Misty Morning Hounds at The Perry Plantation

09/06/2026

Tomorrow’s the our first event of the season! Who’s joining us?!

Find this seasons liability waiver at our website to expedite checkin!

09/03/2026

New course, New Jumps, New Season!
Hunter Paces are back on September 27th!

09/03/2026

Jumps, jumps, & more jumps!

Our fabulous jump repair team has been hard at work sprucing up The Perry Planation for all the events we have planned this season!

Jumping Sundays are coming up this weekend & don’t forget our Hunter Paces start again on September 27th!

📸: Robyn Harter & Liz Kanan

08/31/2026

With hunt season right around the corner, now’s the time to get your gear ready to go!

It's that magical time of year when the Honorary Secretary would like you to remember what proper hunt attire looks like! Today is Formal Attire!

Black and White is the theme. Canary vest for color. White stock ties, plain gold pins, black dress boots.

For members with colors! Add patent leather boot tops and the colors at the collars. As soon as we find a good source for buttons we will get that information out to you!

08/30/2026

Starting Next Weekend! MMH Jumping Sundays Sept. 6th & 13th! -

Come join us for a fun day out in nature with your horse and your horsey friends! No preregistration required!  You do not have to jump to attend! Casual attire, easy going pace, Western riders welcome!

08/27/2026

Clash of the Canines: The Great Hound Match of 1905...

In November 1905, the rolling hills of Virginia’s Piedmont region became the stage for one of the most eccentric, high-stakes sporting spectacles in American history. Known as "The Great Hound Match," this two-week event was not just a competition; it was America’s symbolic declaration of sporting independence from Great Britain.

The conflict erupted on the pages of Rider and Driver, a prominent sporting journal of the era. Harry Worcester Smith, the wealthy Master of the Grafton Hunt in Massachusetts, boldly claimed that American-bred foxhounds were vastly superior to their overseas counterparts. He argued they were faster, more independent, and uniquely suited to the rugged, uncultivated American wilderness.

This infuriated Alexander Henry Higginson, the aristocratic Master of the Middlesex Hunt. Higginson, a staunch traditionalist, believed that imported English foxhounds—with their centuries of disciplined pedigree—represented the pinnacle of canine perfection. To settle the debate, the two men wagered a massive $1,000 bet (equivalent to over $35,000 today) and agreed to a head-to-head field trial in the neutral territory of Middleburg, Virginia.

The match transformed the historic Welbourne estate into a bustling national sports hub. Special trains arrived daily, unloading elite horses, dozens of hounds, and wealthy spectators from 26 hunt clubs across North America. The national press swarmed the rural landscape, treating the event with the same gravity as a heavyweight boxing championship.

The rules were simple: each pack would hunt on alternating days for two weeks. Judges rode alongside the packs, scoring the dogs on their trailing ability, speed, endurance, and voice.

The physical differences between the packs mirrored the cultural divide of the owners:

The English Pack: Heavy-chested, highly disciplined, and trained to run as a tightly packed unit.

The American Pack: Lean, light-footed, independent, and notoriously vocal.

The thick, jagged Virginia undergrowth quickly turned the tide. The disciplined English hounds, accustomed to manicured British estates, struggled against the dense American brush and briars. They ran beautifully as a pack, but when a red fox broke the line, they lacked the individual initiative to recover the scent in unfamiliar terrain.

In contrast, Smith’s American foxhounds thrived. They cast themselves wide, relied on raw intuition, and utilized their lighter frames to tear through the wilderness. Their loud, distinct baying echoed through the valleys as they successfully tracked fox after fox.

The heavy English hounds were thoroughly outmatched by the agility and grit of the local breeds. The judges decisively crowned Harry Worcester Smith and his American Foxhounds the winners. Higginson conceded gracefully, handing over the $1,000 purse.

The Great Hound Match of 1905 permanently cemented the reputation of the American Foxhound as a distinct, elite breed. Just one year later, the event's organizers formalized the sport by founding the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America, ensuring that the legacy of this legendary clash would shape American field sports for generations to come.

08/27/2026

Here’s to the hounds on National Dog Day!

08/24/2026

Good Morning!

08/23/2026

Help me thank our members Robyn Harter, Julia Butcher, & Nathan Porter for giving up their Sunday morning to help construct two new jumps and repair three others!

Make sure you check ‘em out sometime this season- more to come next weekend!

08/23/2026

Two weeks from today! 🦊🐎

Y’all follow along with our hound walks and foxhunts—now it’s time to come see what it’s all about!

Come learn the ropes at Jumping Sunday, meet the hounds, and then actually join in on the fun this season! We’d love to have y’all out with us! ❤️