CAZENOVIA — “Holidays, Horses, and Hounds,” a shopping event presented by the Limestone Creek Hunt (LCH), will return to the Brae Loch Inn on Dec. 8, from 1 to 4 p.m.
Established in 1939, LCH is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization that promotes a love of horses and hounds, good sportsmanship, land conservation, and a spirit of good fellowship through the enjoyment of various social activities, including trail rides, clinics, hunter paces, and programs to educate people on foxhunting traditions.
The upcoming fundraiser sale will be open to the public and feature a wide range of giftable items from ten arts and crafts vendors, including Dave Eichorn, Mary Gosden Chovan, Maggie Neider, and Elaine Haynes, who are new to the event this year.
Vendors are asked to donate to LCH based on their sales.
The Brae Loch gift shop will be open for even more options, a fruit and cheese platter will be served, and a cash bar will be available.
Foxhunting emerged in England to help control the fox population on farmlands, as the animals were an agricultural pest with no natural predators. In America, however, the fox is not regarded as a significant pest. Therefore, the foxhunting practiced by many American hunts, including LCH, would more accurately be described as fox chasing or viewing.
According to LCH Vice President and Joint Master of Foxhounds Jenny Coughlin, the thrill of the sport is to watch and listen to the hounds try to find the scent left by the animals in question and follow the scent for as long as they can. Occasionally, the riders get a glimpse of a fox or coyote as they exit the area. The hounds are trained to try to ignore scents that are not the fox or other animal being hunted.
LCH currently has around 80 members; 35 have riding privileges, and the remainder are social and honorary members.
Riders hunt two days a week during the active hunt season and typically have 15 to 25 horses in the field. The club owns a pack of 25 foxhounds and has two employees — Huntsman Doug Russell and Kennelman Colt Russell — who live with the dogs at the LCH kennel in Erieville during the hunt season.
While the club owns its hounds, it does not own the acres of land needed to hunt; therefore, it relies on the generosity of local farmers and residents.
“I got involved in 2000 as a landowner,” said Coughlin, who served as LCH president for ten years before taking over her current position. “Then I rode and just fell in love with the time spent on the horse following the hounds in our beautiful countryside and the camaraderie of wonderful people.”
Last year’s Holidays, Horses, and Hounds event drew close to 300 people and made the club about $1,000.
Proceeds supported LCH’s community and educational initiatives, including stewardship work on the Burlingame trails and the Annual Parade & Blessing of the Hounds.
This year, LCH will use the proceeds to purchase additional tracking collars for its hounds.
“We make a tremendous effort to always keep track of where our hounds are,” said Coughlin. “[Collars] help us to [identify] their location when we’re out hunting. They connect to a GPS that is held by the Huntsman, and we have another one in a vehicle on the road.”
In addition to raising funds for the hunt club and vendors, the holiday sale is a chance for LCH to have a presence in the larger community.
“People can meet us off our horses and talk to us if they haven’t already and hear a little bit more about what we do,” said Coughlin. “We had a slideshow running last year, and that was also fun to share.”
Vendors
Gretchen’s Confections will offer artistic chocolates handcrafted from high-quality ingredients and presented in elegant packaging.
Deborah Dougherty Wester, a Cazenovia artist, is predominantly a landscape oil painter. She also paints roosters, chickens, other animals, and holiday themes on stemless wine glasses.
Mary Gosden Chovan of Mary Gosden Studio is a world-renowned artist, teacher, and author in the field of oils on porcelain. She and fellow artist Dave Eichorn have produced unique wooden boxes with a hand-painted Celtic design on a porcelain lid.
Judy Goldthwait specializes in equine art and pet portraits. The Cazenovia artist also produces a variety of hand-painted giftware, original oil paintings, and prints.
Penny Ploughman, founder of Ploughman’s Saddlery & Belts, designs and creates custom belts, bracelets, and leather goods. She also offers a variety of fox hunting appointments, including crops, sandwich cases, wire cutters/cases, and radio cases.
Earthstar Designs, the multi-craft business of Linda Kellish and her son Jeffery, creates ceramics, functional pottery, garden art, and rhythm beads, which are used to calm horse and rider, teach riders to move with their horse, provide a pleasant sound for warning and cadence while on a trail, and look beautiful.
Penny Hazer of Windswept Hill Clayworks is an amateur potter who creates functional ware that reflects the colors and textures of nature.
SoapN’, the small side venture of Fabius resident Maggie Neider, specializes in equestrian-themed soaps and bath bombs. Neider will offer saddle soap, hand soaps, bath bombs, shower steamers, and hand lotion.
Dave Eichorn, well-known for his work as a television meteorologist, has been collecting wood and building furniture throughout his career. His furniture is constructed from domestic Central New York hardwoods and rare and exotic wood from around the world. He will sell keepsake boxes, cutting boards, serving trays, and other gifts.
Elaine Haynes will offer her one-of-a-kind handcrafted jewelry that combines semi-precious stones, hand-worked silver, gold-filled wire, and other metals.
To learn more about LCH, visit limestonecreekhunt.org or email [email protected].
