The hounds worked well even in the poor scenting conditions. They chased a gray fox for awhile and seemed to be picking up several other trails. Keeping them in sight meant several hours of slaloming through trees, galloping down roads, jumping fences and waiting patiently while they cast about for the scent. This is only my first season of fox hunting, and for the uninformed, no we don't really kill anything. Usually the hunts aren't this fast but the field was small today, only myself and one other very good rider (not counting four Whips and the Huntsman), and the hounds were on a line for most of the time. These are my favorite hunts, and my horse's favorite, too. Roxy loves to run. We both do. There is nothing quite like the feeling of the wind whipping against your face as the grounds blurs by in a thunder of hoof beats. There is no greater trust than that which a rider places in their horse navigating a tricky piece of ground at speed. All of this against a background of gorgeous country and the music of 30 foxhounds in full cry streaking across a field.
The footing was actually very good in spite of the steady rains we've had. The harvested soybean fields were just frozen enough to stay firm and not too hard and the only mud to be had was near the bottom of the valleys where the runoff had washed through. We covered 13.1 miles, most of it over the same ground several times. I think the foxes have learned that the cliff near the natural bridge is a great place to confuse the hounds. It was nearly the same pattern they ran at our Opening Hunt.
If you've ever thought about trying out fox hunting, please contact the Secretary of your nearest hunt. In general I've found everyone to be so welcoming and helpful. I thought it would be difficult to join or maybe snobbish but that hasn't been my experience at all. It's the most fun I've ever had on a horse!
