The average American is likely to have preconceived notions about a 66-year-old man living with a bunch of hound dogs deep in the backwoods of North Georgia. His penchant for firearms is not likely to surprise anyone, nor is the somewhat menacing expression that occasionally manifests itself on his face when meeting strangers. But Rod Swanson, long-time huntsman of Shakerag Hounds in Hull, Ga., is a walking conundrum.

Described by Shakerag jt.-MFH Sally Rasmussen as both “reserved” and “gregarious,” Swanson has devoted a lifetime to the esteemed traditions of foxhunting. His massive canine collection resides in immaculate kennels, his gun sights are usually set on quail, and that guarded expression he wears is only a defense mechanism against potential anti-blood sport advocates. Swanson may have the stalwart, ruddy countenance of a true sportsman, but that can’t hide the eyes and smile of a true gentleman.

“I’ve hunted with a lot of people who have hunted for a long time,” said Guy McElvain, a grand prix show jumper and jt.-MFH and huntsman of Caza Ladron Hunt in Placitas, N.M. “He probably understands hunting and scenting as well as anyone I’ve ever met, and he really keeps everyone entertained, probably better than you’d receive in England or Ireland. I don’t know that he’s ever received that type of respect for the job, but I think he’s really the best I’ve ever hunted with.”

The bonds of friendship between the two men have long been strong. Swanson’s and McElvain’s parents established the first hunt in New Mexico back in 1965. Decades later, Swanson helped a second generation of McElvains create a new hunt, this time furnishing enough hounds to start the pack at Caza Ladron. And this year, eager to reunite with his lifelong friend, McElvain brought 14 riders from New Mexico to Georgia for a joint hunt week.

“I knew everyone in our hunt would be amazed to see Rod hunt, and of course they were,” he said.

Rasmussen has long admired the skills of her club’s huntsman as well. “If he’s excited, he can lift his chest up and make his horse look flashy and make those hounds perform,” she said proudly. “And they can look magnificent.”


Nurturing The Next Generation
While Swanson can hold his own amongst the most experienced hunters in the country, he has never been one to exclude the younger set. He and Pat, his wife of 22 years, have no children of their own, but their commitment to teaching youngsters has made an impression on innumerable riders throughout the years.

“He is amazingly kind, very optimistic, and gets up every day with a positive attitude,” Pat said, noting that her husband is always willing to invest in the future.

“He’s wonderful with the juniors,” said Shakerag jt.-MFH Richard Washburn, explaining that Rod plays a major role in the club’s informal hunt camp for 7- and 8-year-olds. “He encourages them and takes time with them to explain things and lets them ride up and bring the hounds in after the hunting. He’s just been marvelous with them, and they all like him.”

McElvain appreciates the huntsman’s contributions as well, especially now that he has children of his own. When the riders of Caza Ladron ventured eastward for hunt week, he made sure his young son was among them.

“When I was a little kid, I remember we caught a fox and Rod blooded us,” McElvain said. “And at this year’s joint meet, my son Clayton was about the same age, and Rod blooded him, and with hounds that were the progeny of the ones before. So that was really neat.”

Rod’s selfless dedication to younger generations is likely a reflection of his own childhood spent working at the renowned Tempel Farms in Northern Illinois. He began taking riding lessons at age 7 and had his first horse within a year.

“The person that shaped my philosophy most was my old riding master, Jim Lightener,” Rod recalled. “He said work should always be a learning experience. It shouldn’t be drudgery.”

The generations of children who have learned under Rod are not likely to refer to the experience as drudgery. When he organized a riding and hunting camp in New Mexico in the late 1970s, children from all across the country came to participate, including McElvain, who remembers Rod’s adventures with fondness.

“We’d be at the dinner table and he’d say ‘everybody go get on your horse’ with maybe just a halter, and we’d go out and jump the cross-country course. Then when all the kids had fallen off, we’d get to go back and eat dinner.”

Rod said he still receives letters from former students at Camp Yonahlossee in North Carolina, where he taught for 13 years. After college in Colorado and graduate work in England, Rod settled in Charleston, S.C., and managed Middleton Place Stables. Each summer, he would take a group of horses up to Yonahlossee, which was then the oldest private girls’ camp in the country.

Today, Rod’s attentions certainly aren’t concentrated merely on young hunters. He and Pat often volunteer their time and horses to a local group of special needs children, encouraging them to play with the hounds and drive around in the pony cart. They keep a Welsh pony in the barn especially for these instances, and the occasional landowner’s child’s birthday party.

“He is fabulous with children and has never turned down an opportunity to work or speak with them,” said Rasmussen.

Creating Something
In fact, the only thing that may surpass Rod’s devotion to children may be his unconditional love for hounds. According to Washburn, “If it’s got four legs and a bark, Rod’s real good with it.”

That’s lucky for the members of Shakerag, because their pack of 70 Penn-Marydel hounds requires plenty of upkeep, and their huntsman’s legendary horn skills keep them in line. The Swansons have proven completely dedicated to every step of canine care from training and showing to breeding and healthcare. Pat even recalls performing CPR on a hound once.

Rod said the breeding program is particularly near and dear to his heart, and after years of hard work and careful planning, his huntsman’s vision for the pack has come true. He’s developed a noted pack of black-and-tan Penn-Marydels, who have also won their share on the boards. Shakerag Rebate ’99 won the registered Penn-Marydel championship at the Virginia Hound Show in 2002 and ’03.

Looking back over the years, Rod’s contributions to Shakerag seem even more impressive, having come to Georgia in 1987 after answering an ad in the Chronicle seeking a huntsman. Camp Yonahlossee had been sold, Pat was growing tired of moving twice a year between the couple’s home in Charleston and their house in the mountains, and Shakerag’s close vicinity to the Atlanta airport would facilitate Rod’s weekly trips to Chicago to care for his mother, who had become seriously ill.

The change was not one of mere convenience, however. Rod was certainly qualified for the position after spending 15 years hunting in South Carolina, serving as both the huntsman of Middleton Place Hounds and the Master of Grandfather Mountain Hounds.

“Shakerag offered permanency,” he recalled. “A real opportunity to create something out of chaos.”

“Chaos” may seem like a rather strong word to describe the organization of a hunt club, but Shakerag was certainly in the midst of a massive reorganization effort when Rod signed on. In the early ’90s, the group began shifting their hunt country from a suburb of the city of Atlanta to some newly acquired acreage north of Athens, nearly an hour away. With the majority of members still living in Atlanta and no master in residence, the Swansons handled the bulk of landowner relations.

“Rod was the only one living in the community and that was a great help to the club,” Washburn said of the huntsman’s early days with Shakerag. “For our situation, I don’t think you could have found a better one. He was a perfect fit.”

Two decades later, Rod now stands as the longest-serving huntsman the club has ever had, with 19 years hunting the Shakerag pack. But Shakerag must begin planning for another transition. Rod claims that he’s aiming to retire after three more seasons, and the hunt leadership are already looking for a younger man to carry on, possibly a whipper-in who can be trained to fill the current huntsman’s shoes.

“Very few people are going in to hunt service,” Rod noted. “It’s a very hard job.”

This from a man who has never chosen an easy job in his life. Indeed, Rod’s past experiences have not only spanned the country, but the entire range of equine sport. Over the years he has managed an Arabian farm in New Mexico, bred some of the first imported Holsteiner stallions in Virginia, and excelled at competitive driving.

And when Pat, who is more a lover of hounds than horses, sought a hunting outlet of her own, the Swansons started the Byfield Basset Pack, which became registered with the National Beagle Club in 1994. Pat and Rod serve as joint-MBHs, while Rod hunts the pack, with Pat serving as first whipper-in. They hunt over the Shakerag country.

Although he feels his time as Shakerag huntsman may be drawing to a close, Rod said he is in no hurry to move on. “It’s not like I can’t wait ’til I retire,” he explained. “Because I’m already doing all the things I want to do!”

Kat Netzler