 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BGH MFH Elese and
JustaBob make the cover of COTH |
Founding
Beech Grove Hunt is a private foxhound pack located
in Middle Tennessee, and enjoys mounted fox hunting
in the traditional manner.
Beech Grove was founded in 2000 and registered with
the Masters of Foxhounds Association (MFHA) in 2001.
The founders are Elese and Dale
Alsup.
Elese Alsup and Cynthia Stewart are Joint Masters ,
Hounds are hunted by Elese.
Dale is First Whipper-in. |
| |
Season and Hunting Days
Beech Grove begins cub hunting in early September.
Cub hunting is by invitation of the Masters. The
formal season opens the last Saturday in October and
runs through March. We hunt on Saturdays and bye
days.
Unless otherwise announced, we move off at 7:00 in
September, 8:00 while cubbing in October, and 9:00
after our formal season opens. Move off times mean
when the hunt begins. Riders are asked to be mounted
and ready 15 minutes prior to the announced move off
time. |
|
 |
|
Hounds
We hunt crossbred foxhounds.
There are currently approximately 14 couple of
hounds in the kennel.
|
 |
 |
Country
The Beech Grove country is quite hilly, with mixed
hardwood covert, pastures and fields. The country is
well-paneled with coops, post-and-rail, and
occasional stone walls. There are many shallow
stream crossings. Jumps are 2’9” to 3’3” in height.
Gates are near most jumps, so the non-jumpers have
opportunity to stay up with the action. Horses need
to be in good condition to cope with the hills at
hunting pace |
|
|
 |
|
Flights
At most hunts we have three flights. A first flight,
which jumps and stays up with the huntsman; a second
flight, which gallops, but goes through gates; and a
third flight which goes at a slower pace depending
on the ability of its riders and horses. In the
second flight, jumping is optional in 2nd and
3rd flight with permission
of the field master, so that members can build their
confidence and their horses’ experience. Please
check with the Masters to determine if your
preferred flight will be available on a given date.
. |
|
 |
 |
Visiting and Joining
Beech Grove welcomes visitors and new members. To
arrange to visit the kennels, walk hounds, trail
ride or to come hunting with us, please contact
Elese Alsup. The capping fee is $35 for adults and
$15.00 for minors. A liability release, a health
information form, and a current Coggins certificate
for your horse are required. The liability release
and emergency forms can be downloaded from this
website on the Help/Form page. If you are under 18 years
of age, your parent or guardian must sign the
liability release. Visitors who have their colors
with their home hunt are welcomed to wear them.
If you visit for hunting, please contact the
Joint Master, Cynthia Stewart, ahead of time to
notify her that you will be hunting. You may email
Cynthia at
cynstewart@comcast.net, or 931-962-4275 |
If you
are a guest, or hunting for the first time in the
Season: Please check in with the Field Secretary at
your earliest convenience. You will need to present
a current Coggins, a liability release, a health
information form, and your capping fee if
applicable. The latter two are downloadable from
this website. [Forms]
Membership is by invitation of the Masters. We offer
several levels of membership. To learn about these
levels, please email
Elese Alsup
or call her at 931-394-3022.
As a small hunt, you will find that we are highly
participatory. Our dues are modest, but we do hope
that all members will participate in activities to
support the hunt. These include walking hounds,
trail clearing, jump and gate installation and
maintenance, helping with our fund raisers such as
our cross-country competition, event coordination,
and the other myriad activities involved in
providing excellent sport. Please be sure to
visit our [Etiquette/Dress page] for more
information
 |
|
Photos by Gary Baldwin and Kaylyn Mitchell |
|
|
|
|