Burwell

Hello everyone,

 

Once again, Burwell does not disappoint. The weather was PERFECT! About 45 degrees while we had a little brunch provided by Brit and Adam G and Marcella T-N  prior to hunting. Hunting was at noon and dinner was a long ways away

 

Huntsman Dave, the NHH hounds and 19 excited riders headed west out of Packards. The ground had some snow, but overall the footing was good. There wasn’t much wind, just a tad from the southeast. The hounds were voicing pretty hard from the the get go, then settled down and started working. Huntsman Dave was trying to keep them from heading straight to the canyons. They love to hunt there, the coyotes love to hunker down in there and it is difficult for the staff and the field to negotiate our way through all the cedar trees and canyons.

They start voicing and we pick up a canter, my eyes are on Huntsman Dave when suddenly his horse makes a misstep into a cattle path and she slams down to the ground. Her head and neck taking the brunt of the fall, with her chest and left shoulder plowing a hole into the ground. Huntsman Dave is pile driven into the ground on his shoulders and thankfully falls to the right of Lucille. His head doesn’t make immediate contact with the ground, instead his body curls up and the brim of his helmet (thank goodness we all wear hard hats) drills into his thigh. Praise God Lucille did not roll over on him, but her hind leg struck him somehow in the whole event. Jay and I got to Dave quickly and he didn’t have any pain, didn’t feel like he hit his head and didn’t have the breath knocked out of him. He did stay laying down for about 10 mins. Bre was riding with MFH Monte in his side by side and she was quickly at Dave’s side.

Meanwhile the hounds are on line, the gate group has viewed the coyote and Huntsman Dave, while still laying flat on his back, asks the whips to go after the hounds. MFH Dave K has a horn on him and will fill in as a whip, Helen S, Jubilee M, Catherine D and Jamie Haith (she’s riding with Helen so the whips don’t ride alone) ride off and we don’t see them or the hounds for about 45 minutes.

 

Huntsman Dave remounts and with Brit V-G riding up with him he jumps two coops (Superman) and makes his way to the far southwest edges of our country. Eventually, we have half a pack and we hack home-slowly. Huntsman Dave, Professional whip Bre and Honorary whip Jubilee take the truck and trailer and go pick up the remaining hounds, with the exception of Ollie. They finally pick him up at 11;00 pm. Looooooong day.

 

Sunday morning dawns absolutely beautifully. Probably the best day I’ve ever hunted in Burwell. Superman Dave mounts ( he has to use a stool and he had to have help getting his horse tacked up) and we hunt south out of MFH Luke and Sam M property. We have 19 riders in the field today. We have such a fun group of riders, everyone is well mounted and rides so well!  Great fun cantering down hill and over dale, jumping the coops -yes, he’s jumping-chasing the Huntsman and the NHH hounds. They are running hard and voicing, but we haven’t viewed anything. They make it almost all the way to the borrow pit, we’re on the state property. Huntsman Dave gathers them up and we start heading back west, away from the borrow pit. The hounds voice and Professional whip Bre (she’s pretty far along now and is only riding in the side by side and Monte is driving fairly slowly….) views a coyote and the hounds are hard on it. I believe that they started heading back to the borrow pit and Huntsman Dave had the whips shut them down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We hacked home, we were a bit of a motley crew. Huntsman Dave is one giant bruise, Brit is again riding up front, her right leg is in a boot and she has been riding sans stirrup, MFH Monte still can’t feel his feet well, so he’s relegated to the side by side and Bre is due in February, so she is Monte’s navigator.

We had a tasty meal at the Matranga’s beautiful home, said our good byes and headed home. Until we see you again, Burwell.

 

Thank you to Jenny W, Helen S, Brit V-G, Stephanie A, Meaghan Burdick (guest) and Traci Duckworth for the photos.

This Saturday we are beagling at Quail, please contact Bre if you would like to host the brunch. We are without a host and although beagling is a lot of fun, eating afterwards is super fun!

MFH Luke and Sam M are hosting our annual Christmas party. Always fun =) Please don’t forget to RSVP if you haven’t already.

 

Tally Ho!

Carine and Indie and Wicked (they were both so good!)

NHH Honorary Secretary