NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/725550
OCTOBER 2016 • NEBRASKAland 55 socialize, discuss the morning's hunt and thank generous landowners for allowing the club access to their property and facilities. And sometimes, we have breakfast at a restaurant where we are able to mingle with the locals and thank them for welcoming us into their communities. In Burwell, Nebraska, you will find an old picture of fox hunters among an impressive wall of rodeo queens and bull and bronc riders at the Northside Bar and Grill. The Rodeo Inn always greets NHH with a "Welcome Fox Hunters" message on their hotel sign every fall and spring. And we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves if the chefs at the Sandstone Grill weren't around to cater our delicious hunt breakfasts and cocktail parties – they cook up some of the best food west of Grand Island. At my first hunt in Burwell, after I had jumped my very first coops in the field with Carine's approval, I felt so full of myself that I ordered a basket of calf fries at the Northside Bar and Grill. But foxhunting is a humbling sport – I haven't ordered them since. The Horse I've talked a lot about the foxes and the hounds, but for me, the true hero is the horse (or pony) that carries you safely across the rough, grassy sea. A good fox hunter is brave, level- headed and has the stamina to carry a rider for miles at high speeds. They will merely shrug at traffic, pay 30-40 hounds running circles around their legs no mind, jump everything you ask them to, go wherever you ask them to and remain calm amid chaos. What's more, a huntsman's, field master's, or staff's horse can do all those things, but twice better. Quality fox hunters are rare, and I will go so far as to argue that the best ones also love their jobs. These horses want to be up front and stay with the action. They attack all obstacles willingly. And their ears perk up when they hear the hounds speak. Good fox hunters know their job, and if you trust them to do it, they'll keep you safe and carry out their duties with the utmost sincerity. These horses are rare, beautiful creatures, inside and out. There are few things in the world so honest and pure. Master of Foxhounds David Keffeler of Bennington, Nebraska, raises his stirrup cup to the photographer at last season's opening hunt in Missouri Valley, Iowa. Opening and closing hunts are two of the most well-attended events of the season. PHOTO BY RICK WHEATLEY m This photo was taken in 1969. One of North Hills Hunt's founders, Taylor Snow became the hunt's first master of foxhounds and first huntsman. PHOTO BY RICHARD VOGES