Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.life From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Hunt lovers have red-letter night Date: Fri, 30 Oct 92 15:33:28 EST Message-ID: \SE E;LIFE;ABOUT TOWN \HD Hunt lovers have red-letter night \BY Siobhan McDonough \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES It makes no difference whether their seat is a worn leather saddle or a hard plastic chair, those with a deep-rooted love of the strides, jumps, form and demeanor of the horse remain tireless enthusiasts of the equine arts. This was evident Sunday at the Washington International Horse Show's Hunt Night, where local members of the "horsey set" donned scarlet formal wear to watch riders from 37 East Coast hunt clubs display the finest fox-hunting traditions at the Capital Centre. The hearty outdoorsmen and women - many were up at 6 that morning for a five-hour ride to hounds - didn't give in to fatigue or worry about the next day's being the beginning of the work week. Horses and riding are a top priority for this breed, most of whom consider the "addiction" a form of personal therapy as well as a sport and opportunity to socialize. "When I first moved to the area, I didn't understand why people packed it up so early on a Saturday night," said Washington and Middleburg resident Monica Greenberg, who joined the Middleburg Hunt two years ago. "This time of year, the social life is the hunting season." The dressage and recreational riders, polo players and fox hunters attending the Corporate Terrace reception were clearly more interested in viewing huntsmen and their mounts than in engaging in unrelated chit-chat. "Some people ride to hunt. Others hunt to ride," said Fairfax Huntsman Ian Milne, who grew up chasing foxes in Yorkshire, England. Unlike the various Gold Cups and other spring and fall races where spectators are more concerned with the party scene, attention was firmly fixed on the ring. No one wanted to miss the pageantry and classic presentation of the master's class and hunt teams, in which riders on Cleveland bays, warmbloods and American quarter horses rode through a simulated fox-hunting course of 3-foot, 9-inch coops, wooden rail fences and shrubbery-covered jumps. Rich with lore and ancient customs, equestrian tradition began in the Colonies when George Washington and Lord Thomas Fairfax organized hunts in the Virginia and Maryland countryside. "Everything's so mechanical and programmed these days that it's nice to have retained some tradition in the world," said Tom Hulfish, a member of the Fairfax Hunt. While there was plenty of agreement on fox-hunting protocol and tradition, there was some divergence of opinion about how or even if the schism of the prestigious Middleburg Hunt would be resolved. The contretemps started last fall after the hunt's board hired an additional master without consulting its primary master, Jim Gable. When Mr. Gable formed his own hunt in protest, things got a bit nasty. Bigwig board members, such as Pamela Harriman and Paul Harriman, resigned because of the unseemliness of it all, and ordinary members were forced to take sides. "I really have no comment except to say that it's really sad what's happened in Middleburg," said one dismayed observer, a member of both the old and the renegade clubs. "I have friends riding in both. It's extremely unfortunate how badly it has affected the hunt and friendships." "It's bad enough fox hunters have to fight development, urban sprawl and animal rights activists. But to have something internal disrupt the hunt is a real shame," said long-time fox hunter Martha Hendley of the Fairfax Hunt. Calling it "embarrassing to the fox-hunting association," Washington International Horse Show President Greg Gingerly said she felt confident that the division would be resolved by the Masters of the Foxhounds Association of America, the fox hunters' governing body. "This situation is nothing new. There are two or three hunts in chaos each year." This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM