Blessing of the hounds

By Clover Wuebben

For The Journal-Standard

On Wednesdays and Saturdays, you may hear the sound of horses galloping, hounds baying, or the bleat of the huntsman's horn, as fashionably dressed hunters follow a line of scent, tracking a fox or, most likely, a coyote across the fields. Hunting with hounds and

horses can be documented back to 1534 in Norfolk, England when deer were the game of choice. As territories dwindled, vermin were often hunted, reaching the height of popularity in the 19th century. Today, there are hunt clubs all over the world. In the United States, the main goal is the chase rather than the kill with many clubs following a drag sc! ent. Herd animals, like horses, love to run with other horses, galloping across the open fields, jumping fences, wading through streams or meandering through the woods while the hounds, commanded by the master huntsman, work in unison to follow a scent.

Cornwall Hounds, named after Cornwall, England is also aptly associated with the walls of corn grown in our area. The Club, located in the Massbach area, operates under the auspices of a board of directors headed by President, Doug Hancock.

The kennel is situated on the farmstead of George Frederick, 90, who started the club in the mid 70's. The club includes about 23 members with families and 10 single members with dues and contributions sustaining the activities. The board nominates the masters, currently including Senior Master, John Greene and Joint Masters, Kevin Ward, Christy Cressey and Tony Leahy.

Leahy, a native of Ireland, holds a double title of Joint Master and Huntsman. He determines how lon! g the hunt will last and the location of the hunt. He also trains hors es and supervises the breeding and care of the hounds. Live breeding is used to maintain the pedigrees. One of Leahy's hounds, a bitch named Secretary, earned the title of Grand Champion from a field of 747 hounds, becoming the first winner from the Midwest. Bloodlines can be traced back to 1798 and the late 1800's. Leahy, a gifted trainer working at both the Barrington Hunt Club and Cornwall Hounds, controls the hounds using his voice, mannerisms and the horn.

Robbie Warner of Stockton is the kennel man caring for 80 hounds and pups and 20 to 25 horses. Rhodri Jones of Wales assists the huntsman as the "whipper-in", snapping a whip to bring in the hounds. Jones lives in the lower level of a converted barn on the kennel premises. The upstairs area is used as a club meeting room.

The Cornwall Hounds Club has access to tens of thousands of acres to hunt as a result of informal agreements with area landowners, permitting the hunters to ride through their property.! With the number of acres available to them, the hunters only access certain areas twice in a year.

According to Leahy, "The Cornwall Hounds Club survives because of the goodwill of the farmers in the community. Having open access from farm to farm is imperative."

The Club is steeped in English tradition as observed in the religious ceremony, the "Blessing of the Hunt", a custom from medieval times. St. Hubert, the patron saint of the hunt or chase, was the son of the Duke of Aquitaine. Hubert was passionate about hunting and even chose to hunt on Good Friday, defying the holiness of the day. While pursuing a stag, Hubert heard a voice telling him to seek spiritual advice from Lambert, the bishop of the district, changing his life forever. Hubert renounced all his honors and rank, gave his belongings to the poor, and entered the priesthood, becoming the first Bishop of Liege and, later, canonized as the patron saint of the hunt.

Reverend Steven L. Dow, pastor of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church on Massbach Road in Elizabeth, presi! ded over the service held on Sept. 27. On the grounds of the church, Reverend Dow asked for blessings on the riders, horses and hounds, giving each rider a St. Hubertus medal for protection. He asked for blessings for the hunters and hunted.

Following tradition, hunters, Herb and Debra LaMee and Cathy Wienen of the Galena Pony Club prepared a table for the "Stirrup Cup", filled with coffee cakes, rolls, donuts, orange juice, water and bottles of sherry and port wine. During the English hunts, a glass of wine was set on the stirrup while the hunter prepared his horse for the ride. Instead of setting the glass on the stirrup, glasses were passed to each rider for a toast before the hunt.

The "Blessing of the Hounds" and the "Stirrup Cup" signaled the opening meet of the 2003 hunting season. Horses and riders followed a field master into their field of choice. The first field, for those wishing to jump their horses, followed Tom Moxley. To aid thehorses in jumpin! g a wire fence, wooden coops, like an inverted "v", are placed strateg ically to give the horse better perception when leaping a fence. Those who preferred to go through the gates were in the second field, led by Michael Wiedel.

Riders were instructed to seek permission from the field master to leave the hunt early and were advised to stay on the edge of the cropland, always respecting the landowner's property. Considered a family sport, children are always encouraged to join the ride and were led by Bill Hunt.

Male hunters, who have earned their colors hunting from two to four years, wear the red formal jacket. Women always wear black coats unless they are a master and have earned the right to wear red. Tweeds, plaids and checks are used on informal jackets or "rat catchers". Even the brass or black buttons on their jackets identify the clubs with engraving of the club logo or the club colors are worn on the collars. Cornwall Hounds are signified by blue and yellow while Fox Valley Hunt Club's color is gray. Children can earn the! ir buttons and at age 18 or 21 can wear colors. The attire is somewhat military with the boots being modeled after the military style that was above the knee and then the top was rolled down for the hunt. A stock tie is worn around the neck and held in place with a pin that may or may not include the club logo. Not only is the tie part of the hunter's attire, it can be used as a pressure bandage for an injured horse or hunter or as a sling in case of emergency.

The hunt consists of a huntsman, Tony Leahy, a professional whip, Rhodri Jones and a few honorary whips such as Marilyn Heaton. Leahy casts out the hounds to search for prey, communicating with them using various horn signals. 56 hunters took to the field along with the staff and 37 hounds were in the chase. According to Art Richardson, who has hunted since age seven, "The sport is the chase."

Hunters are always looking for the perfect ride when horse and rider are one and are able to fly over the jumps! , careen through the water and follow the hounds to the scent.

After the hunt, the riders enjoyed brunch in the barn at John Greene's Hidden Hollow farm. Alisa Cahill, a former Stockton resident, is the barn manager who trains and exercises the horses. She gained experience in Texas and neighboring states, working with grand champion horses.

Hunters use a variety of horses for the hunt such as Percherons, thoroughbreds, quarter horses, the Belgium/thoroughbred cross, the Percheron/thoroughbred mix or the thoroughbred/quarter horse cross. Lance Beaulieu's horse, Fred Flintstone, once was a racehorse at Arlington, but now makes a great hunt horse.

The Cornwall Hounds Hunt Club is steeped in tradition. It's an elegant scene watching the noble steeds, the regal redcoats, the hounds cast out by the huntsman to the sound of the bleating horn.

Tallyho- the chase is on.