Oak Grove Hunt Club hosted a Junior Hunt on December 10, 2011 at their fixture, Blackwater Creek Ranch near Laws Hill, Mississippi. Pony Clubbers and 4-H members in the mid-south joined the regular members of the hunt for a fun day on horseback following hounds. Germantown, TN trainer Beanie Cone hauled a huge trailer load of his students to the hunt, and several members of West Tennessee Pony Club attended.
If asked, the young riders would say, “I ride hunters,” but for many, this was their first real Foxhunt. Horses behave quite differently when ridden with a group in the open, rather than in a ring. Rider skill was quite evident! Pony Club has a tradition of promoting fox hunting. Pony Club was originally founded in the UK in the early 20th century by foxhunt clubs in order to teach children riding and horse traditions that quickly being lost to urbanization.
Picturesque Blackwater Creek Ranch is a working cattle ranch, with rolling pastures interspersed with forested areas. It teems with wildlife: deer, turkey, squirrel, fox and coyote. Most jumps are coops placed over the barbed wire, with some few post and rail fences. For those who choose not to jump there are plenty of strategically placed gates.
Dickie Watson, MFH and Huntsman for Oak Grove, cast his pack of Penn-Marydel hounds so the Junior riders could see how well the pack works together. The hunt lasted a few hours on this bright and beautiful day. The object is to have a good chase and watch the hounds work, not to harm the fox or coyote. The quarry is wild, fit, and in its home territory.
After the hunt the riders retired to the clubhouse where they feasted at the traditional hunt breakfast .
Oak Grove Hunt Club foxhunting season runs from September to March with hunts most Saturdays. They host a hunter pace in March at Blackwater Creek Ranch.
If asked, the young riders would say, “I ride hunters,” but for many, this was their first real Foxhunt. Horses behave quite differently when ridden with a group in the open, rather than in a ring. Rider skill was quite evident! Pony Club has a tradition of promoting fox hunting. Pony Club was originally founded in the UK in the early 20th century by foxhunt clubs in order to teach children riding and horse traditions that quickly being lost to urbanization.
Picturesque Blackwater Creek Ranch is a working cattle ranch, with rolling pastures interspersed with forested areas. It teems with wildlife: deer, turkey, squirrel, fox and coyote. Most jumps are coops placed over the barbed wire, with some few post and rail fences. For those who choose not to jump there are plenty of strategically placed gates.
Dickie Watson, MFH and Huntsman for Oak Grove, cast his pack of Penn-Marydel hounds so the Junior riders could see how well the pack works together. The hunt lasted a few hours on this bright and beautiful day. The object is to have a good chase and watch the hounds work, not to harm the fox or coyote. The quarry is wild, fit, and in its home territory.
After the hunt the riders retired to the clubhouse where they feasted at the traditional hunt breakfast .
Oak Grove Hunt Club foxhunting season runs from September to March with hunts most Saturdays. They host a hunter pace in March at Blackwater Creek Ranch.
