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Plains-based hunt club brings pooches, young riders together
Nurturing a centuries-old tradition into the 21st century – and giving it a uniquely American twist -- the Middleburg Orange County Beagles continue to offer area junior riders the opportunity to foxhunt.
MOC is kenneled in The Plains. The hounds – beagles, actually – hunt fox, with mounted staff members and followers riding behind them. A subscription club, membership is limited to junior riders and their parents.
Of 32 registered beagle packs in America, only the MOC hunts fox on horseback. Beagles more traditionally course rabbits or hares, with followers on foot. Other area packs are the Wolver Beagles in Middleburg, Orlean Foot Beagles near Marshall, and Nantucket-Treweryn Beagles in Berryville.
All beagle clubs hunt territory managed by area foxhunt clubs. MOC hunts territory of the Orange County, Piedmont and Middleburg hunts.
Huntsman James Plaskitt III has carried the horn since last summer. He took over for Shelly O'Higgins. Plaskitt, 41, has ridden to hounds for 35 years. Like the juniors he helps nurture today, he started out on a pony riding with the beagle pack.
“It's a great introduction to hunting and hounds,” he said. Just as a small pony is a more suitable mount for a tiny child, the small, gentle beagles make for a less imposing introduction to hunting for a young hunter. “Theoretically, the beagles are a little slower than the foxhounds, a little easier for a kid on a pony to follow.” In reality, he said with a grin, “they can really move” when on a strong scent.
Still, the smaller beagles – 13 to 15 inches at the shoulder – do make shorter runs when on the trail of a fox, offering a somewhat gentler hunt field experience.
Galloping a headstrong pony following a screaming pack of foxhounds across the rolling countryside can easily intimidate a young rider, something the founder of the pack understood when she created the MOC pack almost 50 years ago. Riding in the company of other juniors at the slower beagle pace gives confidence and nurtures love of the sport, Plaskitt said.
Plaskitt, 41, grew up riding and hunting from his parents' Western View Farm in the Piedmont territory. On horseback, Plaskitt learned many of the same lessons MOC members get today...
See the Wednesday print edition of the Fauquier Times-Democrat for the complete story.
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