2012 Blessing of the Hounds

Since the hunt in Lyman on 9/22 we've attended two more hunts and a hunter pace (9/29, 10/6 and 10/7). :)   I'll start with the Blessing of the Hounds, which took place on Saturday, September 29th.  It was drizzly with the threat of rain (again) but that didn't stop us from a great turn out for the first hunt of the 2012 formal season at Yorkfield Farm.  Yorkfield is gorgeous, one of my favorite fixtures.  There is a huge polo field, lots of coups and trails through the woods that take us through a campground and neighboring tree farm.

I did take out my camera, despite the drizzle, and managed to take 239 awesome shots.  If you go to the Wentworth Hunt Gallery, you can see them all, in addition to a few taken by other members. :)

Here's Daatje and I milling about while the bagpipes played in anticipation of the ministers blessing of the hounds.

The fields moving off after one of the first checks in the field across the street from Yorkfield.

 We're in there.....second horse in from the left in 2nd field in the bottom photos.

  Stirrup cup is after a run through the tree farm.  We're the second horse in from the left in the photo.

After hunting back from the tree farm and arriving at Yorkfield (3 hours after the start of the hunt!) the last effort was to run up the three tier steps to the conclusion of the hunt.  A hunt member's husband got this cool shot of us up the first step!  As she described it, "pure joy"!

Yes, I do believe my horse and I enjoy this sport very much.  If we can look this thrilled 3 hours into a drizzly, soggy hunt, we must!

So, the next hunt after the Blessing was in Milton Mills, NH at Branch Hill Farm.  It dawned a LOVELY day and the photos were incredible.  Be back to share!