End Of Another Hunt Season

Mountain Mail Reports

Three weeks ago, some 30 foxhunters and hunt members met at Field Ranch, north of the Alamo, to take part in the Closing Hunt of Juan Tomas Hounds.
Foxhunting is a winter sport and in this part of the country the season runs roughly from November to mid-March. The end of the season is celebrated every year with a three-day hunting meet, which is just as much a social event. The hunts started at the kennels located at the Field Ranch, where the Nance family keeps the pack of American foxhounds.
In the West, the hounds are trained to chase coyotes, rather than foxes, but other than that foxhunting is done in the traditional English manner. Juan Tomas Hounds was founded in 1970 and has approximately a hundred members throughout the state. Every Sunday morning during hunt season they hunt different fixtures around Santa Fe and Albuquerque. The hunt is one of 171 foxhunts in the United States recognized by the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America.
"I started foxhunting to keep a friend company...and then developed a great passion for it. Nothing compares to the joy of galloping after a keen pack of hounds over the landscapes of New Mexico," said Juan Tomas Hounds member Nancy Bonadeo.

End Of Another Hunt Season