Hello!

What a GREAT way to end another fun season! Hunting in Burwell

A group arrived on Wednesday and hunted on Thursday. I heard they had an 8mile chase!

Our group: Tim and Libby C., Emma L., Junior Rowan Frank and Jenny Nguyen- she came to take pictures and develop a story for NEBRASKAland Magazine.  Larry and I arrived Friday and enjoyed the welcome reception at the rodeo grounds. Many of you were with us in spirit. Those who came to ride hard through that beautiful country:

MFH Dave K. and Becca F., MFH Monte and Diane, Ex-MFH Mary Lynn F. and John K., Ex-MFH Steve  and Nancy E., Mary Curran, Bruce and Glenda Fells, Jay and Camie S., Dolf and Mercedes I., Keith R., Breanna O. and David Kruger (Dude) and Michelle Lemmer (Mary Lynn’s guest.) Anne M. and Tom Snodgrass came to socialize.

Saturday morning we arrived at Joan and Henry’s, clear skies, 55 degrees, NO wind. Rain is a slight possibility. It had stormed all night.

To show respect to longtime riding member and landowners Joan and Henry Kahlandt, huntsman Tyce, hounds, staff and all the mounted riders rode up and around their house. Joan and Henry came out and waved at us. Tyce blew his horn. Lots of tears were shed as we rode by. I have always admired Joan’s riding and grit over the years. I’m still trying to ride as well as she does.

We headed west and jumped into the field. This was the start of a strange day of hunting. It had rained the night before and into the early hours. No wind. I’m thinking it’s going to be a banner day of scenting and hunting. I tighten my helmet strap and get ready for some hard riding in those canyons. Nothing happens. The hounds are searching, but don’t seem to be listening to each other. Typically when one voices, the others will honor him and come join up. Not this day. Hilary viewed and Tyce carried the hounds to where she was scooping the line. The hounds couldn’t pick up the line. The hounds listened so well to Huntsman Tyce as he casted them in all the different coverts.

I was watching Tyce as the hounds were working a strand of trees and I heard a hound barking. I see Tyce leaping off his horse and yelling to come hold his horse. It’s a porcupine! I galloped up to grab his horse, and Tim C jumped off, grabbed Tyce’s pistol and ran it up to Tyce in the cedar trees.

Tyce disposed off the porcupine- the ranchers hate them. They do a lot of damage to the cattle. Thankfully Tyce’s quick action saved the hounds from too many quills. We keep hunting and a short while later whipper-in Nancy E. called on the radio that the hounds were marking a tree pretty hard. She tried to get the hounds off, but by herself it was impossible. Tyce got there quickly, but the hounds got hit pretty hard again by a porcupine. The hounds stood quietly while the quills were pulled out.

Just prior we had some chaos in the field and a rider fell off. She wasn’t injured, but was sore and unable to ride on Sunday. Amongst all of that Breanna O. and Emma L. (on her saddlebred) kept the cows away as they were trying to make a break for the open gate. Dude helped our rider remount and Emma was our last stand against the cows. She turned and made a run for the gate- the cows started running, too.  She quickly turned around and swung her whip at them ( she’s NOT the man from Snowy River- no sound was made as she attempted to snap her whip.)  They got the message, though, and ran away.

Thanks to our whoopee wagon, Cody M. and Larry S. They supplied us with much needed refreshments – after they helped themselves. They were having the time of their lives out there in the gator. We hunted home and then onto the Sandstone Grill for brunch. My favorite: beef and noodles!

Later that evening we gathered at MFH Luke and Sam’s beautiful house. They were in Las Vegas watching the World Cup of show jumping, but graciously allowed us to party at their pad.

GREAT food was catered by the Sandstone. I ate until I had a stomachache. The cost for stabling and food is $75 for me and my horse. That gets me food at the welcome party, brunch after each hunt, food at the party on Saturday night, bedding and hay for my horse! What a deal!!!

Libby brought a cake and we celebrated Breanna O.’s birthday. She is such a young thing!

Sunday we hunted from Packards. Overcast, rain seems imminent, WINDY, 45 degrees. We started off quickly jumping from field to field. I have the WORST jumping day of my life.  Indie was jumping so hard!  In fact, by the end, after another horrific jump, I bribed everyone in the field with cold, hard cash ($1.00 each) to not tell anyone how bad I was. Ex-MFH Steve E.’s comment to me: “I can’t un-see that…”

In any event, we cover a lot of territory and the hounds work hard, trying to put stuff together. It is amazing they can do anything in that gale force wind! We have a few brief runs. We gallop up to this old, old coop. So old it was made from pallets. The center brace board was sticking up above by 6 inches, Tyce’s horse was taking a good hard look at it and doing the weave approach, and jumps bravely over. Indie started staring hard and backing off, I press on and he jumps, but hits the vertical board and demolishes the back of the coop. Everyone behind me jumps clear of the trashed back side except for the pony Harry Potter, who doesn’t have quite enough scope to jump all that and lands on the pile of rubble. He’s unhurt. (Did I mention I had a bad jumping day?)  Jay gets off and picks up the two pallets, clearing the landing for Keith R. He’s the last one to jump. I think he had stayed back to close a gate.

I’ve been turning my head cam on and off. It doesn’t have a long battery life, so I’m trying to save for the big chase that I know is coming up.

Sure as shootin’, here comes that chase and I don’t have time to turn my camera on!!! What a barn burner! We start running out of country, and Larry and Jenny are up ahead in the truck. Tyce is galloping all out to the fence and I see Larry leap out of the truck and RUN to the gate (never in all the years that I’ve known him have I seen him run that fast!) He gets the gate open just as Tyce comes flying up.  I’m not too far behind, Jay is breathing down my neck. We gallop down this sandy road and Jay’s big, fast Thoroughbred is starting to inch by Indie. He’s trying hard to keep up, then we make a quick turn into some cedar trees and Jay jumps off to get the gate for Tyce. Dolf and I stay hard on Tyce’s trail, the rest of first flight is riding tight behind us. We get fenced out,  ex-MFH Steve finds a gate, jumps off for Tyce and again we take off through a prairie dog town (YIKES!) and the hounds finally have a loss.  What a BLAST!

Huntsman Tyce carries the hounds back to the road and the Whoopee Wagon. Thanks to Jenny N. and Larry for serving us!

We hunt home.

The last coop of the day: Tyce and Hilary jump together, Steve and I jump together, Jay and Camie jump together. Would have been some great pictures!

My riders of the weekend are our youth! (Youth: way younger than me) Rowan and Harry Potter were fabulous! Emma L. and Roxi were so game. Michelle Lemmer was outstanding! Bre and Dude did a fantastic job leading our gate group. Jenny N. and her beautiful pictures, she only rode one day. Keith R. has been such a fun addition to our group.

Thanks To Jenny Nguyen for these pictures. I stole them from her (with her permission).

Please don’t forget to RSVP to me for the Annual Meeting this Saturday.

Carine.

https://youtu.be/IMvL9M5ywkw  My helmet cam!

https://youtu.be/0D2q2J9OEUs