animals at the request of the farmers who suffer them. Further, most destroyed foxes are slow and confused due to diseases such as mange or rabies. The vast majority of chases end with healthy foxes hiding in holes and living to run another day. As far as this article is concerned, the fox is just a scent to chase, and the real sport is in the expert horsemanship involved with riding a trained cross-country mount.

The Hunt Is On

Without horses a fox hunt would simply be a walk in the woods with a pack of hounds baying in the distance. It's vital to arrive at the hunt with a horse capable of keeping up with the pack. According to Joanne Possumato, the Honorary Secretary of New Jersey's Amwell Valley Hounds Club, "First and foremost, a rider has to come out with a horse who's fit, and ready to gallop cross-country. One thats familiar with cross-country obstacles and properly turned out - meaning groomed and clipped." After outfitting your horse with proper English tack and yourself in a ratcatcher or Pinque jacket, there are a few formalities, such as the blessing of the hounds, and then it's time to be off.

"Everyone mounts their horse and says good morning to the Master - the leader of the hunt," says Joanne. "Then the huntsman, who cares for the hounds, casts them into a covert. A ‘covert’ is any woods or vegetation where a fox could be hiding. They are encouraged to go in there and sniff around for a fox. Wherever a fox has been it leaves scent behind it through the pads of its feet and its tail. When the hounds pick that up and track it, it's called ‘running the line.’ Then the hounds start ‘giving tongue’ or barking, and the horses and riders follow the sound. All the time the huntsman keeps the hounds in line by blowing calls on his horn. As for the fox, he's going to run around a bit and eventually find a place to hide. That's called ‘going to ground."

The goal is to keep the hounds in sight between the time they lock onto the scent and lose the fox to the ground. That takes a horse with remarkable endurance and agility. "The horses definitely have to be physically fit. I keep my horse at performance-level fitness. It's not just a trail-ride animal," Joanne notes. "Obstacles include fences in the fields and in the woods there are fallen trees, ditches, rivers and streams. Pretty much anything you'd encounter on a walk through the woods."

Besides stamina, a good hunt horse has what Joanne calls a quiet mind. "One big essential characteristic of a good hunt horse is that it won’t kick other horses and it won’t kick the hounds. That’s sort of a golden rule. You want a horse that's physically and mentally sound. ‘Bombproof’ is a term that a lot of people use."

At the end of the day, fox hunting is really about working with your horse to get through breathtaking, but potentially life-taking terrain. "Hunters share a very close relationship with their mounts. We feel that we owe everything by way of our safety to our horses."

Traditionally Speaking

"The traditions of appearance are ones that we like to keep," Joanne admits when asked if much has changed in modern times. "If you looked at a painting of fox hunters from over a hundred years ago, they would look identical to the way we look today.

"A lot of it has to do with respect for the landowners, which is of utmost importance to us, because we wouldn't be able to ride if it wasn't for the generosity of the landowners who let us cross their fields. With that in mind we want to turn out in a very traditional manner. It's our way of showing respect."

Beyond respect, some of fox hunting's traditions are rooted in functionality. Joanne explains, "Everything from the stock tie that we wear around our necks to the tack we keep which is very simple and workman-like, is all for a reason. The stock tie is fastened with safety pins, and if you were to take it apart, you can make it into a bandage for either a horse or a rider. Even the belts we wear can be used as an extra rein, if a rein breaks. Some riders will carry wire cutters, in case their horse gets wire stuck in their shoe. Sometimes we carry a little leather box that holds a sandwich, in case we've been out on the trail for four hours. Some gentlemen carry flasks with a little bit of port wine in it to pass around the crowd to socialize and, well, warm up."

Hunting Party

This "warming up" is customary after the hunt, as well. "After we care for our horses and put them away, we have a tailgate or hunt tea to socialize and talk about the day's sport. We've got this group of people who all ride cross-country, all have great animals and all share an appreciation of nature and the cycle of life. That makes for a nice group of people."

That's not to say the sport is exclusive, Joanne rejoins, "Fox hunting is for all walks of life. It's not just for the affluent. There is a certain stigma that hunt clubs are snobby, but it's not that way at all. We have housewives and young kids riding beside doctors. And if anyone's interested in starting the sport I advise them to come out to a Hunter's Pace event, which is a cross-country ride put on by hunt clubs to simulate a hunt."

In the end, fox hunting is the interlacing of rider, horse, hound and naturalist. In Joanne Possumato's words "Fox hunters are some of the biggest proponents of saving open spaces and keeping natural preserves. Between that and serving the farmers by preventing an overpopulation of predators, we really try to promote balance in nature." In this way, the pursuit of the fox is simply the circle of life on horseback.