Fox/Hound 骑 Competition Concludes in a Tie

From Director of 骑 Kate Worsham

In an afternoon that showcased team spirit, accurate and thoughtful riding, 美妙的马, 而且很有趣, the Foxes and the Hounds emerged jointly victorious on Wednesday when the final Fox/Hound competition of the year was held at the Jean DuPont McConnell Stables and 骑 Arena.

The Hounds started with some winning momentum by mounting their well-dressed Lead Line riders who embraced this unique experience. 每个人脸上都挂着微笑, 头发上系着丝带, 脚后跟压紧, and shoulders pulled back to look poised in the saddle, all the Lead Line riders made a good showing for this competition. For their overall win in this class, the Hounds earned a one-second advantage for their best Big Team rider's score. This advantage was secured by Hound seniors Emma L.玛雅·K.伊丽莎白五世., who were awarded 1st, 3rd, and 4th places by judge E. 弗吉尼亚州尤尼森市的罗宾·安德森说. 

The format and course for Fox/Hound 骑 are based on the showjumping style of riding. There is a single round over a course consisting of verticals and oxers with areas where riders have inside turn options which can be used to create an efficient line between jumps. 这门课是计时的, 和最佳时间, 哪一个奖励一个整洁的轨道, 快速但安全的步伐, 和一个准确的计划, is posted for each competition. The winner of each group is the rider who gets closest to the Optimum Time. This format encourages safe and effective riding and good horsemanship.

As the riders warmed up for the jumping rounds, the spectators watched with rapt attention to see who might prevail as the winning team. After combining Big and Middle teams to adjust for some roster changes, the riding phase of the competition began with a victory for the combined “Biddle” Fox Team riders, supported by the many Foxy students and faculty in attendance. As is the spirit in the actual hunt field, the Hounds were hot on their heels as they gave the Foxes a run for their money in the chase for the win, and the teams ended up with only .5 seconds separating their final averaged optimum times. 在这些骑行课上, Anderson gave a Style Award (also worth a one-second time advantage) to the rider on the original Big Team and Middle Team rosters who best demonstrated a correct position, safe and smart decision-making skills, 适当的技巧. 狐狸萨拉B. 25和艾思梅·D. ’27 won the honors for the Big and Middle Team competitions, respectively.

The 小团队 riders demonstrated confidence and technical prowess as they navigated their competition rounds. With a margin separating the teams’ optimum times of just 1.3秒, it was a tight head-to-head battle on three of the most wonderful senior Foxcroft school horses, 飞溅, 曼尼, 和凯蒂. These horses did not let their ages show (23 and 24 years old!) as they responded to their riders’ cues to gallop around this year’s twisty jumping track with ease and athleticism. The Style Award for this section was given to the Hound’s Julia L. ‘26 after she completed a smooth round by riding with a sense of relaxed focus that encouraged Kitty to jump her best. 最终, 猎犬队获胜了, which ended the riding competitions in a tie with a win for each team. 

In the spirit of camaraderie and "true friends til the end," the competition remained amicably tied for this year as the riders went to care for horses and thank them for a job well done.

完整结果如下.

领导队伍
赢家:猎犬

结合大 & 中间“比德尔”队
Winning Team Time: Foxes 23秒, with the Optimum Time being 25 seconds
Style Award for Big Team: Sarah B. ‘25
Style Award for Middle Team: Esme D. ‘27

小团队
获胜团队时间:猎犬队.6, with the Optimum Time being 30 seconds
时尚奖:Julia L. ‘26