Spectating at Virginia Hound Show?

[JSwan]

Yes, it is. Saturday evening the Horn Blowing Competition and watching the carriage horse exhibition is free.

There is a charge for the catered reception in the museum of hounds and hunting. But it is my understanding (the show and the museum are separate entities) that you can show up and pay for the museum reception.

People will need to confirm that independently as I am not authorized to speak for the museum.

Basically Saturday evening is a series of events behind held at the same time or within a few hours of each other. The reception in the museum, the sporting art exhibit on the portico of the mansion, the carriage horses, the Horn Blowing contest, and the private dinner. It all takes place in or around the mansion.

Sunday is the hound show. During the show the museum of hounds and hunting is open, as is the carriage museum. So you can watch classes, tour the museums, have a nice picnic- basically make a day of it. And of course people must visit all the vendor tents.

I believe a local author/foxhunter may be signing copies of his new book, which has gotten rave reviews. There is another vendor who organizes hunting trips to the UK, there are tailors from the UK, there’s jewelry, tack, antiques, etc. I believe most, if not all the vendors will accept credit cards but I don’t know what kind.

I’m sure I’ll think of something else but it’s getting late and I’m in full panic mode and I’m sure I’m forgetting to pack something terribly important and I’ll be up all night fretting, so just contact me if any of y’all have a question and I’ll do my best to help.

See you at the hound show.

[KateDB]

GotSpots!
Kate here…hope you are coming tomorrow, Sunday!
Come by our tent at NMMVH. Would be great to see you after these years!!!

[CarrieK]

[QUOTE=west5;7590168]
I need to move to Virginia.[/QUOTE]

As the kids used to say: you ain’t nevah lied.

:: sigh ::

[JSwan]

Well, it’s over and everyone survived.

Results will be on the website late tonight or tomorrow morning. Included will be links to photographers websites so folks can purchase photos.

The competition was very stiff. Every huntsman was well prepared and so were his/her hounds. Volunteers worked very hard to make the day go smoothly, and we were all treated to the pack classes and grand champion at the end.

A real treat was the exhibition by the Piedmont Driving Club. They drove their carriages around the museum grounds on Saturday night, parking in front of the mansion and offering rides to the guests at the cocktail party/reception and sporting art exhibit. The members of this club were so kind and generous with their time - and of course their horses were beautifully behaved.

It was a perfect evening - it really was. Show day was great - a volunteer in the secretary’s tent brought goodies and I brought coffee and that made the morning go smoothly.

I hope everyone had a good time and arrive home safe and sound.

On to Bryn Mawr!!!

[HighFlyinBey1]

Count me in to help in the registration tent again next year And for more goodies

I’m still miffed that I forgot about the carriages! I seriously must win the lottery so that I can get Bug an appropriate cart and harness (and some real lessons) so that we can join the carriage demos. It would make her so happy.

[yellowbritches]

So sorry I missed it. I was really hoping to find some time to come out, especially since I wanted to see some of my NM-MVH friends that I haven’t seen in awhile (looking at you, Kate!). And after meeting some hound show attendees on Friday at the shop, I KNEW it was going to be a fun event. But, as this was my first ever in my adult life three day holiday weekend, it ended up jam smashed with other things and not a stitch of time to make it to Morven.

Maybe next year!!!

[wateryglen]

Thank you for the coffee!! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 7am is early when you live a good drive away and I know some of ya’ll were there much earlier! Great day! zzzzzzzzzzzzz

[JSwan]

You’re welcome but actually that coffee wasn’t for you.

I purchased coffee only for the volunteers who agreed and committed to working in the show secretary’s tent. This meant they had to be there extremely early and would likely not have had time for breakfast and tea/coffee - unlike many volunteers, including you, who did not come until almost 9am.

My volunteers processed last minute changes for over 40 clubs and over 500 hounds in about 2 hours. If it wasn’t for their incredibly hard work, patience, and attention to detail the show would have been a disaster. They would have appreciated being able to have a full cup of coffee. As it was they barely got even a restroom break until 5pm.

[Carolinadreamin]

Was there an official photographer there or a website where I could view photos? I need to look at pics to have a better understanding of the hound show. It sounds like you had a great team…errrr, except for that one to whom you referred to in that last post! :eek:

[PeteyPie]

[QUOTE=JSwan;7594380]
You’re welcome but actually that coffee wasn’t for you.

I purchased coffee only for the volunteers who agreed and committed to working in the show secretary’s tent. This meant they had to be there extremely early and would likely not have had time for breakfast and tea/coffee - unlike many volunteers, including you, who did not come until almost 9am.

My volunteers processed last minute changes for over 40 clubs and over 500 hounds in about 2 hours. If it wasn’t for their incredibly hard work, patience, and attention to detail the show would have been a disaster. They would have appreciated being able to have a full cup of coffee. As it was they barely got even a restroom break until 5pm.[/QUOTE]

Yikes!

[HighFlyinBey1]

A half a cup of coffee would have probably prevented the headache I got from skipping coffee at home when I woke an hour late, yet still managed to arrive on time with cinnamon bites still hot from the oven. Thanks again to Mr. Swan for the Aleve!

[ThreeFigs]

Didn’t arrive until 9 AM? And helped herself to coffee in the show secretary’s tent?

Such “volunteers” are not asked back, IME.

[katarine]

There are always the handful of people who bust their butts for the benefit of the rest. Many are grateful, and many are ingrates.

[Beverley]

Harrumph. I brought my own coffee when I clerked. Happily though friends with tailgates or tents made sure I always gained weight at the show!

[see_u_at_x]

I was up at 5 a.m. and drove almost an hour and half from from Annapolis to Leesburg and was there just past 7:30. I stopped for gas and bought my own coffee, water, and breakfast sandwich to eat on the way to Leesburg because I knew food wasn’t sold at the show. I was grateful for the cinnamon treats that HighFlyinBey brought, especially when it got closer to lunch time. Next year I’ll be a little more prepared and will bring snacks to share. Anyone who goes to clinics and horse shows with me knows that I typically pack enough for a freakin’ tailgate party if given the opportunity.

[HighFlyinBey1]

We’ll have a lots of time to plan out a snacky menu for next year! Of course, finding time to eat might be an issue

[COmountains]

Whoa

I thought this was a thread about a foxhound show, not a forum for petty whining about coffee and dissing volunteers. Why would all volunteers be expected to arrive at 7 in the morning? What is so wrong with sharing some coffee? Yikes. Collegiality training seriously needed here. Shows are a team effort and the sec’s tent is just one piece of it. But not all jobs are necessarily done by volunteers. Did jswan get paid? Not to be unkind, but I don’t see anything out of the ordinary you did. Show sec people arrive early to make entry changes, hand out packets and numbers, etc. SOP. Not rocket science to spell others for bathroom or food breaks. Found VA foxhound club web site and will contact the president for legitimate info about the show.

[ThreeFigs]

So evidently you were there, COmtns, and didn’t see anything extraordinary in jswan’s performance? I imagine she’s like a duck – looking serene on the surface but paddling like mad beneath. It takes a LOT to organize such a show – I’ve managed stabling ONLY at horse trials and it’s quite a job. I can’t imagine putting THIS whole thing together.

Jswan was perfectly justified in making sure that the food and coffee in the secretary’s tent was for HER volunteers – otherwise, what’s to stop every passer-by from coming in and decimating the supplies?

[see_u_at_x]

[QUOTE=ThreeFigs;7595743]
So evidently you were there, COmtns, and didn’t see anything extraordinary in jswan’s performance? I imagine she’s like a duck – looking serene on the surface but paddling like mad beneath. It takes a LOT to organize such a show – I’ve managed stabling ONLY at horse trials and it’s quite a job. I can’t imagine putting THIS whole thing together.[/QUOTE]

This. She and Mr. JSwan worked really hard on putting together a computer program for the entries and results in order to make things go more smoothly. Seriously, the amount of work they did beforehand was amazing! It made things so much easier on us when it came time to check people, take their substitutions, and cross off scratches. What most people may not realize is that it’s tough bringing some of these folks into the 21st century, so that can make things even more of a challenge.

Honestly, though, I think there were maybe only a couple of competitors who got snarky with us for minor things, but those issues were addressed and all’s well that ends well. I’ve seen worse from the hunter princesses and the dressage queens.

[ThreeFigs]

I have a hunch Wateryglen and COmountains know each other very, very well. :lol: