Horses and hounds: fox hunting season begins
Hunt club enjoyed warm weather
on opening day
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

JERRY WOLKOWITZ staff The Monmouth County Hunt Club started off the season’s first fox hunt in Upper Freehold on Sunday. The hunters were accompanied by foxhounds, such as the one at left, who helped sniff out the foxes.

Monmouth County is dotted with developments bearing names like Fox Chase or Hunter’s Run, allusions to the sport with horse and hound once held on the land.

However, in the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, and on several large, privately owned parcels in Upper Freehold, the tradition of the fox hunt is alive and well.

The venerable Monmouth County Hunt Club celebrated its opening day hunt Nov. 2. Since it was established in 1885, the MCHC has had many foxhound masters, including Peter Collier, a publisher who owned an estate in Marlboro. Another noteworthy master is Amory Haskell, who was the National Horse Show’s president in 1938 and for whom the annual Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park Raceway in Oceanport is named.

On Sunday, two hunt masters joined the ranks of those who went before them — Meg Valnoski and Justin Segal, who both reside in Upper Freehold.

"Fox hunting is a sport enjoyed by people of all ages and all walks of life. It can be a family outing or a weekend retreat from 9 to 5 responsibilities. But it is always about friendship and working together. No one ever fox-hunted alone," Valnoski said.

The hunt lasted for about four hours on Sunday, which was the official opening day for fox hunting. The sport always starts in early November and hunts take place through April, with the exception of the first week in December, which is shotgun season for deer.

Valnoski said that more people participated in the hunt on Sunday than last year. And more than 30 hounds, which are counted in pairs or "couples," were used last weekend.

When asked to describe a typical hunt, Valnoski said that "every hunting day is different, but the day begins when the staff brings the hounds to the meeting place for the day’s hunting. Hounds are trained to listen to the staff to ensure their safety. We are extremely lucky to have large areas to hunt, but there are still roads so hounds need to listen to the commands for safety.

"As the day starts, the hounds begin to look for the scent of a fox, [and] when they find it, they will ‘speak’ on the line that the fox followed. This is not as easy as it sounds because the scent is dependent on the weather conditions and the dryness of the soil, for starters. These conditions can change by the hour, influencing how easy or difficult it will be for the hounds to follow the line. Sometimes they will be able to follow the line easily and the riders will follow at a fast pace; sometimes they will work very hard in a small area to follow the line and riders may even stand and watch as they work," Valnoski said.

While many types of horses are suitable for fox hunting, Valnoski said the horses must be trained to negotiate obstacles, such as jumps or small ditches.

For Valnoski, there is nothing like watching hounds work.

"Our opening day saw temperatures in the high 70s. It was the expectation for the day that things would be slow and get slower as the temperatures rose through the morning. After about two and a half hours, we were thankful for the hard work the hounds had put in and were ready to call it a day," Valnoski said. "Hounds began to speak one more time and everyone anticipated that it would be difficult for them to continue to follow the line. Not so — hounds came out of the woods as a team and followed the line through the woods and open fields for two miles.

"When hounds speak, the sound of all the hounds together is referred to as ‘music.’ It truly is when it echoes from across a wooded hillside," the co-hunt master said.

Valnoski said she is grateful for the support of local landowners — many of whose lands are permanently preserved as farmland — who allow the MCHC to use their property. Valnoski added that she has applied to have her own farm put in the state farmland preservation program.

Joanne Bicknese, of Upper Freehold, has hunted with the MCHC for 23 years. A former equine veterinarian who now works for Bristol-Myers Squibb, Bicknese said she especially enjoys watching the skill of the hounds.

"I helped this summer hand walking and roading them. They have to be very disciplined," Bicknese said.

She said she finds that fox hunting, "allows you to use all of your skills as a rider — it is cross-country riding. Sometimes there are surprises." Bicknese brought her Standardbred gelding, Victory Glow, to opening day of the fox hunt.

"A good field hunter enjoys fox hunting," she said. "They understand the different tunes and meaning of the horn. They understand different periods of excitement.

Bicknese emphasized how important the preservation of open space is to sportsmen of varying interests, from fox hunters to fishermen.

"Many hunts across the country have formed large land conservancies. There is an award given every year by the Masters of Foxhounds Association for hunts that have demonstrated excellence in land conservation," Bicknese said.

Judy Harris, the district commissioner for the Cream Ridge Pony Club, said she has been fox hunting for three years and "likes the tradition."

"You never know what the day will be like. There’s a new adventure every day," Harris said.

While Harris’ 15-year-old daughter, Jamie, likes the thrill of the hunt, Harris herself enjoys learning about the hounds.

The MCHC also holds special ju­nior and Pony Club days to teach youngsters to fox hunt.