Dear Supporters of the Virginia Foxhound Club,
In this post we are continuing our efforts to making improvements to the Virginia Hound Show to reinforce fiscal responsibility to the membership and our dedication to improving the Virginia Hound Show for exhibitors and spectators alike.
I am pleased with the progress we are making and I wish to reinforce my desire to retire as President and Show Chairman at the end of the 2026 show and am seeking a motivated person to step up and assume that role so if you are interested please let me know your intent.
Honor & Integrity is important for the reputation and future of our sport.
I was embarrassed last year at the end of the Show when the Director of Morven Park called me at the end of the show to report a vehicle had driven to the tailgates spaces to load up their items and upon leaving crushed a stone bench and pot and drove off. When she approached the trailing vehicle she asked who was in the vehicle and damaged the property and those persons said they didn’t see anything. That mistake cost the show $1000.00 to replace a 100 year old bench and pot, but more importantly it cost foxhunters our reputation- first, for not reporting the damage, and second, for others who clearly saw the accident occur and decided to cover it up and not tell the truth. We cannot allow this type of behavior to tarnish the reputation of our beloved sport.
Website & Communications
To help modernize and communicate with our membership we have instituted a wonderful website. The URL remains https://virginiafoxhoundclub.org but its refreshed layout and navigation provides improved communication with members, exhibitors, and spectators alike.
The website is now the primary communication method with hunts and members of the foxhunting community and will replace regular mailings and printings of invitations and the prize list.
Annual Meeting of the Virginia Foxhound Club
- Sunday, February 16, 2025
- 11:00 am
- Chase’s End Farm: 17237 Antioch Rd., Milford, VA 22514
Traditionally, we hold our Annual Meeting on the second Sunday in February. This has been held at a variety of venues. I encourage you and your hunt staff and members to attend. There are few opportunities for foxhunters to get together in an informal environment, share camaraderie and discuss issues of importance for the preservation of our sport. The Annual Meeting will be structured more like a hunt breakfast at our farm and will include a silent auction and cash bar with drinks at $2 dollars each. I am confident you will be well fed and watered! Tickets are $35 per person. Huntsmen will be $20. This will include your lunch and an initial drink.
We will have the RSVP form on the website soon.
Hound Show & Tent Location
We will hold the Show dinner in the Tent on the “Green” which is close to the main gravel parking area and at the end of the grass field used for parking (see photo below). This move will make it significantly more convenient for people parking both in the field and the parking lot and will afford us the opportunity to reserve handicap parking and reserved parking for the Show Sponsors.
For attendees of the Hound Show dinner, it will be significantly more convenient to park and attend. For the day of the show, we will continue the bus shuttle in the morning but eliminate it for the afternoon. In the late afternoon the Dinner tent will be where attendees gather to watch the pack classes, the Performance Champion, and Grand Champion classes.
Show Operations
There will be no change to the location of the kennels, Secretary’s Tent, vendors, or the show rings. We will, however, continue to make the two cross bred rings to be “over 25 couple” and “under 25 couple” to even out the two ring’s entries.
Tailgate spaces continue to be on a first come – first serve basis and, as before, we will have the hospitality shed at the bottom row of the kennels.
To provide sufficient instructions to our stewards and clerks to help make the show run smoothly, we are renewing the former practice of having a chief steward who will oversee the five rings to make them operate efficiently. I have asked our long-standing English Ring Steward, Mr. Bill Burnette, MFH to serve in this capacity.
We are fortunate to have a great Show Secretary in Ms. Stuart Sanders who will continue the initiatives instituted over the last couple of years to make registering and making changes as easy as possible for exhibitors.
Show Sponsors
Last year, we instituted a very successful sponsorship program. We will continue to offer these opportunities to help offset expenses and keep class fees unchanged.
Please contact me directly at 703-447-2816 to confirm your desire to become a sponsor.
The cost of sponsorship for the rings or classes listed below is $500 and includes a sponsor banner at the ring, sponsor listing in the program, and a reserved parking space marked by name near the dinner tent for both the day before and day of the show.
- American Ring: Available
- Crossbred Ring (Over 25 couple): Available
- Crossbred Ring (Under 25 couple): Available
- English Ring: Available
- PMD Ring: Available
- Junior Handlers Classes: Available
- Champion Performance Trial Hound Class: Available
- Grand Champion Class: Available
Volunteers
We are faced, like many organizations, with an aging group of volunteers, and I am asking everyone to identify younger volunteers who can help put on the show and take it to the next level to ensure the show’s continuation for generations to come.
I am charging everyone to step up and make the Virginia Hound Show, the largest foxhound show in the world, the best possible event for the foxhunting community.
Clearly, the advantage of the show is to see the top breeding in North America each year, but it also serves as a unique forum to exchange ideas and share camaraderie between foxhunters, Huntsmen, Staff, and Masters.
The cost of putting on this show must remain affordable to attend. While we can not impact the cost of traveling to the show, lodging or meals in town we can keep the cost associated with entering the show at a minimum. We must find ways to make the show successful and pleasant for attendees but also economize on our expenses. Feel free to contact me at any time with your concerns or ideas.
Thank you for supporting the Virginia Foxhound Club and please identify a young foxhunter to help with the show. We welcome everyone to participate and join us Memorial Day weekend in 2025.
Regards,
Robert N. Ferrer, MFH
