EQUINE Ink

The best of fall hunting

Liz Goldsmith
The first cast
The hunt starts with a good run down this trail. It’s open so you can see the hounds pick up the scent.

I haven’t hunted much this fall but Monday’s Columbus Day Hunt was so spectacular that it made up for the missed days. It was a magnificent warm day and the fall foliage is at its peak here in New England. I was a bit worried that Zelda would be a handful but she made a liar out of me and was perfect. Always glad when my horse surprises me in a good way! As one of my fellow riders commented, when I start taking photos it means my horse is behaving.

This hunt is very close to where I’m

You can see the staff and the hounds at work in this beautiful field. If you click on the photo it gets much larger.

currently boarding. In fact, we ride through “The Perfect Field” on our way. The problem is that when I’m hunting, we’re usually going too fast through it to take an pictures.

The hunt starts in Acton and takes us through several connected bits of conservation land, through Concord and back to Acton. It’s a delightful mix of wooded trails — where the canopy of leaves was the full range of fall colors — and big open galloping fields. The hounds were right on the scent and the field was small enough that we could see it all.

Entering the field for the third cast.
We passed by some bright red trees
We had a stirrup cup at the second check. We had quite a few folks from the neighborhood show up for the spectacle. The hounds love the kids and vice versa. Zelda was disappointed that she didn’t get her own glass of cider, despite her best efforts.
The softer hues of the foliage were just as beautiful!
This trail leads to the Perfect Field. I’d always ridden this way so it was a surprise when I came to it from a different entrance.
The last part of the hunt was in this lovely field. Here the staff returns after putting the hounds up.
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