Middlebury Hunt started in 1945

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Kathryn “Kae” Hotchkiss Fenn, Middlebury Hunt member, takes a jump. This photo dates between 1955 and 1957. (Carl Klein photo)

By NATE DEXTER

Every September, the Middlebury Bridle Land Association hosts the Hunter Pace, a timed trail riding event over a set course with optional jumps, at Larkin Farm on South Street. This annual Middlebury event stems from earlier ones held by the Middlebury Hunt, which until its demise in the 1980s was a facet of Middlebury life and now serves as a reminder of our rural heritage.

The Middlebury Hunt, established in 1945 by World War II veteran and large animal veterinarian Richard Gilyard (1913-1963), was a fox hunting club that held fox hunts Wednesdays and Saturdays from September to January, at the former Sills Farm on Benson Road or at the estate of the late Howard Larkin (1924-2001), who served as honorary secretary of the organization.

The Hunt held several other annual events between September and Thanksgiving. The first event was the Labor Day “Day in the Country” event hosted at Larkin’s estate, which usually featured at least 60 riders. Next was the November “Hunter Pace” event, which drew crowds of 1,500 people according to a local newspaper, many of whom watched from alongside the fox hunting route. Also in November was the Point-to-Point race, a race format across open fields that took place at either the Sills farm on Benson Road or at the Larkin estate.

At that time, there were ample meadows and agricultural land for riding and one could ride across swaths of Middlebury over open fields through the 1950s. As long-time Middlebury resident Rob Fenn recollects, “Until the building of Interstate 84 in 1961, one could ride on horseback from here to the New York border through fields.”

The Hunt Club did not merely serve as a leisurely pastime; it was a community event, as the hunts were sponsored by the Middlebury Lions Club and the Hunt Club, along with numerous local businesses such as the Larson moving company, with several committees and several dozen members volunteering for all aspects of the club. The Club’s annual Hunter Trials Ball was an integral facet of the Middlebury social scene.

Although it was named the Middlebury Hunt Club, members hailed from a large region reaching as far west as Armonk, N.Y., and as far east as Rocky Hill, up to the Massachusetts border and down to Greenwich. It was one of the largest hunt clubs in the region, along with the Litchfield County Hounds, the Fairfield County Hounds, and the Golden’s Bridge Hounds of North Salem, N.Y.

The Hunt Club cared for its own pack of fox hunting dogs, a group of 14 hunting hounds, and a pack terrier who would flush the fox from his hole to begin the hunt. With names such as Hornet, Custer, Prowler, and Vulcan, these dogs were used to capture and kill the fox along with the help of the riders, although by the club’s disbanding they had converted to the more humane practice of using scents instead of live animals to attract the hunting hounds.

A 1953 Hartford Courant article pictured a priest blessing the Middlebury pack before their race, and this blessing of the pack tradition perpetuated throughout the history of the club. In addition, the Hunt hosted large breakfasts at several of the members’ homes including Fenn Farm and the Larkin farm. Rob Fenn, whose mother was an avid equestrian and the organization’s secretary, laughed as he remembered, “It could get very rowdy.”

In those days, Fenn said, “The scale of the club truly involved so much of the town from all walks of life, from the small business owners, the people who volunteered, and the farmers whose land was used to hunt. It incorporated all aspects of the town, many of which are gone today.”

Nate Dexter is a student intern at the Middlebury Historical Society. You are urged to join the Historical Society by going online at MiddleburyHistoricalSociety.org or visiting them on Facebook. Questions about membership can be sent to Bob Rafford at robraff@frontier.com.