Source: Tennessee Valley Hunt
Purpose: Engage youngsters who will help nurture future generations of foxhunters and land conservationists
How it Works:
When Huntsman Ryan Johnsey became MFH of the Tennessee Valley Hunt (TVH) in 2016, he realized how fragile his hunt was without a game plan to bring in the next generation of foxhunters. At that time, they had two Junior Subscribers.
Ryan states, “I marketed the local hunter jumper community pretty heavily in my first summer as Master. I contacted local trainers and barn owners and explained how it could be lucrative for them to expand their programs to include foxhunting. I literally made sales calls at any pony camp I could find, with hounds in tow, educating them as much as they would allow.”
He emphasizes, “Hounds are your best ambassadors. Pony clubbers know horses, but hounds add a fun, new dynamic for many of them.”
TVH created a Professional Subscription level for local trainers that is 50% of his hunt’s Individual Adult Subscription dues. This was done with the understanding that they should bring out juniors, cappers and perspective clients to maintain this discount.
Junior membership began to grow significantly, and with that came the enthusiasm of the junior hunters. A thirteen-year-old member proposed, and Ryan accepted, a TVH Junior Committee that plans hunting and social events, recruits juniors and shares foxhunting knowledge. They promote TVH at barns, pony club, and unmounted activities. Further, they have a Hunt Buddy Program for first, second, and third fields, and designate monthly junior days.
This Junior Committee made an electronic survey of local pony clubs and other barns to find out what people wanted to know about foxhunting. Survey findings have been used to curate TVH’s Junior Hunter program. New fun events include monthly social mixers, and trail rides with juniors leading the riding flights and providing potluck tailgates.
The juniors also organized a Labor Day landowners party and hand-delivered invitations to families over whose land the hunt has been working to get hunting permission.
Enthusiasm among “horse parents” has been gratifying, with many becoming social subscribers, and some saying, “Foxhunting is cheaper than some of the other riding sports we’ve been paying for!”
Ryan explains, “Almost nine years later, I have a generation of young foxhunters coming up whose primary horse discipline is hunting. They have a sincere concern for our future and a willingness to do all they can to keep it going. Our youngest junior is five, three have earned their junior colors, and for the last five seasons we’ve had no fewer than 20 junior subscribers.
“We’re bringing up youngsters who are not just horse-crazy, but who get interested in working with landowners and sharing a passion for land conservation.”
Concluding, Ryan states, “To grow our sport, we must get out to other riding organizations and disciplines. More than just encouraging juniors to join us, we must give them responsibilities that will in turn make them ambassadors and real leaders for our sport down the road.”
To learn more about TVH’s exciting success with juniors, the MFHA can connect you with Ryan and his dynamic team.
For more information about this practice, contact the MFHA at 540-883-0883 or office@mfha.com.
Entries posted with “Notes” are for information and education and represent the views, opinions, conclusions, recommendations and experiences of the submitting parties. Their inclusion does not constitute endorsement or warranty by the MFHA of the accuracy, applicability, fitness or completeness of the postings.
