Genesee Valley Hunt members and their guests packed about as much hunting and other fun into their race meet weekend as humanly possible. Over the four days (Oct. 7-10), they hunted three times, watched or competed in 12 horse races, held two hunt breakfasts, and attended two dances, including the hunt ball.

Some members were overheard to say they were fit enough for all the riding, but next year they plan to go into training to be fit enough for the partying.

The weekend began with a rainy and chilly Friday afternoon hunt, followed by the pre-race dinner and dance party to entertain arriving owners, trainers and jockeys under the tent at the course.

Friday’s hunt started slowly but ended with an exceptional run through “lots of jumping country with about a five-mile point,” according to huntsman Marion Thorne.

Hounds found their pilot at the Hogsback in the Gully, and pursued him north through the kennel lot, the Thorne farm, and Dygert’s woods, by the Smith Farm, to Carland Stables, and still north to a cornfield by Jim Davis’ shop on Hogmire Rd. After a stay in the corn, the pilot broke covert again, north to Little Rd. before circling back to Hogmire Rd. When the fox headed west for the river in the gathering darkness, Thorne called in her hounds.

A high point of the post-race hunt ball was the presentation of the rarely given and highly prestigious “Green Max” award, initiated by the late Judge Robert Houston to honor extraordinary contributions to hunting.

With the masters’ blessing, honorary whipper-in Andrew Chanler awarded the “Green Max” to Beth Harris, who stabilized Travis Thorne, professional whipper-in and kennelman, in the field after his horse somersaulted over a coop and landed on him. After many weeks in the hospital, Thorne recovered fully and returned to his duties.

Chanler then awarded an unprecedented second “Green Max” to Beth’s husband, Stirlin Harris, who used CPR to save Bob Heinhold, a technical delegate and course designer for driving competitions, when he suffered a heart attack while following the Roscommon Beagles.

Sunday featured an unusual bye-day hunt that started at a local pub. A significant number of members assisted with early morning cleanup at the racecourse, then headed for the noon hunt. The attire was casual, and the hunt was preceded by an hour of lunch and libations at the Par Keys Lounge in Scottsburg, N.Y.

While the hunting was unremarkable, the hunters agreed that the leisurely start led to a very convivial afternoon on horseback with no regrets about Reynard’s failure to cooperate.

The pub format was inspired by three distinguished Irish visitors to the Genesee Valley: Aiden O’Connell, of Limerick, who arrived the week before to conduct cross-country riding clinics; Jack Lambert, of Co. Wexford, who stands Grange Bouncer, a sought-after stallion for eventing and jumping mares; and Tony Lambert, Jack’s son, who’s relocated to Boston. The weekend even featured “soft Irish weather” to make them feel at home.

Monday’s hunt was the traditional Pony Club Hunt, usually an excellent day. About 25 youngsters from two Pony Clubs led the adult riders, many of whom were enjoying their third hunt in four days. The fixture was Granger Farm, and the first half of the morning was spent mostly in the fields and woods with few panels to ensure that no Pony Clubber was left out of a run by having to find a gate–although past experience has shown that the fearless youngsters and their ponies usually out-jump their adult followers.

Thanks to huntsman Thorne and a couple of cooperative foxes, the field was treated to views of fine hound work. One accommodating fox scampered along the outside of a hedgerow, then did a 180-degree turn to run through the hedge in the opposite direction. Thorne kept the field positioned close to hounds so the riders could watch the pack work and hear their exhilarating music.

The piece de resistance came after several relatively short runs, when a red fox took a straight line north almost to Hogmire Rd., then doubled back across South Avon Rd. and halfway to Houston Rd. He then repeated his circuit–repeatedly.

“It was a two-hour run. He ran in kind of a figure-eight between a configuration of cornfields and woods so many times that I lost count!” said Thorne. “My horse played out, and I had to borrow one of the whips’ horses to finish the hunt.

“The kids were great! They are so eager that it gives me energy!” she added. “There were two at the front who weren’t very old and hadn’t hunted much, but they were the only ones left at the end. I asked them their names and realized that one of them belongs to an extended family that’s hunted with Genesee Valley for four generations. I don’t know if she realizes that, but I do think she was a convert to hunting today!”