Sedgefield Hunt Merchandise

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From the Triad Pony Club newsletter
By Julia Jordan

Sedgefield Hunt invites Triad Pony Club to join them for Jr. Hunt

         Saturday, March 1 started out as any other Saturday does at our house: Wake up, get dressed, feed the dogs, cats, and horses, and have breakfast. But, that is where the similarities ended. It was Jr. Hunt Day for the Segdgefield Hunt and they had invited Triad Pony Club members to join them for the chase. The night before, I had clipped up my little furry pony because he was so well insulated with winter fur, I knew a morning of running with the hounds, unless it was twenty degrees, would be hard on him. I checked my tack, loaded the trailer, and tucked Festus in for the night so he would be well rested and ready to go.
        And was he ever ready to go the next morning; Festus and I have fox hunted before, and he gets so excited to be out with the other horses and the hounds. Fortunately, it was a spectacular morning. We arrived, parked the trailer, and set about getting tacked up and ready to hunt. The history of foxhunting is very long and is steeped in tradition. It is proper to greet the officials in the hunt and the secretary of the hunt met us and made introductions
       There were several other pony clubbers out---Cymry and Matthew Flood, Madeline Lewis and her friend Nicole, as well as Gabrielle Cone, Daniel Rose, and Lydia Spencer on foot. The hounds arrived in a big horse trailer and spilled out onto the grounds. Then the Hunt master, Fred Berry, sounded his horn and, along with the red-coated whipper-ins, we were off to follow the hounds who, if we were lucky, would pick up the scent of a fox. We hunted on Fuquay farm, which boasted an incredible number of gorgeous wooded acres and green pastures, criss-crossed with trails and paths for the horses. Sometimes, we had to go directly though the woods and briars, which made it seem like we were riding 200 years ago, breaking a path through the wilderness.
       The hounds did find a fox and ran it to ground early on. Afterwards, we continued the exciting chase for about three hours. Festus had a blast, and so did I. I am grateful to Paula Nelson, the Hunt liaison to TPC, for extending the invitation and helping us get prepared. After coming back to the trailers and taking care of our ponies, we all enjoyed a tailgate hunt breakfast. I am already looking forward to doing this again next year!