Master’s Report March 5, 2022

Sunday, February 27 proved add.  All that knee deep mud had mostly dried up. The bitter cold abated, sunshine covered all. Well, good.  While the temperature wasn’t hot given the five weeks of storms, snow, sleet, ice it seemed warm.
Hounds left from the Run-In Shed. Not much was going on.  A boo hoo here and there but tepid.  As luck would have it, all the older girls were in season so the pack consisted of two made females, three older boys and the rest were male youngsters.  The girls never go in season at a convenient time.
After an hour plus of this I decided to try Jim Klemic’s.  Might be a little cooler. Once we reached the turkey foot convergence of trails, the one being deep, hounds began to speak, moving north.  They hitched it up from a trot to a lope so I did too.  At one point Kalie and I stopped as the hounds swept up toward 611 then turned coming back down.  They then dipped into the higher land up behind Jim’s house, more or less halfway to 611.  By now the pack was back together, all speaking. So I dropped onto the north side of the creek and followed.  I turned back but saw no field behind me.  Dr. George Lindbeck was out so I looked for his scarlet coat.  George can go through or over anything.  It occurred to me while battling limbs that perhaps someone popped off.  There isn’t much time to ponder these things while hounds are speaking. Took me maybe fifteen or twenty minutes to get through but I wasn’t too far behind.  Lost my left earring, cut my ear and cut behind my right wrist.  How no idea how.  Leapt down onto the sunken trail so I could finally move faster.  Hounds had blasted past Jim’s house, into those woods.  Do I gallop down the pasture to the uncleared old north river branch trail or do I veer to the right and gallop toward the northern most bridge?  There used to be a place there were you could drop down.  Hounds began to emerge from the woods so I didn’t have to make a decision.  All came out. One had a bloodied ear, those hateful thorns and Puzzle had a cut on his right shoulder.  Obviously, they did not give up until the fox was put to ground.  Once years ago, we ran a similar pattern and the fox swam across the branch which is pretty easy,  the whole pack in pursuit.  My whipper-in, Dr. Mary O’Brien, got over there on that 17 hand horse of hers, flew up to the hay storage shed and finally got the pack back.  Fortunately, that didn’t happen this time.  The former run, of course, meant phone calls and apologies to the landowner who was quite good about it.
But there we were.  The pack, myself and not a soul.  Headed to the pond to give them a rest and chance to drink and spied Sara Bateman and Amy Walker sitting in the field just off the farm road.  Neither one knew where the field was.  Just as they stopped speaking, we all heard hoofbeats and here came the entire field, including the four juniors Lynne Beegle Gebhardt brought along with Jim Meister.  Later one of the riders who wears those watches telling you how far you have gone testified to seven miles.  Well, that had to be seven miles at warp speed.  And there was George. So all was well.
You never know, but we all now know with Jane in charge the field will catch up whatever it takes. The path they took was less difficult but still, that was a run. All were lucky most of the mud had dried up.  Lots of dry cleaner bills otherwise.  Nothing like the horse in front of you throwing up great clods of mud.
Lifted hounds and rode back to the hound trailer. Cut ear and cut shoulder cleaned and fixed.  Ears look so bad because they bleed so much.  The young boys did okay.  Would I have preferred some of the older girls in there?  I would.  The boys can be easily distracted but once they got good scent they poured it on, steady and true.
Here’s to whatever comes next.  Given the heat rising maybe we’ll pick up a vixen in a bikini.  Then again we have all been smacked with snowstorms in March and April.  Anything goes. 
Up and over!  RMB

Safari Ride July 24th, 2021

Join in on the search for stuffed animals while riding the fields and wooded trails bordering the Rockfish River behind Wood Ridge Farm Brewery. There will be many animals lurking along the route. “Hunters” who find 3 select animals will be awarded prizes.

PLACE: 165 OLD RIDGE ROAD, LOVINGSTON, VA

TIME: RIDERS OUT 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

 All disciplines are welcome.

 Bring your own tailgate – no alcohol please,

or buy lunch at the Brewery after the ride.

 Entry fee is $40 for adults, $25 for juniors.

Contact:  mary_tousignant@comcast.net

Enter and pay online at https://orfhc.square.site/

Printable Entry Form: https://oakridgefoxhuntclub.files.wordpress.com/2021/05/safari-hunt-entry-1.docx

Proof of negative coggins is required.

Boots and helmets must be worn.

Judged Trail Ride Results

Here are the results of the Judged Trail Ride held at Teatime Farm today. Thank you to everyone who endured the heat and humidity to compete in the first ride in the Shenandoah Valley Judged Ride series. The ride hosted by Bedford Hunt is scheduled for June 19. Glenmore’s is July 10 and Rockbridge is July 17. Ribbons will be mailed out to first thru 6 place.Thank you to Mark and Karen Catron, Susan Boone, Becky Birnbaum, Cathy Denton, Kathleen King, Mary Tousignant, Cheryl Tsakis, and Becky Wood for working today and to Mark, Karen, and Susan for cleaning the trails and setting up the course. As always, John Morris put the finishing touch on the course by mowing the trails for us this week. Our events cannot go on without everyone’s help and our volunteers are greatly appreciated.We are holding a sporting clay shoot on June 13 at Teatime Farm from 9 to 1. Please join us. You can contact Mark for details at catmark@aol.com. Let’s hope for cooler weather.

Name Division score
Sue Migliore E 47.5
Cathy Goscha E 47
Barbara Goodson E 46.5
Heidi Davis E 45
Karen Robertson E 44.5
Kate Kane E 44
Allie Raner E 43.5
Lisa Lefferts E 43
Ronnie Thornton E 40.5
Priscilla Friedberg E 39.5
Lynn Rowley E 36.5
Waverly McDavid J 37
Shelly Thompson N 44.5
Amy Walker N 44
Lisa Salopek N 43
Sara Bateman N 42.5
Shannon Critzer N 42
Cindy Simmons N 41
Jessica Swezey N 40
James Swezey N 40
Mary Ann Jacobsen N 39.5
Robin Ellis N 39
Meredith Williams N 37.5
Mary Lee McDavid N 36
Cheri Kula N 35.5
Tracy Ferguson N 35
Nathalie Williams N 34
Chrystal Knick N 33
Brieanna Litter N 32
Elmer Glick N 30.5
Connie Nicholson Price N 25
Jane Johnson N 15.5