he finality of it has at last hit home. Vincent Tartaglia, the sometimes feisty but always brilliant huntsman who achieved national stature in his profession, retired his horn after more than 25 years with the Rombout Hunt (N.Y.).

On Dec. 2, he said good night to the hunting faithful one last time at a dinner honoring him in Hyde Park, N.Y.

His retirement at age 67 was not totally unexpected, as he had discussed it on several occasions, but it leaves a hole in the hearts of many Rombout members. Tartaglia put aside his horn in September, deciding it was time to go after transitioning the hounds to newly constructed kennels that he designed, one final contribution after a lifetime with hounds.

“I’ve had a great time foxhunting for 50 years,” Tartaglia said, clicking off a list of hunts that he had worked for both here and across the pond. He started riding at age 12 on the ponies turned out in a field next to his aunt’s house in the Scottish countryside near his home in Glasgow.

One winter day, a pack of foxhounds in full cry crossed the field nearby, followed by galloping riders, and the pony he was riding jumped the wall to join the fun. At the end of the run, a man inquired as to who he was and sent him on his way. After relating the incident to the pony’s owner, arrangements were made for young Tartaglia to hunt.

At 16, he began working in the kennels of the Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire Hunt a few miles away. He soon became second horseman and then second whipper-in. He moved around and quickly worked his way up the chain of responsibility, taking only a short break along the way for a stint at a racetrack, before he was hired as kennel huntsman and first whipper-in to the Eggesford Foxhounds in Devon, England.

But Tartaglia and his young wife found it hard to settle and traversed the ocean as he served several brief appointments as huntsman to half a dozen hunts before arriving at Andrews Bridge Foxhounds (Pa.). As kennel huntsman, he shared the horn with MFH and huntsman Robert Crompton III.

Tartaglia recalled that the first time he heard the “Bridge” hounds open on a fox, “It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck–they sounded like lions.” But after two seasons, his desire to hunt hounds full time spurred him on to New York and Rombout. It is here he made his home and left an indelible mark.


Shaping The Pack
Arriving at Rombout, Tartaglia found the pack “a moribound lot, there were eight couple of 8- and 9-year-olds hunting and 18 couple of 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds that had never left the kennels,” he said. While the older hounds were “rock steady,” it took a full season to get the pack going, he said.

“Hopefully, I have improved the pack, their conformation and working abilities. Rombout has consistently been in the ribbons at hound shows,” he added. “But, the American hound gene pool is getting very tight and as a result a lot of hunts are going to crossbreds,” he said. “One mistake I made at Rombout is that I bred the hounds to be too fast. With encroachment on land and the introduction of the coyote, it has become hard to stay with hounds. Coyotes didn’t come into our country until the late 1980s, but by this time you’ve already set the course.

“The roads have gotten busier and houses are going up all over, these are all challenges. You don’t adjust your hounds, you adjust your staff, they need to be more defensive to protect the pack,” Tartaglia said.

It was always understood that he did not suffer fools in the hunt field. Rombout Hunt trustee and hunt chairman Donald Schupak, who has whipped-in for many years and attributes his skill to Tartaglia, recently recalled an incident where a former MFH who liked to whip-in was asked by Tartaglia to indicate where he was posted.

The whip responded that he was “by a tree by a rock.” Over the radio, Tartaglia failed to conceal his annoyance when he shot back “by what bloody tree and what bloody rock.” But, Tartaglia also easily acknowledges the accomplished. “One of the best whippers-in I ever had in my career is MFH Suzie Cannavino,” he said. She readily repaid the compliment quickly pointing out that “Vincent taught me everything that I know.”

“The population in the town of Clinton [Rombout’s home base] has almost doubled since I came here,” Tartaglia said. Realizing that more country was needed, Tartaglia and ex-MFH James Cannavino drove around until they found Ancramdale in southern Columbia county. Tartaglia explained that eventually they gained access to 12,000 acres. “I have enjoyed the challenges, opening up new country, putting in trails and paneling,” he said.

In addition to foresight, Tartaglia had drive and imagination. Throughout his career, he was involved in the community. He served on the West Clinton Fire Department rescue squad as a volunteer certified EMT for 15 years and was named Person of the Year for 1997-98.

From 1995 to 2000, he worked with the Dutchess County SPCA as a Humane Law Enforcement Officer, where he investigated allegations of cruelty to animals. He served as president of the Dutchess County Chapter of the Professional Horseman’s Association for eight years. He was jt.-District Commissioner at the Southlands Pony Club and currently serves as jt.-DC for Running Fox Pony Club.

His interests were keen and directed, and the relationships he developed as a result often were helpful in smoothing misunderstandings with landowners and securing a good standing for Rombout in the community.


Great Memories
But, the transition is tough. “I miss being with my hounds on a daily basis. And, I still car-follow hounds when I can,” Tartalgia said. “I think one of the hounds that I cared for the most was Rombout Flyer from the 1980s–he was probably my pet. He showed at the Virginia Hound Show as a puppy and he slipped the leash and just kept trotting alongside me.

“Then, there was Rombout Traveller, who had great character and personality. There also was Wonder, Helper and Ranger ’94. Ranger was a better looking dog and used more as a stallion. Unfortunately, he was the lead hound coming down Clinton Hollow Road by the Rec Center during one meet when he was hit by a car. He was lost in his prime,” Tartaglia said. Rombout Ranger’s bloodline was in 14 hounds from Potomac Hunt (Md.) that won ribbons at the 2006 Bryn Mawr Hound Show (Pa.).

And, then there are the horses. “The best horse that ever looked through a bridle was Sky High. He could jump four-board paddock fences,” Tartaglia said. “I also was fond of JR, Sue Ellen and most recently Remington. I remember that I took Sue Ellen to hunt in Maryland and she stopped at the first coop we came to before she jumped it. During that meet huntsman Larry Pitts commented that my hounds were still working after a long day. I said to him, ‘My hounds have to work for a living in New York.’ The pack hunted seven foxes that day, and my hounds were in heaven.”

MFH Suzie Cannavino, who is now hunting the Rombout hounds, admires Tartaglia’s drive. “My entire hunting career was spent working with Vincent. He selected me to begin whipping-in to him in the early 1980s. This opened up the entire world of foxhunting to me, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity he gave me to learn about this wonderful sport,” she said.

And, while the horn has been passed, Tartaglia’s heart is still there. “I’ve left Rombout, but I haven’t left hunting. I’m still here to help,” he said.


Donna Ross