Headwaters Hounds

As a result of the pending legal battles with the county due to neighbor complaints, Headwaters Hounds will no longer be operating as a subscription pack, but will be changing status with the Masters of Foxhounds Association to a private pack owned by Dr. Alison Brown, MFH.   Dr. Brown will be continuing to hunt her hounds performing predator control on the beautiful public lands surrounding Salida.  Dr. Brown welcomes fellow foxhunters who would like to join her in following the hounds.  Send an email to headwatershounds@gmail.com if you are visiting the Rocky Mountain region and would like further information.

We are fighting a legal battle against neighbors that are trying to shut our hunt club down. Click here to read the CBS4 story about the online petition these neighbors filed to outlaw foxhunting.  The County has ordered us to temporarily cease operations based on complaints filed by these same neighbors.  We are seeking temporary placements for our hounds while we file an appeal with the Court.

The legal bills are mounting, but we are confident we will prevail and continue hunting in our beautiful hunt country.  If you would like to contribute towards our legal defense to keep foxhunting active in Colorado, please help.  Donations can be made towards a legal defense fund at this link.

Our fixture for the 2016 season is now posted on our calendar . We will start cubbing in September which is a great opportunity for you to get your horse used to the hounds.  Cubbing is a traditional, affectionate term for slow-paced, early season, training hunts to introduce young hounds to the pack (think of this as “cub scouts” for junior hounds).  Cubbing will be mostly be at a trail-riding pace and you can wear  ratcatcher or your normal trail riding clothes.   Contact us at headwatershounds@gmail.com for further information.

Our fixture for the 2015 season is now posted on our calendar . We will start cubbing in September and Opening Hunt is the first weekend in October. We also have some fun camping trips planned with the hounds. Contact us at headwatershounds@gmail.com for further information.

Last call for reservations for our fabulous hunt ball!  We have a fun group that has already committed to attend, wine, dinner, music and dancing are all part of the program.  We also have some great items that have been donated for our annual hound fundraiser.  These include airline tickets, jewelry, gift cards, ski passes, snowboard lessons and a brand new Toro leaf blower!  Put on your best frock or tux and dancing shoes and come and join us.

We will be having an open clinic this Saturday and inviting friends and guests to visit the hounds and kennel.  Hunt staff will be showing visitors the hounds, how they work and respond to the horn, how to use a hunt whip and how our GPS tracking collars work.  All are welcome but  please RSVP if you would like to come and also bring a signed copy of our release form which can be downloaded from http://headwatershounds.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/14-15-Headwaters-Hounds-Release.pdf.

The clinic will start at 10 am and will run until early afternoon.  We have some horses that will be available to ride if you would like to exercise the hounds with the whips.  We also have a new horse suitable for junior riders. Helmets and boots with heels will be required for any riders, helmets are available to borrow at the kennels.

We had a fabulous opening hunt on November 29th – the hounds did great, the quarry was plentiful and the hunt staff and field had a fun time.

Opening Hunt

Looking forward to many more fun hunts

Tally Ho!

We have have postponed our formal opening hunt to Saturday November 29th so all of the Masters can be present.  We will also have some visitors joining us for a fun time.  Please plan to come to hunt or join us for the hunt breakfast afterwards.

On Friday 28th we will be lining up by Alpine park at 5:30 pm in full hunt regalia (plus lights) to ride with hounds in the Salida Christmas Parade.  Please contact me if you would like to join us riding or walking a hound.  Tally Ho Ho Ho!

Extra bonus is that Monarch Ski area opens on Thanksgiving Day so we are officially opening our hunt and ski season.

Very exciting – our formal opening hunt is coming up on Saturday November 22nd.  The hounds are ready to rumble !!!  I expect that we will have a few visitors coming to join us from Denver or Colorado Springs.  Plan is to hunt at our Villa Grove territory and have a Hunt Breakfast afterwards at the trailers.  We are looking for volunteers to help with the stirrup cup and hunt breakfast (barbecue?).  Also please let me know if you could offer a bed and/or paddock to a visiting foxhunter and horse (we have also made arrangements also at the County Fairgrounds for stabling). Please plan to join us for the inaugural opening hunt.  

 Tally Ho!