Piscataqua hounds

PRESS RELEASE

Tally Ho with Piscataqua Hounds!

Contact: Cheryl Bucklin Niles
(603) 749-0452

Email: redhorsehillpottery@comcast.net

Website: http://www.piscataquahounds.com/

For immediate release:

The fourth season of the Piscataqua Hounds is off to a rollicking good start, with many rides already under way and several more remaining on the fall calendar. The club’s Master of Foxhounds, Cheryl Bucklin Niles, is well-known in the hunt community, having served as MFH and huntsman of the Wentworth Hunt for 14 years. “It’s a tremendous pleasure to offer experienced hunt people a great ride over beautiful territory and introduce new people to the sport,” she says.

The Piscataqua Hounds is a “drag” hunt, meaning that no real foxes are actually hunted and killed. Instead, a scent is dragged through pre-selected trails and fields, which is then followed by the hounds and horses. For people wishing to join in, Piscataqua Hounds offers two groups following the hounds: a more advanced group known as “first field” that features regular gallops and optional jumping, and “hilltop,” where riders and horses can follow the hunt at a slightly slower pace without jumping.

Piscataqua Hounds is open to riders of all ages and from a variety of equestrian backgrounds, as well as to any breed of horse. Currently, the hunt consists of riders on drafts, quarter horses, thoroughbreds, paints, appaloosas, halflingers, and warmbloods. All manage New Hampshire’s and Maine’s woods and back roads and rich fall fields incredibly well. The club’s mission is to preserve and honor the New England drag hunting tradition, with a focus on safe horsemanship, riding to hounds, and conserving natural territories.

This year, Piscataqua Hounds is experiencing strong turnout, all eager to try some of the 31 hunts at 17 different locations. Most hunt sites can be found in New Hampshire and include Dover, Center Tuftonboro, Madbury, Milton Mills, Wolfeboro, Gilmanton, Brookfield, Barrington, Barnstead, and Allenstown. There are also a few hunts just over the border in Berwick and North Berwick, Maine. “I’m excited about the new hunt location this year,” says Niles, “Many of our sites feature mountain views.” A new venue for foxhunters this year isTurkey Ridge Farm in Center Tuftonboro, NH. “There’s nothing quite like watching the hounds catch the scent and explore a new territory.

On September 18th, the Piscataqua Hounds can be found at Janet Murfey’s Brookfield Corner Farm in Brookfield, NH. This will be a special day as it is the “Blessing of the Hounds,” a traditional ceremony where the hounds are blessed by a local priest. The Reverend Sue Poulin from St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Sanbornville will officiate.

September 18th is also the first day of formal season, where riders will exchange their blue Piscataqua Hounds polo shirts for the traditional look of a foxhunter: black coats, white stock ties, and buff-colored britches. The costume is designed to be practical: wool coats keep riders warm, white stock ties can be unfolded and transformed into a slings or bandages in case of emergency. The MFH wears a red coat so that she can easily be seen to lead the hunt.

Cheryl Bucklin Niles is well known for developing an outstanding pack of award-winning American Foxhounds that are uniquely suited to the challenges and traditions of hunting in New England. “They are going great this year!” she says. She started hunting 30 years ago when she was still in school at University of New Hampshire. “My instructor, Duane Cobb, who was a well-known horseman in the area (he started the polo club, too), wanted his students to learn how to participate in a hunt.” It turned out to be a transformative event. “He sent us out on school horses for a Wentworth Hunt during its inaugural season. We had so much fun! It was the first time I experienced a social activity with horses outside of showing.”

Niles’s experience as hunt staff for three decades and her long-time friendships with landowners aid in the pulling the variety of venues together.