Photograph by Joe Mac Hudspeth, Jr. · www.southernfocus.com
Magazine
The Music of the Hounds
The art and history of foxhunting inhabits the Delta
The Longreen Foxhounds celebrates its 50th season at Buford Hall in Glendora and awaits the Blessing of the Hounds at the Opening Meet. Photo by Richard Oakes.
As the early morning mist rises over the dormant Delta field, the scarlet-clad hunters assemble. With much pomp and a little circumstance, the pageantry of the Opening Meet commences. The riders mount their horses in preparation to receive the traditional “Blessing of the Hounds” and “Stirrup Cup Toast.” With a bird’s eye view, they follow the pack, led by the Master, as the hounds pick up the scent of the wily quarry. Suddenly, the long awaited howl of the hounds, followed by the thunderous rumbling of the hooves, echoes through the mist, and the chase is on. Whether hunting to ride or riding to hunt, the thrill of the chase is at the heart of their motivation as they celebrate the time honored tradition of foxhunting.
Longreen Foxhounds, a foxhunting club based in the Memphis area, was founded by Bart Mueller in 1957 and is one of 171 hunting clubs registered with the Master of Foxhounds Association. Mueller hailed from Minnesota and first brought his hounds to western Tennessee when he moved there in the late 1940s. The Longreen hounds are PennMarydels, a pure breed that boasts a blue blood line, and can be traced back to Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. They are descendants of the hounds, which were hunted by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both before and after the Revolutionary War. Lafayette’s gift of French hounds, Gascon, were incorporated into the pack and this is the foundation of the PennMarydel hound. “Today, the majority of hounds in America’s hunts are crossbred between American hounds and English hounds,” Susan Walker, Master of the Longreen Hounds, explains. “When I became Master, I was determined to keep the pure genetics of the PennMarydels.”
When the Memphis area became more and more populated, causing the established club to search for new territory, they were welcomed to the Delta by the Buford and Sturdivant families, who have adjoining plantations in Glendora. Walker comments, “We originally hunted in what is now the heart of Germantown. I feel that the future of Longreen is secure, now that we’ve expanded south to the Delta area, a place that we hope will never be threatened by subdivisions. It’s just a pleasure to gather at Buford Hall, home of T.C. and Gwin Buford, and anticipate the ride through a wonderful open space.”
Foxhunter since 1990, Donna Buford Spell remarks, “We have plenty of quarry here for hunting. The crescent-shaped acreage is encased by an oxbow lake, providing a large, yet somewhat contained space, which is excellent for the running of the hounds.” She continues, “Foxhunting is a harmonious thing to watch, and it’s a great sport for any lover of nature. There’s the beautiful sound when the hounds find the scent; it’s also about enjoying the ride and the friendships made. There’s a certain understood politeness and protocol involved as well. I love my fox hunting friends! It’s a great sport for all ages—eight to eighty—that just gets in your blood!”
Fellow fox hunter, Jan Sturdivant, agrees, “We all have such a great time; there’s just such tradition in the art of fox hunting. The etiquette and style involved is a beautiful aspect of the sport, in addition to the riding and hunting. There’s just nothing like the excitement of the hunt once you’ve experienced it!”
For the fundamentals of the sport, both Jan and Donna defer to Susan Walker, who has earned their great respect as Master of the Hounds. Walker, who was raised on horseback since age four, experienced her first foxhunt in the early 1960’s and a few years later began hunting with Mueller and his Longreen hounds. She comments, “After riding in the field for a couple of years, I asked Bart if I could ride with one of the whippers-in. From there, I became very active with the hounds in the kennel. I had ridden with the whippers-in for two seasons when Bart asked me to follow him. It was a real education for me. I eventually became Assistant Huntsmen, but at the time, there were very few women Huntsmen. Bart rode until his eighties; however, when he was in his early 90s, he gave his son, Allen, the pack of hounds. Susan explains, “Allen is MFH (Master of Foxhounds). I am MFH and huntsman. Allen owns the pack; but due to his focus on family and work, does not have time to ride out with his hounds.”
At the core of every foxhunt is tradition—from apparel to protocol. The formal hunting attire has changed very little since the sport began—scarlet coats, white breeches, and black boots with tan leather tops are worn by the staff. Members of the field may wear black coats, buff breeches and black boots. While traced back in history as far as Assyrian, Babylonian or ancient Egyptian times, the earliest known North American foxhunting was in 1650 in Maryland. The sport the colonists brought with them from England soon grew throughout the colonies. Since then, the North American version of foxhunting has evolved from its British roots. The most significant difference being that in Great Britain, the original goal was to kill the fox, which were considered vermin, threatening sheep farms and other livestock. In contrast, the emphasis of the American foxhunt is on the chase rather than the kill. Also, the coyote instead of the fox has become the primary subject of most American hunts. Circling and “outfoxing” the hounds, the hunt ends when the hounds lose the scent as the quarry evades the hounds or goes to ground. Traditionally, there are two seasons: the less formal cubbing season, when young hounds are introduced into the pack, and the formal season, which begins with an Opening Meet usually held in early November.
Not only does Longreen hunt on the Glendora plantations, but they have also hunted just outside of Como on Birdlands, the family farm of Harriet McFadden, as well as south of Clarksdale on the Will Young farm. Walker comments, “The Delta has some fine areas for foxhunting, and we appreciate the landowners allowing us to hunt as well as coming out and participating in the sport with us. They know that we work hard to train our hounds not to hunt the deer on the property, and they know that we’re just as interested as they are in protecting the natural habitat. We’re strictly here for the pursuit. It’s about the thrill of the chase, the sounds—listening to the long, bugle voices of the PennMarydels and watching them work together, as well as the camaraderie.” She adds, “Whether riding, walking or simply observing, Delta people are just good Southern folks who appreciate good sport.”