May, 2025
Photo by Caroline Eichler
President's Report
-Col. Frank Huber
I am excited to begin my term as your President and I look forward to the Club approaching its 140th year. I was deeply encouraged by our recent membership reception and excited to see prospective members representing different age groups, including younger family members. While we all value the experience, wisdom, and camaraderie of the members who have more than a few seasons under their belt, having younger members who share our enthusiasm for our sport will help ensure that Deep Run Hunt Club, Inc. maintains its tradition well beyond our 150th anniversary. Having a strong, diverse membership base is the lifeblood of our Club. Carter Iseman has been a fabulous membership chair, but it falls on every one of us to be a recruiter for our Club. If you know of someone who has an interest in equine activities, or the sporting lifestyle, invite them to get to know our Club. If they show an interest, please reach out to Carter and she can assist you with getting more information about our Club and the types of memberships available. I would be thrilled if our membership receptions were so crowded that I struggled to meet all the prospective members there.
Your Board continues to work on the budget for the upcoming Club year, July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. Dues are the most important source of our revenue, followed by your generous club contributions. On the expense side, our largest item is hunting-related expenses and we are fortunate to have dedicated hunt professionals and a high quality pack of hounds that consistently provides outstanding sport. The remaining expenses are for our support staff, administration, social events, and maintenance of our precious Goochland and Cumberland facilities. We are committed to preserving a sufficient reserve and meeting our operating expenses (including normal operating capital expenditures) with annual revenues. This practice should keep the Club as financially strong as it is now.
We continue to work on the Strategic Planning process. The initial recommendations have been presented, and the Board will now consider how to proceed, as the recommendations are just the starting point for more detailed plans. As we continue with this work, your input as members is critical.
Our many fabulous volunteers are the lifeblood of our Club; all our Masters are volunteers, volunteers run our social events, trail rides and many other activities, and of course all of your Board members are volunteers. If you see someone volunteering, please thank them. If you would like to help with an area, nearly every committee or group can use some assistance. We have a very active social committee, equine activities, membership, buildings and grounds, to name a few. If you don’t know where to start – reach out to me or any Board member and we will be happy to get you to the right place.
Thank you for your continued support to our Masters, Board, and me as we start this term. I look forward to seeing you in the hunt field and at our many other fabulous equine and social events.
Master’s Report
- Polly Bance, MFH; Marsh Davis, MFH; Caroline Eichler, MFH; Steve Thurston, MFH
Although we missed days of hunting during the late winter months, our past season
provided a consistent high level sport thanks to our world class pack of hounds and our
dedicated and highly proficient staff. We thank all our members and longtime friends and neighbors who provide the support to keep foxhunting a vibrant and thrilling sport. Our club has a unique camaraderie, we are a caring community of equine enthusiasts who love the cry of our hounds and the thrill of pursuing our quarry. Every day out on a horse behind our huntsman John Harrison is a fine experience. He’s quietly in touch with our hounds, staff and field. He knows the challenges of our territory and is always eager to give us all the best day possible. Thank you John and Micah!
The Masters heard the cry in last fall’s Member Survey for more field options and were able to provide additional second and third flights during the week with the appointment of Elizabeth Covington, Sophie Goluses and Meagan Proffitt as Honorary Field Masters. Our amazing Dr. Tom Newton and Gretel Mangigian also helped guide third flight on many days this season, offering great views and fun for all. During our monthly junior meets, Gretel also stepped up to provide a fourth flight for young riders and those looking for a walk-only field.
For the first time this season, at the invitation of Oak Ridge Hunt Club, we were able to hunt a quadrant of the Oak Ridge Estate in beautiful Nelson County. We had good days of hunting, spectacular views, and fun breakfasts where Rita Mae Brown entertained us with her stories. We are looking forward to hunting other portions of the 4000-acre property, with exploratory visits planned for the summer.
In December, on a bitterly cold day, our professional whipper-in, Micah Lisi, did a terrific job hunting our hounds in Bull Run territory during a joint meet, and on an 80 degree day in
March, John provided a solid day of sport for the participants in their annual March Madness week of hunting. Deep Run has a reputation for great hound work and good horseman. The professionalism of our staff is recognized across the hunt community, and we are lucky to have them. This respect is earned from many hours of hard work with the hounds, staff horses, the country, and our landowners. Did you know that John checks on each fixture the day before a hunt? Did you that Micah only wears one glove?
We are excited to have Mandi Walker as our new road whip and kennel assistant. She comes to us with strong recommendations from the horse and hunt community in central Virginia and has a local connection with her father living just next door in Buckingham County. We hope you will introduce yourselves and welcome her to our club.
We are super excited about this year’s Fox Hunting Camp which will be held August 16th at the Clubhouse. We have a different format in mind and encourage old and new members to attend. Guests and those interested in joining our community of foxhunters are welcome. It’s a great way to get you and your horse back in shape as fall hunting approaches and there’s always something to learn. We also encourage you to come to one of three hound meeting activities at the DRHC Kennels this summer – Happy Hour with Hounds will be held May 23, June 25, and July 27 and is a great way to see the hounds and spend time seeing if you can learn a few names!
Finally, we appreciate your dedication to this club and our team. We work hard to make hunting exciting, fun, and safe for everyone. Cheers!
Toby, along with daughter Libby, in the field
Deep Run Hunt Welcomes Toby Long as Incoming Vice President
-Toby Long
It is a privilege to have been elected the new Vice President of Deep Run. This next year will be my thirty-second season foxhunting. I recently added a new hunting horse (a former steeplechase and huntsman’s horse) to join my two children’s ponies in the barn and am excited to follow our hounds again when the season starts! I have been fortunate to foxhunt with over twenty different hunts across North America and Ireland. My love of foxhunting, however, started at Deep Run when I was a young pony club member and Marshie and Robert Davis invited me to join them and their son, Brent for my first hunt on a Thanksgiving Day at Sabot Hill. I was hooked as soon as the hounds opened on a fox in the covert next to the airstrip, and we started racing across the countryside and over fences to keep up. I joined Deep Run as a junior member that same season.
I since have served as an honorary whipper-in to five different huntsman at Deep Run, enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow members in the hunt field and at the Club, and have been proud to call Deep Run my hunt. This is a special organization that is filled with like-minded members who share a passion for foxhunting, hounds, horses and country pursuits. Thanks to the hard work of current and former Masters, Club leadership, and professionals, we are recognized as having a top-tier pack of hounds and are the envy of many in the foxhunting community. Deep Run has given a lot to me. It is time to give back. I look forward to seeing each of you in the hunt field and at the Club, and working with and for you to help carry on the traditions of Deep Run.
Camp-Crowder at the ribbon cutting
“Deep Run Woods” Ribbon Cutting
It’s official! Miles of new hiking trails for human, canine, and equine are open at the Hunt Club’s Manakin property. Dozens of members - and their dogs - turned out on a warm May evening to christen the new trails with a hike and celebratory toast.
“The goal is to give access to all of property to all of our members, whether the ride or not,” said Bennett Camp Crowder, the DRHC Board member who spear-headed this effort. Trails include creek crossings, banks, and some challenging hills, There are four trailheads: at the stables, near the grandstand, and along the back gas line, with the main entrance just to the left of the Pony Club ring. Naming rights for each trail were offered at the Oyster Roast & Silent Auction in March; three of the five trails have been named - Bill Wolf’s Way, Galloping Maddi’s Trail, and Cal Plaxico Lane - but two more are up for grabs!
Countless hours of chain-sawing and weed whacking over the past five months have produced five miles of beautifully groomed trails for hiking, riding, and dog walking. It’s a great membership perk that, thanks to Bennett and her able helper Gretel Mangigian, we all have the privilege of enjoying. Still to come - trail maps of the entire system and new signage for the trails. Camp-Crowder also plans to build jumps to imitate the hunting experience, in order to help train the next generation of foxhunters.
Mandi Walker with hound puppies
