South Coast Fox Hunters chase the scents of fox at Dartmouth’s Barney’s Joy Farm
By Jenna Pelletier | Photography By Ruth Baltopoulos
Alyse Phipps blows into her brass horn – and the hunt is on.
Like a scene out of 16th century England, dozens of hounds and horsemen take off in search of the scent of fox. Commanded by Phipps, who is outfitted in traditional riding gear and serves as the Norfolk Hunt Club’s huntsman, the black and brown spotted hounds and horses will go on to traverse miles of wooded areas, grassy fields and even sandy beach in a quest to find it.
The hunt, which is organized by Vickie Cunningham, with thanks to the many landowners who allow the hunt to enjoy their many miles of beautiful landscapes in South Dartmouth, is one of many events hosted by the Norfolk Hunt Club each year in the Dartmouth-Little Compton-Westport area. “It’s got to be the most beautiful fixture we have,” says Phipps of the hunt location, with its stonewalls and wide open spaces. “The scenery out there is just absolutely gorgeous.”
It’s one of about 40 fox hunt locations in Massachusetts used by the club. This season, this particular hunt, or fixture, was held on October 20. Spectators are permitted to attend. “It’s like putting on a play but with live animals,” Phipps, a North Attleboro resident and owner of boarding and teaching facility Phipps Equine, says. “You never know what’s going to happen.”
The elaborate show of sport hosted by the club is known as a drag hunt, meaning a live fox is not involved. To mimic it, volunteers – usually between three and five for this particular swath of property – strategically place the line, or a scent made up of mostly fox urine, throughout a designated area. In this location, about two dozen hounds are challenged to find six lines.
It’s Phipps’ job to lead the hounds from one line to the next, with the horses and their riders following. After blowing her horn, she begins by casting, or signaling the hounds to set off in search of the fox.
“I’ll make a woo sound and that tells them that the ‘fox’ is here,” Phipps says. “Then you’ll see everybody start the run. Their noses will be down, their tails will be up and they’ll be going pretty fast.”
Assistants, or whippers-in, help keep the hounds moving together in a pack. It’s similar to herding cattle, Phipps says. Traditionally dressed riders on horseback follow closely behind, often scaling stone walls and fallen trees, in an effort to keep up.
Once a hound has located the fox scent, he will let out a bay, or howl, pulling the rest of the pack to him. “The most confident bay is from the one who has it,” Phipps says.
The process repeats several times over the course of two or more hours until all of the lines have been uncovered.
So, what’s the point of all this? To begin with, it’s a deeply rooted tradition. “Fox hunting has been going on in the United States since George Washington’s time – he was an avid fox hunter,” says Dominic Cammarata, who has been involved with Norfolk Hunt Club for about 25 years.
The Norfolk Hunt Club, which houses the oldest kennels in the United States that are still in use, was founded in 1895. The club always practiced drag hunting, rather than using a live fox. “People in the Boston area didn’t have all day or as much land as they did down South to hunt, so that’s where applying the fox scent came in,” Cammarata says. “It was a way of getting the experience in, but maybe for only two hours before they went to work.”
Land conservation is also at the forefront of members’ minds, he added. “Lots of them donate money and time to keep open space for everybody, which also allows us to keep our tradition going,” he says.
Phipps points to the social aspect of the hunt as one of the reasons why the elaborate sport has endured. “People will pass a flask around now and then,” she says. “It’s great entertainment and something different.”
In this fast-paced era, it’s also nice to hold onto tradition, she added. Not to mention that the hounds love it – they were born to do this. At this fixture, the reward at the end is particularly sweet; participants wrap up by frolicking on the long stretch of beach at Barney’s Joy. Phipps scratches the ears and bellies of her hounds on the sand while horses majestically trot right into the surf, seaspray hitting their riders’ faces. In this moment, time seems to stop as human, animal and nature exist harmoniously on the pristine plot of land.
Norfolk Hunt Club hosts many events throughout the year, including:
Westport Hunter Pace
For more information, go to www.norfolkhunt.com
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