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Shawnee Adventures

Lost Hound, Junior Huntsman in training!

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I would just like to brag on my eldest son, Vincent Dean. Tonight the fam came to see me working on the ATV. In driving about the hounds got out. Over the course of 2 hours we looked and found all- but not Ulysses. He is mostly blind, near completely deaf, and very pleasantly – but severely- demented. In what turned out to be a good idea, I grabbed the hunt horn. Neither I, nor Kristi, could blow that darn horn to save our life. Vinny can play it like a HARP. Over many trips around the property, to all the neighbors, and to the street – no luck. Vinny never gave up, even when you could tell his chest and his lips hurt. Finally when I had given up hope and was putting the atv to the charger, Vibny blew again and Kris heard a bark that sounded like him. We found him nearly a mile down the road, almost getting hit. He is tired, scared, but alright and at home! Vinny is who saved him. Once he was safely in the car, the emotion of the moment overcame him, me, ALL OF US! Needless to say, he’s happy, we’re happy, and we are all exhausted !Next time you see our young huntsman please share your thoughts! Many thanks to Mark L Smith for giving us the horn, and to him and Kalie Wallace for teaching him to blow it so masterfully That’s it, I’m exhausted.

Tally Ho!

Tony Cummings

Mr. Vinny at the last schooling day. Photo credit Tony Cummings
Meet Our New Members, Member Profile

Say Hello To Alison!

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Alison riding Scooter
Little Alison on Midnight (retired Shawnee staff horse)

(L) Alison riding her hunt mount Scooter (owned by Lisa). (R) A young Alison riding Midnight, a former Shawnee staff horse, who is now retired from the hunt field.

We have a few new members joining us this year, so we’ve asked our human “first year entry” to answer a few questions to help us get to know them a little better. Our first featured new member is one of our junior riders, Alison!

Tell us a little bit about your riding experience. How long have you been riding? What types of riding did you do before joining the hunt?

I’ve been riding for about 8 years, I just did basic shows before joining the hunt.

What made you want to become a hunt member?

Lisa Owen talked me into joining and then meeting all the members and hearing stories of how thrilling the hunt is made me excited to join.

Can you tell us a little bit about your favorite hunt horse?

I used to take lessons from (Shawnee whipper-in) Lisa and ride her old horse Midnight, now I will be riding Scooter in the hunt field. Midnight was definitely my favorite horse, he’s a quarter horse/Tennessee walking horse, and I think he’s about 23 now but I never got to ride him hunting.

Do you have a favorite hound yet? If so, who is your favorite and why?

 I don’t have a favorite hound yet but I love all of the G litter since they were the first ones I met at the puppy auction.

What else do you like to do when you are not hunting?

 When I’m not hunting or riding I participate in Marching Band at my high school playing clarinet or marimba.

Now for an interesting fact – what is something about you your fellow hunt members would never guess?

I guess an interesting fact would be how musically talented I am and that I can play many instruments!

Shawnee Adventures, Video

Schooling Day – June 2019

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Despite the intermittently rainy weather and sloppy footing, it was an educational day for those who braved the elements. Among the participants today were staff members on young/new horses, new hunt riders on experienced hunt horses, event riders, and more!

One of the challenges in preparing to hunt is getting both horse and rider accustomed to varying terrain and conditions and today was certainly a valuable lesson in that regard. It was fun to see both horses and riders gain confidence as the morning progressed.

Quite a few of us also practiced riding at different speeds within a group, changing places (leading vs. following), and leaving/returning to a group of horses, also valuable skills for a hunt horse to have.

Hound Profile

Hound Profile: Shawnee Sherlock

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Sherlock enjoying his happy retirement.

“What can I say about Sherlock?  He wasn’t an easy hound to adopt. He had been adopted before and managed to find his way back to the kennels. I remember the day Mark decided it was time for Sherlock to find a new home. We had just hunted the North Country fixture. Mark was loading the hounds into the trailer and Sherlock was the last one. You guessed it, Mark slammed the door shut in his face, grabbed his collar and asked me if I was ready to take him home. You should have seen the look on Sherlock’s face. Priceless. So I got a lead rope and loaded Sherlock into my trailer. All the drive home I kept thinking what have I got myself into. I really didn’t need another animal to care for.

Sherlock just managed to wiggle his way into my heart since my first hunt. Of course I didn’t have a place to keep him so I had to call AAA Fence and have them build a kennel. He was very shy and not used to being handled. I would take him for long walks around the hayfield on a long leash. After a couple months I decided he was ready to go on his own. He would explore the field with my corgi by his side. This was our routine for a couple weeks and then one day he was gone. Somewhere between our walk around the field and going back to his kennel he disappeared. I called and drove around looking for him. All my neighbors were on alert for him. He was gone. I called Mark and told him what happened. I knew he would try to go back to the kennels but the Ohio River was a pretty big obstacle for him to cross.

10 days later I was standing at the kitchen sink and heard him voicing. I looked out the window and there he was. Standing on the deck looking at me. That was the first time he came into the house. I sat down on the floor and he snuggled into my lap. He was thin and had blisters on his paws. I just couldn’t believe he came back. That was 2 1/2 years ago. After that day he was never locked in the kennel again. His doghouse is now under the carport by the house and he is free to roam the fields and woods. He has never left the yard again. He greets me every morning, hangs out in the barn while I care for the horses, walks around the fields while I bush hog and escorts me back to the house every evening. He has learned that petting and hugs are a good thing and demands affection when I come home from work everyday. Sherlock turns 13 this year.”

~ Lisa, whipper-in and Sherlock’s owner/retirement home

Hound Profile

Hound Profile: Shawnee Zin

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Hound Profile:

SHAWNEE ZIN (Shawnee Wendy x Shawnee Yella)

 

Zin with her ribbons from the Hark Forward Performance Hound Trial Championship and huntsman Mark Smith.
Zin with whipper-in Hillary Marler participating in the conformation show at the Hark Forward event.

“In 2017 Shawnee Zin was reserve champion at the Hillsboro field trial, making her the only hound in our kennel to qualify for the 2018 Hark Forward Championship Field trial Hosted by Mason Lampton’s Midland Hounds at their Fitzpatrick, Al country November 5-7.

22 hunts out of 35 that had hounds qualify for the championship attended. They were Aikin Hounds, Belle Meade, Bridlespur, Bull Run, Camden, Cedar Knob, Essex, Fox River Valley, Genesee Valley, Hillsboro, Longreen, Mells, Midland, Mill Creek, Mission Valley, Red Oak, Sedgefield, Shawnee , Stonewall, Tennessee Valley, Thornton Hills, and Whiskey Road. 54 hounds from these hunts were entered, with Midland having the most hounds at four, while several others had three hounds qualified and entered.

At the end of day one, during the hunt breakfast they announced the results. The very first hound announced was for first in hunting and it was Zin. She scored well in trailing as well and out of the 54 hounds, was in 14th place.

Zin took 6th in HGA both for day two and overall. She was 6th in overall endurance, 5th in Overall marking, and first in overall hunting.

In placing for the hunt, all the scores for each hound that that hunt enters are added up and the high point wins. Hillsboro had three hounds entered and took first. Midland had four hounds entered and took second, while Shawnee, with only Zin entered took third place out of 22 hunts.

As the MFHA stated on their facebook page, “If Shawnee Hounds of Illinois weren’t on your radar screen before, they are now.”