Source: Andrews Bridge Foxhounds, Green Spring Valley Hounds and Elkridge-Harford Hunt
Purpose: Build camaraderie among and within hunts, train and enjoy hounds, identify hound breeding opportunities, strengthen hunting alliances
How it Works:
You’ve heard about Joint Meets? Well, here’s a variation: the Tri-Meet. A few years ago, Adam Townsend, huntsman of Andrews Bridge, decided to make a good thing better. Joining with his good friends and fellow huntsmen, Ashley Hubbard of Green Spring Valley and Geoffrey Hyde of Elkridge-Harford, they decided to put together a day’s hunting. Six couples of hounds from each pack are hunted together by the huntsman of the hosting hunt. As Adam explains, “Each of us has a similar style and way with our hounds and the hounds have hunted seamlessly together.” The combined packs include Penn-Marydels from Andrew’s Bridge and Crossbreds from Green Spring and Elkridge-Harford.
Similar to a Performance Trial, at the Tri-Meet the hounds wear identifiable collars so members of the field can watch and enjoy their own pack. Hounds from the three participating hunts are hunted by the home huntsman, but the other two huntsmen can help their own hounds when necessary. This also adds a training opportunity when a huntsman sees a behavior he’d like to encourage. An additional benefit to combining the three packs is the huntsmen can observe the performance of individual hounds for consideration of future breeding choices.
Huntsman Ashley Hubbard of Green Spring Valley adds, “Sometimes the extra pressure of ‘scoring points’ in Performance Trials can take the fun out of it! The Tri-Meet idea was brilliant in my opinion, we get to see our best hounds hunt together and don’t have to worry about ‘who won what’. It’s just good hunting with good friends!”
The Tri-Meet has become so popular that it has spawned another separate annual gathering of the three hunts: the Tri-Puppy Practice Show. This event gives hound puppies the opportunity to experience all the elements of a formal hound show: travel, handling, ring experience on and off the boards, crowds, distractions, etc. Furthermore, it’s a great opportunity to train handlers for the future. Thus, both puppies and people profit!
The host hunt for the Tri-Meet and the Tri-Puppy Practice Show is rotated annually. As Andrews Bridge MFH Betsy Harris says about the Tri-Meet, “It’s one heck of a lot of fun, and though we enjoy Performance Trials, unlike them, this is a lot less stressful! And everyone goes home a winner!”
For more information, 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.
