Page 67 - The Hunt - Winter 2024

It’s no secret that foxhunting is in Hunt Conservancy. In 2022, a group of after year on the strength of its success and
trouble, as further development eats away at available open space. For Fisher, part of the problem
is how disconnected people
have become. “We have to work together,” she says. “Keep fighting for the land. Keep trying to keep it open. Keep trying to find potential landowners who want to come in and save the land.”
Events like the Vixen Hunt help foster a network of people who appreciate the importance of open space and support one another in the often arduous task
of preserving it. Those connections are crucial to the event’s beneficiary, Cheshire
Connecticut women attended Cheshire’s Vixen Hunt. Upon returning home, they found the perfect candidate to buy a particularly large parcel of the Brandywine Valley land Cheshire had been working to protect for quite some time. “Almost 200 acres came directly from the Vixen Hunt,” Fisher says.
Indeed, there’s a reason why Duff devotes such care to the post-hunt festivities. “Many participants say they’ve never had the chance to gallop and jump for two hours,” she
says. “I was excited by the chance to create something that would not only be a great event in its own right but would build year
raise real money for Cheshire.”
Hours after the hounds had settled back
into their kennel, afternoon tea was still in full swing. There was even a hat contest. “It encouraged the ladies to spruce up post-hunt without the need to make a full costume change in their trailers,”says Duff.
With her immaculate habit and meticulously groomed horse, Coatesville- based sidesaddle rider Amy Cattell Magee received the event’s Best Turned Out Award. “We probably should’ve given her an award for bravery, too,” Duff says. “Taking fences aside is no joke.”
Visit cheshirehuntconservancy.org.
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