Page 102 - The Hunt - Spring/Summer 2023

Paxson with his riders at Brandywine Hills Point to Point; blowing the horn at Willowdale Steeplecase (opposite page).
PAXSON HAS BEEN OUTRIDING AT TIMBER RACES AND STEEPLECHASES SINCE 1989. TODAY, AT 75, HE RIDES OUT 100 DAYS A YEAR.
Amanda Howe is a whipper-in, responsible for bringing stray hounds back to the pack. She’s been riding with Paxson since she was 12 and joined the ranks of the outriders at 18. Now 24, she rides Tristan, a striking eight-year-old dapple-gray gelding. “Jimmy made me a better horsewoman,” she says. “He knew I could be a good outrider because I listen and I don’t panic in difficult situations.”
Sometimes, retrieving a riderless horse
is as simple as picking up the reins. Other times, the job at hand is more challenging. “We’ve had several horses who jumped over fences and went into neighborhoods. Knock on wood, we’ve always been successful in bringing them back,” Howe says. “It’s a lot of work, but we love every minute of it.
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