Getting the hounds ready
JANUARY 2016
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
Potluck luncheon after the hunt
on the property,” said Sandy Dixon, Master of Foxhounds
and Huntsman of the Club. The field master on this
Saturday was Terry Olsen. “Then you have members with
color which is the green material on the collars. Those are
people who are longtime members. You earn your colors
by participation and riding well. The ones that were without colors are new members or guests,” she continued.
Because the subdivision has only begun to develop, the
hosts include neighbors, relatives and friends that follow
the hunt from all-terrain vehicles. The sight of the horses
and the hounds from afar looked like a choreographed
ballet. The music was supplied by the bay of the hounds
as they barked to each other, the sounds of the horses’
hooves with the riders atop them, accompanied by the
bugle call that communicated directions to the hound
pack.
On this day, the hounds flushed out several deer along
with at least one coyote that was chased by the hound
pack and the hunters “to ground” or into his den. Coyotes
are a problem in this rural subdivision as one of the hosts’
neighbors recounted a recent mid-morning encounter with
four coyotes in her front yard. The coyotes are adaptable
to their environment and will prey on small game like
rabbits, but if those are not readily available they will eat
small family dogs or cats, even a calf or lamb.
After the hunt was complete, all of the members gathered for a potluck luncheon that today included clam
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chowder, King Ranch chicken, salads and mimosas.
Hostess for the hunt Rhonda Pool said about the club,
“I love the camaraderie of the people and members of the
hunt. It’s fun and it’s a chance to come out with a group
of people to experience the tradition. Everyone is such an
important part of the group.”
Parker County pediatricians Dr. Bart Robbins and Dr.
Jessica Ramsey-Robbins are both members of the Brazos
Valley Hounds and enjoy riding in the hunts together with
their horses. Dr. Robbins enjoys the hunting, but also likes
the time after lunch when the group does what he termed
larking. It’s a time to, “Just go out and jump stuff,” he
said. Both Dr. Robbins and Dr. Ramsey-Robbins are new
members to the club and are working towards earning
their colors.
“I started hunting with my father at age 12,” said
Dixon. “I’m from Delaware so I grew up hunting along the
East Coast. That was a wonderful bond with my father. It’s
a passion and a joy raising the hounds. The camaraderie
of this group, we just have a wonderful time together. In
the summertime we do trail rides, pool parties and we
have a formal dinner dance where we award colors. We
follow all the English traditions of an English dinner. We
love to have guests. Call one of the masters and ask if you
can come. We love to practice the tradition of English
fox hunts. We do allow western saddles, since we live in
Texas,” she added.