Рита Браун: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Justin Sautter,new JT-MFH of Woodford, is young, good with people, and has the wonderful fortune of having a wife, Libby, who can ride right up there with him.

Meg Jewettis Justin’s aunt. She loves all animals, being the proprietress of glorious Walnut Hall in Kentucky. She has an incredible eye for structure, beauty, harmony.

Alan Leavitt,married to Meg, presides over Walnut Hall and still breeds Standardbreds for which this lovely place is famous. It is in Lexington, Kentucky, and the Kentucky Horse Park is on former Walnut Hall land. Like his wife, Alan is public-spirited, farsighted, and generous.

THE AMERICAN FOXHOUNDS

Sister and Shaker have carefully bred a balanced pack. The American foxhound blends English, French, and Irish blood, the first identifiable pack being brought here in 1650 by Robert de la Brooke of Maryland. Individual hounds had been shipped over earlier, but Brooke brought an entire pack. In 1785, General Lafayette sent his mentor and hero, George Washington, a pack of French hounds whose voices were said to sound like the bells of Moscow.

Whatever the strain, the American foxhound is highly intelligent and beautifully built, with strong sloping shoulders, powerful hips and thighs, and a nice tight foot. The whole aspect of the hound in motion is one of grace and power in the effortless covering of ground. The American hound is racier than the English hound and stands perhaps two feet at the shoulder, although size is not nearly as important as nose, drive, cry, and biddability. It is sensitive and extremely loving and has eyes that range from softest brown to gold to sky-blue. While one doesn’t often see the sky-blue eye, there is a line that contains it. The hound lives to please its master and to chase foxes.

Corais the strike hound, which means she often finds the scent first. She’s the dominant female in the pack and is in her sixth season.

Asais in his seventh season and is invaluable in teaching the younger hounds.

Dianais the anchor hound, and she’s in her fourth season. All the other hounds trust her, and if they need direction she’ll give it.

Dragonis her littermate. He possesses tremendous drive and a fabulous nose, but he’s arrogant. He wants to be the strike hound. Cora hates him.

Dasheris also Diana and Dragon’s littermate. He lacks his brother’s brilliance, but he’s steady and smart. A hound’s name usually begins with the first letter of his mother’s name, so the D hounds are out of Delia.

Giorgiois a young entry and just about the perfect example of what a male American foxhound should be.

Other hounds

Trinity, Tinsel, Trident, Thimble, Twist, Tootsie, Trooper, Taz, Tattoo, Pookah, Pansy, Dreamboat, Ardent, Parker, Pickens, Zane, Zorro, Zandy

THE HORSES

Sister’s horses are Keepsake,a Thoroughbred/​Quarter Horse cross (written TB/QH by horsemen), an intelligent gelding of twelve years; Lafayette,a gray TB, fourteen now, fabulously athletic and talented, who wants to go; Rickyroo,an eleven-year-old TB gelding who shows great promise; Aztec,a ten-year-old gelding TB, also very athletic, with great stamina and a good mind; and Matador,a gray TB, also ten years old, sixteen hands, a former steeplechaser.

Shaker’s horses come from the steeplechase circuit, so all are TBs. Showboat, Hojo, Gunpowder,and Kilowattcan all jump the moon, as you might expect. Betty’s two horses are Outlaw,a tough QH who has seen it all and can do it all, and Magellan,a TB given to her by Sorrel Buruss, a bigger and rangier horse than Betty was accustomed to riding, but she’s now used to him. Kilowatt is a superb jumper, bought for the huntsman by Kasmir Barbhaiya.

Nonni,tried and true, takes care of the sheriff.

Matchplayand Midshipmanare TBs from Roughneck Farm.

THE FOXES

The reds can reach a height of sixteen inches and a length of forty-one inches, and they can weigh up to fifteen pounds. Obviously, since these are wild animals who do not willingly come forth to be measured and weighed, there’s more variation than the standard just cited. Target;his spouse, Charlene;and his Aunt Nettyand Uncle Yancy,and Earlat Old Paradise are the reds. They can be haughty. A red fox has a white tip on its luxurious brush, except for Aunt Netty, who has a wisp of a white tip, for her brush is tatty.

The grays may reach fifteen inches in height and forty-four inches in length and may weigh up to fourteen pounds. The common wisdom is that grays are smaller than reds, but there are some big ones out there. Sometimes people call them slab-sided grays, because they can be reddish. They do not have a white tip on their tail but they may have a black one, as well as a black-tipped mane. Some grays are so dark as to be black.

The grays are Comet, Inky, Georgia, Tollbooth,and Grenville.Their dens are a bit more modest than those of the red foxes, who like to announce their abodes with a prominent pile of dirt and bones outside. Perhaps not all grays are modest nor all reds full of themselves, but as a rule of thumb it’s so.

THE BIRDS

Athenais a great horned owl. This type of owl can stand two feet and a half in height with a wingspread of four feet and can weigh up to five pounds.

Bitsyis a screech owl. She is eight and a half inches high with a twenty-inch wingspread. She weighs a whopping six ounces and she’s reddish brown. Her considerable lungs make up for her small stature.

St. Just,a crow, is a foot and a half in height, his wingspread is a surprising three feet, and he weighs one pound.

THE HOUSE PETS

Raleighis a Doberman who likes to be with Sister.

Roosteris a harrier, willed to Sister by an old lover, Peter Wheeler.

Golliwog,or Golly,is a large calico cat and would hate being included with the dogs as a pet. She is the Queen of All She Surveys.

SOME USEFUL TERMS

Away.A fox has gone away when he has left the covert. Hounds are away when they have left the covert on the line of the fox.

Brush.The fox’s tail.

Burning scent.Scent so strong or hot that hounds pursue the line without hesitation.

Bye day.A day not regularly on the fixture card.

Cap.The fee nonmembers pay to hunt for that day’s sport.

Carry a good head.When hounds run well together to a good scent, a scent spread wide enough for the whole pack to feel it.

Carry a line.When hounds follow the scent. This is also called working a line.

Cast.Hounds spread out in search of scent. They may cast themselves or be cast by the huntsman.

Charlie.A term for a fox. A fox may also be called Reynard.

Check.When hounds lose the scent and stop. The field must wait quietly while the hounds search for the scent.

Colors.A distinguishing color, usually worn on the collar but sometimes on the facings of a coat, that identifies a hunt. Colors can be awarded only by the Master and can be worn only in the field.