Hunting Sunday October 11th, 2009 - 9:00AM
Valley Green Farm (Bridlespur Kennels)

Huntsman: Eleanor Hartwell (Seamus)

Whips: Gene Deutsch (Waffles), John Korenack (Rocky), Tess Fleishli (Belle), Jill Wagenknect (Camo), Leslie Granger (riding with Jill) Babu

First Field: Mary Hensel (fieldmaster) (on Toby), Eddie Beyers (Paddy), Leslie Ayers (PT), Lauren Reitz (Izzy). Ron Ausman (Lark)

Second Field: Anne Hoagland (fieldmaster), Gigi Harrow (Festus), Karen DeGrand, Sue Marshall (Stretch)

15 1/2 couple hounds

GPS readings 9.57 miles. Max Speed 23.4 mph Moving time 1 hr 48 minutes, stopped time 43 minutes. Total time 2 hrs 30 minutes. Moving average 5.5 mph. My GPS batteries died about 20 minutes from the end so some of it is estimated.

Lunch/Brunch – Provided by Eddie Beyers. Sandwiches, chips, and potato salad.

The morning was cold and overcast. Temperature ranged from 37 to 45 deg. F. Wind was from the North at 4-8 mph. The Barometric pressure was rising.

I cashed in my “Ride with a Whip” coupon that I had “won” at the silent auction at a Queeny Park Benefit. I was riding my four year old since my more experienced horses had hunted the day before and the five year old was missing a shoe. We were to be the trailing whips on the right side.

We headed south across the main creed crossing and Eleanor tried the covert along the edge of the field on the North Side. Jill and I skirted the south side of the field. Very soon the hounds started speaking and we saw a deer come out of the woods and cross the field well ahead of us. We galloped up to get on the deer track in case the hounds were tempted by the wrong game. No hounds came out and they were still speaking in the woods but turning south in the woods. Jill and I stayed to the right of them and galloped all the way to the hog farm. Listening there we could still hear them so we galloped on out toward Highway Z. The gate was closed so we jumped, or at least tried to jump the post and rail onto Highway Z. My inexperienced mare was fooled by the tall grass and didn’t quite jump high enough and hung both front legs and tipped forward. Somehow she managed to stay on her feet but I had lost both stirrups and was cussing as we headed on a collision course with Camo standing on the road. Fortunately Camo provided a good backstop and I was able to catch myself and get my stirrups back before anything more exciting happened.

We headed East down Z almost to the corner. We could still hear the hounds in the woods. We saw some deer cross Z ahead of us but no hounds. We came in off the highway into Deutsch’s. We could still hear hounds.

We heard on the radio that Eleanor was in Tim Brown’s field. We saw John had the road covered so we tried to head that direction through the woods. Jill explained that it’s usually faster and easier to go around the outside. She was right as we found ourselves foiled by fence lines and other things trying to make our way over there. I was not anxious to jump my mare again after our last experience.

We wound our way Northwest and were down on the pipeline when we heard hounds to the north of us. Eleanor was still south of us and did not have very many hounds with her. We headed North to where we could hear hounds speaking. We followed the sound all the way north to the edge of the property. We could hear hounds to our east in the woods and creek bed.

We radioed our location and Eleanor showed up shortly followed by the field. This is an area that the landowners have requested only Eleanor go so we waited while she collected hounds. Then we headed in.

It was interesting to ride with the whip. Different tactics from riding in the field by far. I was proud of my young horse who hung in there the entire time and went everywhere she was asked to go.