The Wyatt family has made this site a real show stopper. The late Carl Siemon and family welcomed the hunt to their nationally acclaimed tree farm, and daughter Cynthia Wyatt is now continuing the family tradition of supporting recreational use of their extensive property, including the sport of foxhunting. We have hosted hunter paces in this territory which is blessed with spectacular fields and wide sandy tote roads flanked by streams. There are numerous coops, logs and a variety of jumps.

Miles of beautiful wooded trails, firm sandy footing, plenty of natural huntsy jumps, all off to the side of the main trail. There is typically good footing on the trails in the woods, which run near the Salmon Falls and Branch Rivers. Branch Hill Farm is a 3,000-acre farm with a managed forestry plan. The farm began in 1962 when Carl Siemon purchased his grandparents’ 18^th century farmhouse and three acres of land. With his vision and life’s work, the farm grew and the land was protected from development. His daughter Cynthia Wyatt continues with that same spirit and generosity, allowing us & many other groups to enjoy the beauty of the forest and farmland.

Thank You Myopia

We had a great joint meet with Myopia at Yorkfield Farm Wednesday (9-Sep). Thank you to Richard Emmott, Huntsman, Heather Player, Whipper-in, Donald Little, MFH, and Linda Donovan, Secretary. We appreciate your support to our club and we had a great time! Some photos are already posted in the Photo Gallery Section. Enjoy ...

We’ve had many unforgettable and exciting times hunting from Yorkfield Farm, including a loop into Silver Oaks Equestrian Center (host to Fidelity Investments Jumper Classic), cantering uphill through lanes of Christmas trees at the picturesque Tonry Christmas Tree Farm on Exeter Road in Hampton Falls before stirrup cup, quietly walking under the tall pine forest through the Wakeda Campground, interesting jumps around the polo field which is flanked by Harlow’s avant garde sculptures, a great jaunt around Parker’s large hay field, a variety of natural jumps (logs and stone) on the woodland trails, mounting a spectacular hill on North Road and magnificent walk along the country roads back toward Drinkwater Road, and watching first field follow the track around the polo field while the hounds cause a flock of geese to take off en masse as first field prepares to jump in and out of the paddocks.

Yorkfield Farm operates a top-notch boarding and training facility. The Carpenter family has extended their hospitality by offering the hunt the opportunity to ride across a gorgeous piece of southeastern New Hampshire. The site is so popular it draws the biggest crowd, especially for the Blessing of the Hounds. For the last few years, hunters and guests have been greeted by a French Horn ensemble performing from Harlow’s Folly as riders tack up and everyone gathers for the blessing. Former foxhunters themselves, the Carpenters have been good friends to the Wentworth Hunt and the Yorkfield fixture is one of our favorites and best-paneled fixtures. We will have a moment of silence at our Blessing this year in memory of Harlow Carpenter, who is greatly missed. This year’s Blessing and opening of our formal season is Saturday 3-October.

Great meet at Fine Nest

The hounds did great at our hunt over Labor Day weekend! Hilltop had an excellent view of the pack as they worked the scent around the hayfields before stirrup cup. This territory has interconnected trails through wooded areas that cover conservancy land along the Stingy River. Well-paneled throughout with an eventer's enthusiastic eye. We recently added a loop through land just protected by Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire, and we enjoy riding around several hay fields at the neighboring Sullos Farm. Over 150 acres of Fine Nest Farm is in conservation with the Bear-Paw Regional Greenways.

Wednesday at Green Acres

Well-established show stable Green Acres is a home to the hunt on the southern end of Dover. The territory has fields and wooded trails that weave throughout the section of Dover Point and conservancy land. There are beautiful views of the Bellamy River. Green Acres features stadium course and cross-country course with water jumps, drops and ditches. Thank you very much to Dawn Dascomb and William Hopkins for hosting us again!

We plan to still go to Tamworth during formal season

The owner of Red Horse Hill Farm, Diana Louis, opens her lovely farm to us this season. Even though the weather will prevent us from hunting there this Saturday, 29-August, during cubbing season, we plan to be back in October. The fixture weaves down dirt roads leading to spectacular field runs and woodland romps, ending with cross-country course. Dom Bergen plans a varied, exciting traverse from the farm to the base of Mt. Chocorua. We are very pleased to be hunting at Red Horse Hill Farm again this year.

The scenery is stunning, with dramatic mountain views in a breathtaking landscape. Tamworth was founded in 1766 and is rich in historic structures and sites, home to the oldest repertory theatre in the United States, the Barnstormers, which has an eclectic summer program of plays and musicals.

Weekday hunt at Echo Ridge Farm

We had a great day at Echo Ridge Farm, Lee, on Wednesday 26-August! Welcome to the cappers from Echo Ridge Farm.

Kelly Perkins has wide open lanes for their cross-country course, through fields and wooded trails. The footing in the woods is unmatched. The enchanting neighborhood is along a dirt road speckled with a donkey farm and a dairy farm. It's like turning the page back a century with the stonewalls, expanses of fields and farm buildings. They have carefully restored this 1700’s farmhouse. The territory connects with neighboring Coppal House Farm, boasting hayfields, pumpkin patches, turkeys, sheep and cornfields, including a Fall cornfield maze. Thank you to the Huttons for allowing us to ride the perimeters of their fields on this working and interesting farm. Right before watching our hounds work the drag scent around the hay fields, we watched their team of horses ploughing the field. At stirrup cup, riders walked their horses into the pond after they saw how much the hounds enjoyed cooling off in the water – Sterling wanted more, Chance tried to take his rider swimming. We cantered around the outside of the corn maze and followed the hounds through the Banks’ open, rolling fields, greeted by their herd of sheep as we headed back to Echo Ridge. The Coppal House Farm corn maze opens this Saturday 29-August. Check it out!

Opening Meet Cub Season

The time is here again. We were pleased to open our cubbing season with a hunt from the kennels, Tuckaway Farm in Lee. It was a very hot day, but thoroughly enjoyed by our hunters ready for the upcoming season. We are grateful to landowners Chuck & Laurel Cox. What an inviting route -- much of it through the woods, to the delight of riders and horses, where it was cooler and less deer fly – great hay bale jumps in several of the fields. Terrific! Chuck led first field, and Brittany Cox was able to hunt her polo pony Fig before she heads off to college at Cornell later this week. Many thanks to all the volunteers on the ground and behind the scenes that make our hunts run smoothly. [Field Secretary Arthur Williams, with his assistant Deb Bloomberg; Nancy Francis on the ground for the start and taking photos; and ground crew for hounds and stirrup cup: Joe Vaillancourt & Krista Trefethen, joined by Alyssa Carpenter, new to the hound and ground crew on Wednesdays this year.]

Photos from today’s meet can be found in the Photo Gallery or follow this link directly to the album. Thank you Nancy Francis for taking pictures!

Conservation Hunter Pace

Perfect day for a large field of teams competing in our annual Hunter Pace to raise funds for Conservation. We had 24 teams, 56 riders at Fine Nest Farm in Raymond. Ribbons were awarded to the top six teams in Field and Hilltop Divisions. Thanks to the jump committee, led by Jan Brubacher, North Road Farm, and Sarah Isherwood, we have a number of new portable jumps.

This year we will be donating money to Bear-Paw Regional Greenways, Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire, and Moose Mountain Regional Greenways. Fine Nest Farm has 160 acres protected by Bear-Paw. We also ride through land that Southeast Land Trust recently acquired in Epping, along the Stingy River (the Pawtuckaway River). Wentworth Hunt also enjoys riding at Branch Hill Farm, Milton Mills, which is protected by Moose Mountain Regional Greenways. One of the goals of this pace is to raise awareness and funds for conservation in our area ... without the open space and our generous landowners, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to ride in so many lovely territories. Thank you to all for supporting this pace!

Follow this link for the results. Our series this season consists of three paces. Our final pace will be a Fall Foliage Columbus Day hunter pace on Monday 12-October. Here are the series standings to date and the prize categories. Photos from the conservation pace can be found in the Photo Gallery section here. Please contact Jean Jeffords, Pace Series Chair, if you have any inquiries.

The other goal of the pace is to get ready for the season. Our cub season opening meet is this Wednesday 19-August from the kennels, Tuckaway Farm, Lee. Thank you for supporting our club and conservation fundraiser!

Wentworth Riders Deliver Declaration of Independence

The American Independence Museum celebrates Exeter’s role in the founding of our nation every year. Wentworth members Cody Cramer and Chuck Cox donned colonial garb to deliver on horseback the declaration to a waiting crowd at the festival on 18-Jul-09. Also at the festival, there was hourly firing of the cannons, battle portrayal, music, talks, traditional artisans, colonial role players, and evening fireworks.

Through the night of July 4, 1776, Congress’ official printer, John Dunlap, typeset and printed about 150 “broadsides” (poster-sized copies) of the Declaration. These broadsides were delivered to the founders early on the morning of July 5; one copy was entered into the Congressional Journal and the other issues were distributed throughout the Colonies to read aloud to the colonists and the militia. A copy arrived in Exeter on July 16 and was read to the townspeople by John Taylor Gilman on the steps of the Town Hall. In 1985, an electrician found the Dunlap Broadside of the Declaration of Independence in the attic of the Ladd-Gilman House. This rare founding document is one of 25 remaining copies known to exist. [text from American Independence Museum]

First of the Series ...

What a great start to the 2009 Hunter Pace Series! We enjoyed perfect weather and awesome footing at Branch Hill Farm in Milton Mills. So many riders of all ages came out and had a great time. We saw some new faces and lots of familiar faces. Many thanks to all our riders and to all the hunt members who contributed to the success of the pace! Special thanks to Branch Hill Farm and Cynthia Wyatt for allowing us to enjoy such a special place! This land is protected from development through Moose Mountain Regional Greenways. Cynthia was a founding member of MMRG to conserve land and keep it open for outdoor recreation.

Chronicle airs Wentworth Hunt on Thanksgiving ...

What a nice way to close the formal season, with an airing on Thanksgiving evening of the visit that New Hampshire’s television magazine Chronicle made to the Wentworth Hunt earlier this season! The fall colors are still bright in the segment, which was filmed at Dr. & Mrs. Andre Vanderzanden’s Prodigue Farm in early October. The Vanderzanden family, founding members of the hunt, offer a beautiful territory that encompasses fields and forests, and sports natural jumps. This is the host farm for Myhre Equine Clinic Hunt, a day when Dr. Grant Myhre and his associates joint us, and host to the New Hampshire Equestrian Academy Day, paying homage to the new charter school. Our members always thoroughly enjoy themselves at Prodigue Farm, with the after-hunt tea usually held at the impeccably restored farmhouse and yard, where Pooh Vanderzanden is seen welcoming riders to wonderul food and refreshment after their ride. Pooh is back hunting this season on her new mount Isabella. The stirrup cup has a wonderful vantage point, where the Hilltop Field is waiting with a sweeping view of the fields, watching hounds, followed by staff and first field, as they work the perimeter of the fields and then gallop up to meet them. Click here or on the photo above to connect to the streaming video.

Wentworth’s own Lilac ...

“Each year, hounds from many of the New England Hunts gather to contest one another’s hunting ability over a 2-3 mile line. Scents used by each hunt are combined to give every hound their best opportunity to hunt well, stay on the line, and be first to the finish.” Myopia Hunt hosted this year’s hound race on Sunday 30-Nov ... it was an *interesting* day for the hounds and hunstmen, but all had fun! See Lilac pictured at right with her silver trophy tray for "fastest bitch", flanked by Ann Wicander, MFH, at left, and honorary member and dedicated ground crew leader, Krista Trefethen, at right. (Photo courtesy of Charlie Krupa.) Each hunt competes with four hounds. Wentworth sent Fable, Fanfare, Lilac and Charcoal. Thank you to members and friends who went down to watch the races and share in the end-of-season fun. See Susan Decker's pictures from the hound races here.

New England Hunter Trials ...

Wentworth Hunt takes first place in the Team Division of the New England Hunter Trials! Ann Wicander, MFH, had to cheer from the sidelines for teammates Sue Levy, MFH, Krista Trefethen, and Cody Cramer, who took the blue ribbon for the Team Division on Sunday 16-November. Ann injured her ankle last weekend at the hunt at Tuckaway Farm.

Sue, Krista, and Cody took first place in a tough but fun team competition that included jumps in sequence and others with all three abreast. Sue also took the Blue Ribbon in the Senior Qualified Division amidst stiff competition. BRAVO SUE!! Krista Trefethen took fifth place in the large Open Division. Cindy Jenkins' granddaughter Marley competed in the new Novice Division. WAY TO GO MARLEY!!

Thank you to all Wentworth Members and Friends who came to compete, to fence judge, and to cheer on our jumpers! Fence judges included: Liz Esmiol, Walker Greenwell, Pooh Vanderzanden, and Carolyn McCollom. Thank you Julie Krupa, Terry Monks, and Linda Saba, Ann, Cindy Jenkins, plus Cody's little cheering squad Wyatt, Lydia, Clayton and dana for braving the wind & cold to root on our hunters! Some photos are posted in our Wentworth Hunt Photo Gallery. Professional photographers Susan Decker and John Miller, from Spectrum Photography, have photos posted from the trials. Results are posted on Myopia's webpage here.

The weather was blustery and cold as the day went on, but the footing was good considering the amount of rain in the past few days. Myopia were wonderful hosts.

Thrill of the foxhunt ...

We are on the front page of the Portsmouth Herald! Check out the photos posted with the story – great shot of our happy hounds.

Correspondent Lara Bricker came out to our recent hunt at Garrison House Farm, Durham, on Saturday 25-October, and she also spent some time visiting our hounds at the kennels, Tuckaway Farm, Lee, with huntsman Sue Levy, MFH, and kennelman Chuck Cox.

Lara has written about polo in southeast New Hampshire, as well as a host of other topics. She writes a blog about Exeter and other topics of regional interest. Her recent book is How Do You Milk a Moose Anyhow? Lara’s horses are retired, she cares for them at their place. Before journalism, she was an Equestrian Studies major at UNH, and she used to board her horse at Yorkfield Farm. Next year, we hope she’ll ride some with us!

See the Portsmouth Herald articles from Sunday 09-Nov about the Wentworth Hunt:

• Thrill of the Foxhunt: Hounds, Horses on the trail at
  Durham’s Garrison House Farm (9-Nov-08)
• Hunters United by the Love of Chase, Horses (9-Nov-08)

Wentworth Hunt hosts television news magazine New Hampshire Chronicle

We were very happy to host New Hampshire’s television news magazine NH Chronicle, joining us Wednesday 8-October for our hunt at Prodigue Farm, Rochester. Many members will remember that Sara Edwards from the Chronicle rode with the hunt at Applehurst Farm, Epping, over a decade ago.

Tuckaway Farm and Dorn Cox were featured on Chronicle recently, with a piece about biodiesel, testing fuel production from sunflowers, and revitalizing agriculture infrastructure in New Hampshire. You can see the segment here.

Also recently airing was a segment about the Fidelity Jumper Classic making its move to New Hampshire, hosted in early September at the Silver Oaks Equestrian Center, Hampton Falls. It was also featured in New Hampshire Magazine, with pictures of Lana DuFour who capped with the hunt as a junior rider and attended New Hampshire Equestrian Charter School. Some will remember hunts from Kensington’s Yorkfield Farm that passed through Silver Oaks before getting over to the Tonry Christmas Tree Farm for stirrup cup.

The Blessing of the Hounds ...

We had a great opening meet at Yorkfield Farm, Kensington, where Rev. Sue LeSueur, from the Derry Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, performed a traditional Blessing of the Hounds. The ceremony traces its roots to St. Hubert, patron saint of hunters who was born into nobility in 7^th Century French Aquitaine. As Fall is now upon us, we are enjoying the sport of the formal season. Please come out to join us, whether hunting or “chasing” the hunt on foot or by car.

Foxhunting in New England series in the Rochester Times ...

Rochester Times editor John Nolan has written a series of four articles about foxhunting in New England, its roots in his native England, traditions, and hunting right here in New Hampshire with the Wentworth Hunt.

Read about the Wentworth Hunt in the Times. John Nolan’s series began with a piece about differences between foxhunting in his native England and here in New England …

• Part one: Fox hunting -- It can really be a drag (25-Sep-08)
• Part two: Fox hunting -- Ancient customs and modern ethics (2-Oct-08)
• Part three: Fox hunting -- Happy trails are here again (9-Oct-08)
• Final part: Fox hunting -- It's all about the hounds (16-Oct-08)

And here are a few video clips from a cold, rainy morning ...

Here's to the few, the brave ... the Wednesday hunters that braved the cold, rainy, windy weather for our meet at Fine Nest Farm, Raymond, on 22-Oct-08. Sometimes the small hunts are the best. We had a great time, the hounds were right on, wonderful voice, beautiful view of the pack working the fields at the Sullos Farm, Epping (only got video in the woods).

Fanfare for Fanfare!!

The MFHA New England Hound Show was held in early June, organized by Greg Kittredge, MFH, Guilford Hounds. See www.mfha.com/hshows.htm for more information about the MFHA hound shows. Wentworth Hunt showed great achievement at the show (our pack has come a long way!):

• Delta placed 4th in the Single Dog, English Division
• Dixie placed 3rd in the Single Bitch, English Division
• Fable placed 2nd in the Single Dog, Crossbred Division
• Fanfare placed 1st in the Single Bitch, Crossbred Division
• which qualified her for the Champion Crossbred Dog or Bitch Division which she won …
• this qualified her then for the New England Champion, Best Dog or Bitch in Show for all top-placing Champions in every category, English, American, and Crossbred winners of each division …
• which she then won! Wentworth’s own Fanfare was Best in Show, New England Champion for the MFHA Hound Show.

Well done Sue Levy, MFH, with your team of Krista Trefethen and Walker Greenwell at the New England Hound Show 2008.

Also, we are so appreciative of the hunts that helped to get our new pack started last season: Aiken Hounds, Myopia Hunt Club, Green Mountain Hounds. Our hounds and staff are the lifeblood of the Wentworth Hunt! We plan to have a page on the website with pictures of all of our hounds very soon. Come on out and meet them!