Hunting in Aiken
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Riding for Life Senior Foxhunters in Aiken By Amber Heintzberger, Photography by Gary Knoll s a sport steeped in tradition, foxhunting is bound to have Aa few senior citizens among its ranks. Although the masters of several of Aiken’s hunts say that the average age in the hunt field is getting younger, there are still plenty of old-timers out there showing newcomers the ropes. There is no shortage of hunting in the Aiken area: the four local clubs include the venerable Aiken Hounds, Whiskey Road Fox Hounds, Why Worry Hounds and Edisto River Hounds. Some Aiken hunt enthusiasts also frequent the Belle Meade Hunt in nearby Thomson, Georgia or venture further afield to ride with the Lowcountry Hunt near Charleston, or the Camden Hunt in Camden. With so many options, those who have the time and are so inclined might hunt as often as five days a week. Larry Byers, 72, and his wife Pat have lived Far left: Mel Haas; Above: David Smith; Left: Mel and Joyce Haas in Aiken for six years. He is whipper-in for the Aiken Hounds and Why Worry Hounds, and year, decade after decade? hunts four to five days a week. Larry is a former “Hunting is fun,” says Mel Haas. “I see my friends, I Master of Foxhounds at the Santa Fe Hunt, like the horses and I like to get out. I was mostly a drag located in Temecula in southern California, and hunter in my early years and I’ll never forget the first has been involved in the sport since he was a time the hounds broke line and went after live prey; young man. Over the years, he has been active in there’s something primeval about it.” showing and eventing, and has been a dedicated Larry Byers says, “Foxhunting gets us together with volunteer with the United States Pony Club, the horse, outside in God’s beauty, and there’s no serving as the organization’s president from competition. The only competition that exists is between 2001 to 2004. Byers is retired from a career as hounds and quarry. With the riders, it’s just camaraderie. an aviator in the U.S. Marine Corps and as the I used to event and do those things, but in hunting you finance director of a water district in California. don’t get that terrible pang in your stomach like when Dr. Mel Haas, who will be 71 years old in you go in the start box.” March and lives in Edgefield County, is a semi- Riding is widely accepted to be a high-risk sport retired neurosurgeon who hunts three or four and hunting increases that risk with horses and riders times a week with Whiskey Road and Why traveling at speed in a pack. Haas acknowledges Worry and occasionally with the Aiken that he has had his share of wrecks, quoting the Hounds. Mel has been hunting since he legendary Aiken horseman Billy Haggard. “Billy was in his 20s living in Baltimore. During said ‘If you ride horses you’ll get broke up, and his residency in medical school in Boston, if you ride long enough you’ll get broke up bad.’ he hunted with the Norfolk Hounds and I’ve broken my back and had a few concussions, later moved to Aiken after taking a job but I’ll retire when it’s not fun.” in Augusta. Though he is not on staff at Although he may have had a few broken present, he is Master Emeritus of Whiskey bones, Dr. Haas says that the stress relief Road and was MFH for 27 years. He was outweighs the risks. “My father died in his 50s also the huntsman for 13 years and the field and had a very stressful job,” he says. “When I master for 14 years. was a resident in Boston I’d go out at night and David Smith, 68 of Aiken, has been the barn manager would plow up a track for hunting for more than 40 years. Originally me – no matter how stressed I was, if I could get from Columbia, South Carolina, he out there and gallop, the riding relieved it. The received his colors in Camden in 1970, and riding sort of saved me.” then hunted in Tennessee and Kentucky, Hunting enthusiasts often get hooked on earning his colors at the Mells Fox Hounds watching the hounds work just as much as on in Tennessee in 1986, where he served the adrenaline rush of the action or the social as whipper-in. He has been a Master at aspect of hunting. “Watching the hounds work Whiskey Road since 2004 and was whipping-in to and solve the problem, and seeing how the fox can WRFH for eight years prior to that. He and his wife, ‘outfox’ the hounds, is amazing,” says Byers. “We have Lynn, are currently joint Masters of Whiskey Road. grey foxes here and they can actually go up a tree, so David also started playing polo in 1970, and is a member it’s amazing to watch them take hounds to a swamp of the Aiken Polo Club. and run them around and try to get them to lose the Why Keep Hunting? scent.” Getting up early in the morning, trailering to a meet, Hunting in Aiken riding over rough terrain in all sorts of weather…what With several hunt clubs to choose from, a generally is it that keeps people coming back for more, year after agreeable climate and loamy soil that stays good in February/March -2011 The Aiken Horse 45 most conditions, Aiken is a veritable foxhunter’s up on the back of a horse paradise. Noting the social aspect, Smith says and has been hunting that he has a lot of friends who’ve been hunting with Edisto River since for a long time. “We have so many members now we started up 16 years who are snowbirds, they come in for a month or ago. He’s excellent with three, and it’s really nice to get back with all of the hounds – it felt these people,” he explains. “It’s the same with the wonderful as his mother steeplechase people, the polo people – they’re all when he was 12 years involved in the same thing.” old and asked if he could Byers agrees, “Aiken is really unique, it’s a very whip in on his own for welcoming community horse-wise and the people the first time. I think that involved in horses here are supportive of each having younger members other. Eventers support foxhunters, foxhunters inspires the older people, support polo people – it’s a very open equine who get to see the young, community.” vibrant kids out there The joint Master of the Edisto River Hounds, keeping up with the D.K. Newell, who admits that at she 64 is ‘no hounds and hunting in a spring chicken’, says the diversity of Aiken’s hunts is proper manner.” also a major attraction. The Edisto hunt provides a “We meet more kids less strenuous experience for foxhunters that might out there now, though a appeal to older riders. “We specialize in a kinder, lot of the boys don’t seem gentler kind of hunt and enjoy our older members to get keen about riding,” and children,” she says. “They both need the observes Dr. Haas, whose same sort of pace so they don’t fall off and break own three daughters anything. Our hunt is graduated with first flight grew up hunting. “There and second flight, so you can walk and trot if you are more young ladies like. There are no jumps in our hunt country, no than boys. The boys ditches or water crossings, so it’s a very comfortable need to realize it’s not environment for beginners.” a prissy sport – you get A popular draw for foxhunters in Aiken is Hunt out there in the hunt Week, which starts at the beginning of February. field and it can be all you “As usual, people will be coming into town the can do to keep up with week before – usually they don’t go home!” says Larry Byers takes an active part in the care of the hounds at Aiken Hounds. Whether it everybody! You can start David Smith. “We have five hunts for our guests is helping to exercise them or cleaning their kennels, Larry loves to be with the hounds. as a child and go all the during the week. There’s also a hunt ball. Hunt Week really goes on way through until late in life. Just yesterday we had a 71st birthday party almost two weeks with something to do every minute. They have to for my friend Leo Benjamin – we hunted from his farm and then had start getting fit around Christmas to keep up!” birthday cake at the hunt breakfast. He came back from a major injury Staying Young five years ago and now he hunts first flight and plays polo.” Hunting can be good exercise, and senior foxhunters say that riding to Leo, who broke his neck and had a major brain injury in a foxhunting hounds keeps them fit and feeling young. Dr. Haas says he goes to an accident, explains that Dr. Haas is the one who found him in a ditch athletic center three mornings a week to work on core body strength and put him on the helicopter when he was injured. “It’s a dangerous and also does some of the barn and yard work, but most of his fitness sport but we enjoy it – it’s kind of an addiction.” comes from riding.