On Nov. 4, young foxhunters of all ages converged at Old Whitewood in The Plains, Va., for the Junior North American Field Hunter Championships. The 60 finalists had qualified at various meets during the fall, including at Radnor Hunt (Pa.), Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Foxhounds (Pa.), Green Spring Valley Hounds (Md.), Elkridge-Harford Hunt (Md.), Potomac Hunt (Md.) and the Pickering Hunt (Pa.). In Virginia, the young foxhunters hunted with Old Dominion Hounds, Blue Ridge Hunt, Thornton Hill Hounds, Warrenton Hunt and the Middleburg-Orange County Beagles to qualify.
| Lillian Wilkins (left), aboard Farnley Lucinda, congratulated Elizabeth Fitzgerald (right), on Sunny Ridge Magnolia, for winning the hilltopper division. Both girls hunt with the Blue Ridge Hunt. |
| Keilly Sheehan represented the Green Spring Valley Hounds, by riding to win the first flight, 13 and over, division aboard Ellie. |
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| Grant Chungo rode Greystone to lead the first flight, 12 and under, field. Chungo, who hunts with the Middleburg-Orange County Beagles, won the division. |
| Neil Donnelly Jr., rode Cecil in the hilltopper division. |
| Margaret Bacon, who hunts with Blue Ridge, was all smiles as she rode Honeydew to third place in the first flight, 13 and over division. |
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| At each of the qualifying hunts, one or two children were selected to attend the finals in each of the divisions—hilltopper, first flight 12 and under, and first flight, 13 and over. More than 100 children hunted in the qualifying hunts, and 20 were selected for each division in the finals. |
| Rachel Wilkoski of the Pickering Hunt, on Pinkerton, opened a gate during the first flight, 12 and under, division. |
Photos by Dana Thompson
