Monmouth Hunt Club’s joint master Meg Valnoski from Allentown travels with hounds, along with professional staff Rebecca Brown.
Photo courtesy Meghan Valnoski/ Megval Studio
By Eileen Moon
On Sunday, Nov. 10, members of the Monmouth County Hunt will celebrate opening day of their annual foxhunting season at the 5,700-acre Assunpink Wildlife Management Area in western Monmouth County.
As they have done since 1885, club members will don their formal foxhunting attire and ride on horseback through the woods.
In past generations, foxhunts took place on estates of wealthy aficionados of the sport. But at this club, the sport is in the chase; foxes are not harmed.
Irish immigrant Robert Collier, founder of the Collier’s publishing empire, is credited with establishing regular hunt meets on his property in Marlboro in 1885.
Another legendary local horseman, Amory Haskell, the first president of the Monmouth Park Jockey Club, reinvigorated the sport in 1932 with foxhunts held at the former Woodland Farm in Middletown, which was also the site of the annual steeplechase known as the Monmouth County Hunt, which ended in 1996.
Today, members of the Monmouth County Hunt follow the hounds at Assunpink, a wildlife habitat in Allentown with three lakes and trails for hiking, mountain biking and cross-country skiing.
As tradition dictates, it will be an impressive sight and the public is welcome to watch. Spectators called “car-followers” often come out to the event to listen for the hounds and horns and watch for the riders to appear as they follow the hunt.
Like the men and women on horseback, the hounds are athletes who revel in the sport for its excitement and camaraderie and their love for the great outdoors.
There are about 40 canine members of the hunt club who are a mixture of three breeds of foxhounds, some of whom trace their bloodlines far back in time to the United Kingdom.
The welfare of the hounds is overseen by the nonprofit Monmouth Hound Welfare for life. “We do believe in cradle-to-grave care for our hounds,” said Jen Donaldson of Fair Haven, one of four joint masters of the Monmouth County Hunt.
The horses used in the foxhunt are frequently retired racehorses, but any horse that is comfortable with the demands of the sport is welcome. Members of the club also work with 4-H clubs to provide students with opportunities to ride.
Sunday’s opening day festivities will include a blessing of the hounds by a local clergy person prior to the hunt and a celebratory breakfast after.
“We bless the hounds and toast to a great year,” Donaldson said.
Donaldson and her fellow joint masters – Meghan Valnoski of Allentown, Doug Raynor of Robbinsville and Mary Jane Carey of Colts Neck – oversee the management and operations of the nonprofit club.
Photo courtesy Meghan Valnoski/ Megval Studio
Although it’s called a fox-hunt, it’s more accurately a fox chase, Donaldson noted. “The fox is wild. It’s a wildlife management area.”
“The goal of our sport is to chase foxes. It isn’t killing the fox,” Valnoski said.
Dry weather can make it difficult for the hounds to pick up the scent of a fox. Some days the chase is a fox-less pursuit.
Fortunately, the activity is a goal in itself.
During the foxhunting season, which runs from August to March, members will ride at Assunpink every Wednesday and Sunday.
It’s a formal sport, with rules and traditions that govern everything from the buttons worn on jackets to the care of the hounds. “Riders are steeped in tradition,” said Donaldson.
While people picture foxhunters in scarlet jackets, members of the Monmouth Hunt Club wear a variety of traditional attire, with staff members of the club wearing scarlet, women wearing blue or black coats and men wearing harrier green jackets, a fashion descended from the days of hare hunting in England.
Members earn their colors and are awarded buttons bearing the symbol of the Monmouth County Hunt according to their years of participation and progress in the club.
On occasions like this coming Sunday, when members turn out in their formal attire, it’s a sight reminiscent of a scene from Downton Abbey.
“When you’re out there you feel like you’re in the middle of a painting,” said Donaldson, who began riding as a “bucket list” item in her late 30s. “It’s a very neat thing that people in Monmouth County should be proud of.”
Valnoski has been a member of the Monmouth County Hunt Club since 1982. During those years she has served the club in many capacities, including as a member of the board of directors and as club president. In recent years, she has been in charge of the kennels and the breeding and training of the hounds.
“You’re working to build a very cohesive group of hounds that can work together,” Valnoski said, and the members’ commitment to the animals is lifelong. “I have two here at my farm that are retired.”
Like the horses and riders who follow them, the hounds enjoy the sport – particularly when the weather cooperates enough for them to pick up the scent of a fox and follow it to ground.
Though the hunt is canceled when the weather is foul and conditions are too slippery for a safe hunt, a misty rain or fresh snow is generally fine. “The hounds enjoy that. It’s like kids on the first day of snow.”
Club members are hoping for optimal weather for this Sunday’s event, which will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“It’s really still a very vital part of the county,” Valnoski said. “We are trying to bring more people into it. We’re trying to really make them aware of it and how much fun they can have. It’s really a wonderful way to get out and make new friends and just enjoy the outdoors.”
Visit monmouthcountyhunt.com for more information on club membership and opening day events.
Editor’s Note: The original date of this event was Sunday, Oct. 27. But due to predicted high winds, the event has not been rescheduled for Nov. 10. The story has been updated to reflect the date change.
