LeslieGra's blog

Adrian Dangar started hunting at age seven on a lead rein. While attending school at Stowe School, he was the huntsman of the college beagle pack. After nine months as a jackeroo in Australia, Adrian attended the Royal Agricultural College (RAC) and whipped in to Simon Hart for a season when he hunted the RAC beagles. During his last two years at college he hunted and whipped in as an amateur to the VHW hunt and Duke of Beaufort’s hunts.

Adrian rode regularly in Point to Point steeplechases up until his first appointment as an MFH, although his final two rides were on May 1st 1987, the day he took on his first pack of foxhounds for Spooners and West Dartmoor Hunt in Devon. After 3 seasons hunting hounds on Dartmoor he was invited to take up the same position with the Sinnington Hunt in North Yorkshire. In 1998 after 8 seasons with the Sinnington, Adrian was appointed Joint Master and huntsman of the Quorn Hunt in Leicestershire for two years. He was the first amateur huntsman in over 100 years for the Quorn.

In 2000 he left the Quorn to set up a travel company specializing in riding safaris and holidays around the world, Wild and Exotic (www.wildandexotic.co.uk). Additionally, he began freelance writing on rural topics and country sports for a number of publications including The Daily Telegraph, The Horse & Hound, The Field, and The Country Life Magazine and is also a regular contributor of UK hunting updates to the Chronicle of the Horse. In 2006, Adrian was commissioned by Forbes Life to photograph PJ O’Rourke’s ride through Kyrgyzstan.Adrian has judged every major hound show in Britain, including the Royal Foxhound Show at Peterborough twice. He has also judged foxhounds in Ireland, Germany, and Australia.

Grosvenor Merle-Smith was born in Winchester, Virginia, a direct descendant of Robert Brooke, the man who is credited with bringing the first pack of hounds to America in 1650. Grosvenor grew up riding and hunting in Middleburg, Virginia. His first memory of following hounds from horseback is when he was three years old, 51 years ago. As a junior, he hunted with Middleburg Hunt and Piedmont Foxhounds. He whipped-in to huntsmen George Beeman and Dr. Marvin Beeman, MFH, at the Arapahoe Hunt in Colorado after college.

Other notable past hunt service includes:
• whipping in to Andrew Barclay at the Green Spring Valley Hunt
• serving as the kennel huntsman for Keswick Hunt Club
• Jt-MFH of the Golden Vale Hunt of County Tipperary, Ireland, for 12 seasons
• MFH and Huntsman of the Bull Run Hunt for six seasons

Grosvenor has been a hunting member of the Arapahoe Hunt, Keswick Hunt Club, Piedmont Foxhounds, Tennessee Valley Hunt, Golden Vale Hunt, Tipperary Foxhounds, Foxboro Foot Hounds, Farmington Beagles, Bull Run Hunt and the Thornton Hill Hounds. He has judged hounds at the Virginia Hound Show, Bryn Mawr Hound Show, Kimberton Hound Show, National Beagle Trials, Mid-America Hound Show, The Western Hunt Challenge, and numerous field trials. In addition, Grosvenor has led groups on hunting trips to Australia, England, Ireland & France.

Currently Grosvenor is enjoying whipping-in to Jeff Eichler, Foxboro Foot Hounds.