Oak Grove Hunt Club held its sixty-first annual Opening Meet at a new fixture and with a new huntsman on November 9, 2013. The new Huntsman isn’t, strictly speaking, “new.” Huntsman Amanda McGee has been hunting with Oak Grove since she was a teenager and was previously the Assistant Huntsman to, now retired, Dickie Watson MFH, who hunted the pack for the past 12 years. Amanda set aside assisting with the Oak Grove hounds for a few years to concentrate on her number one job, motherhood. Now that her daughter Evelyn has reached the age that she can join her mom foxhunting, Amanda has taken up the horn in earnest. The whole family is now participating, as Shannon McGee, husband and father, rides beside Evelyn in the field so that Amanda can concentrate on hound work. Shannon is also the veterinarian for the Oak Grove pack. This is truly a family sport!
The new fixture is in Hudsonville, MS north of Holly Springs. The McGees purchased land there a few years ago and have made friends with all of their neighbors, who have welcomed Oak Grove Hunt to the “neighborhood.” Other members of Oak Grove have also purchased land in the area. The terrain is rolling pastures and woods – a great habitat for wildlife!
The traditional Stirrup Cup is the secret recipe of Foxy Walker, wife of the late Harold Walker, who has provided the mixture for the past 40 Opening Meets.
The Blessing of the Hounds was administered by The Rev. Stephen Cox of the East Win Christian Church.
Tally Ho wagons provided transportation for spectators to watch the day’s hunt. After the hunt, everyone gathered at the “party barn” of the McGee’s neighbors Barry and Martha Johnson for a fish fry, with entertainment by Ronnie Caldwell and the Jo Jo Jefferies band.
The new fixture is in Hudsonville, MS north of Holly Springs. The McGees purchased land there a few years ago and have made friends with all of their neighbors, who have welcomed Oak Grove Hunt to the “neighborhood.” Other members of Oak Grove have also purchased land in the area. The terrain is rolling pastures and woods – a great habitat for wildlife!
The traditional Stirrup Cup is the secret recipe of Foxy Walker, wife of the late Harold Walker, who has provided the mixture for the past 40 Opening Meets.
The Blessing of the Hounds was administered by The Rev. Stephen Cox of the East Win Christian Church.
Tally Ho wagons provided transportation for spectators to watch the day’s hunt. After the hunt, everyone gathered at the “party barn” of the McGee’s neighbors Barry and Martha Johnson for a fish fry, with entertainment by Ronnie Caldwell and the Jo Jo Jefferies band.
