Tally Faux
[img_assist|nid=284|title=A "Whipper In" keeps the hounds on course|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=250|height=166]By Nancy Boardman
photography by hubert schriebl
Taking the "Fox" out of Fox Hunt
Hooves pounding, ears flapping and coattails flying, it was an exhilarating start for horses, hounds and riders alike at the Guilford Hounds' first hunt in the Mettowee Valley last November.
But, lest readers question the thrill, to say nothing of the moral correctness, of riders thundering after an unsuspecting fox with murderous intent-what Oscar Wilde decried as the "unspeakable in full pursuit of the inedible"-let it be said straight off that this was a drag hunt.
Unlike their counterparts in England, American huntsmen historically have pursued their quarry not to kill it, but rather to "account" for it, meaning that the fox is allowed to "go to ground," run up a tree or otherwise escape. These days, as is true for many other hunt clubs, the Guilford Hounds dispenses with the fox altogether. Instead, it operates as a drag pack, which means that the hounds are following a pre-placed scent track, rather than a live animal. And so those of us who were on site that cold crisp morning could relax and take in the beauty of the scenery, the pageantry of the meet, the elegance of the horses and the energy of the hounds, without dreading an old-fashioned, English-style denouement.
The Guilford Hounds was founded by Robert Anderson and his wife, Becky, in 1989. Greg Kittredge joined the group in 1990 as a Whipper-In (the rider who acts as the Huntsman's assistant, looking out for the safety of the hounds and keeping them on course). He and Bob ran the drag pack together until Bob retired at the end of the 2003 season; now Greg, who holds the top honor, Master of Fox Hounds, and Amy Dillon, the group's secretary, are the owners of the club. Although still known as the Guilford Hounds, the operation moved out of Vermont and is now headquartered in Alstead, New Hampshire, where Amy and Greg live with their kennelful of hounds.
The Guilford Hounds' hunt territory encompasses some of the most beautiful countryside in New England, including rugged, hilly farmland and lush Connecticut River bottomland. Hunts range as far south as Amherst and Deerfield, Massachusetts, as far north as Claremont, New Hampshire, over to Milford on the eastern side of New Hampshire, and into Vermont as far west as New York State. Although last November's was the first in the Mettowee Valley, it is familiar territory to Greg, who grew up in Manchester Village and whose parents own a beefalo farm in Dorset.