Foxhunting As a Learned Sport
Not all foxhunters are bred in the bone. Certainly, our family falls into the category of neophyte foxhunters and, for that matter, horse riders.
Our two children (now 24 and 26) started riding at an urban riding stable in downtown Toronto at young ages. My husband and I who really knew nothing about horses, soon tired of being expected to tack up, then sit in a cold viewing area watching our daughters go round and round the arena. So we joined in the fun by taking lessons ourselves. Believe me, starting riding at ages 42 and 46 was certainly daunting and more than occasionally painful.
We were lucky to be able to spend more time outside of the city and soon decided that we should find a barn where we could ride and take lessons on weekends. We happened on a riding stable that advertised hunters, jumpers and field hunters. I am embarrassed to say we had no clue what a field hunter even was. Andy and I still recall knocking on the door of Mary Ann Parker's Keldon Farm home and asking if she would take us on as students. Knowing her much better now, I understand that the look she gave us meant: Right -city folks who probably won't show up for the first lesson. Well, that was 13 years ago, and because of her, our family was introduced to foxhunting. We will always be grateful for her infectious hunting enthusiasm which spawned our foxhunting passion and for her help in acquiring fantastic hunt horses.
Karen, Sam, Andy and Alex Bite (Our Family Photo!)
The four of us each vividly recall our first hunting experiences. My first outing was at a cub hunt with Eglinton Caledon Hunt (ECH) after I had been riding less than a year. It went quite well so Mary Ann took Sherman (the trusty) and I out a few weeks later to a massive joint meet. I assumed we would be hanging out back with the hill toppers and when she said follow me, I did. Only as we were galloping across a field did I realize that there were only 4 riders in front of me. Yikes. It got worse. Soon she indicated a hedge coming up, go around to the right if you want. IF I WANT??!! Sherman handily went around. Soon we checked and I thought what a blast that was. Then Mary Ann said, that if I wanted to continue I would have to jump a 3-foot cedar rail fence, I thought what the heck! I grabbed some mane and not very elegantly stayed on and a hunting passion was born. I went out white-knuckled and feeling quite nauseated for the first couple of years of hunting! Luckily my terror has abated and despite the occasional accidental dismount, I now love not just the riding but also the hunting part of foxhunting.
Andy describes his first hunt: a large joint meet. Andy's minder was Mary Ann's husband Greg. They were supposed to ride in the 2nd flight but Andy realized, when the first jump came up, something was amiss. Despite his trepidation, the jump offered no problem. Exhilarated, cantering across the next field in a group, he was passed by a pony and was kicked in the leg. Undaunted and not injured, he continued, and 13 years on is a new master of TNYH.
Our youngest, Samantha, hunted for the first time at age 11. She recounts how intimidated she felt when within the first 5 minutes there were 2 adults on the ground (me included!). Alexandra recalls her first hunt in the trappy quarry country of ECH. On that day, she learned the value of a quality hunt horse. Both Sam and Alex continue to hunt whenever they can get away from jobs and school.
All four of us love to hunt. We love the tradition, the excitement and the camaraderie. We have gained many good friends and certainly have many exciting memories of our times in the hunt field. We wholeheartedly recommend hunting as a family sport. We hope the next generation of our family will be bred-in-the-bone foxhunters.
