Photo from the Bull Run Hunt Club; Taken by Mark Jump of Mark Jump Photography

For Susan Travellin, the call of the hounds and the thunder of hooves across open Virginia countryside are more than sport — they are a way of life.

Virginia has long been considered one of the nation’s most active centers for foxhunting, with dozens of clubs carrying on traditions that draw riders from across the country and around the world. Among those keeping the sport alive is Travellin, field secretary of the Keswick Hunt Club, who has spent decades immersed in its community.

“It’s not about killing the fox,” Travellin said. “It’s about the glory of the chase — the well-trained hounds doing what they were bred to do.”

Unlike common misconceptions, modern foxhunts in Virginia are “fox chases.” Riders release hounds to follow the scent of a fox. Once the animal goes “to ground,” slipping into a burrow or thicket, the chase ends. “We leave it alone,” Travellin said.

Foxhounds, the large, athletic breed at the center of the sport, are carefully bred and trained. At Keswick, the pack is made up of American Foxhounds, descendants of English lines. Hunts are organized with precision: hounds counted in “couples” (for example, 16 couples means 32 hounds), huntsmen directing with a horn, and volunteers known as whippers-in ensuring safety. Road whips monitor nearby highways, and hounds wear collars with contact information.

“We never go home without them,” Travellin said. “Sometimes we have to pick them up later, but we know where they are.”

The Keswick Hunt Club, one of the oldest in Virginia, covers fixtures across Louisa, Orange and Madison counties. Arrow Point Farm, a property with more than 800 acres along the Rapidan River, is among its well-known hunting grounds. Travellin is also a member of the Bull Run Hunt, which serves Culpeper, Madison, Orange and Spotsylvania counties.

Both clubs rotate fixtures so their hounds and riders have new territory to explore and to avoid stressing any one area. “We try to go to different places all the time,” Travellin said. “It’s about the chase, not the kill.”

Foxhunts are divided into “flights,” or groups of riders with varying levels of pace and challenge. The first flight follows the huntsman closely, leaping fences to keep up. The second avoids jumps, closing gates behind them. The third, known as hilltoppers, prefer a slower pace, trotting and occasionally galloping.
“Everyone is there to watch the hounds and not get in the way,” Travellin said. “It’s about camaraderie, enjoying your friends, beautiful territory, and being there for your horse.”

Travellin grew up far from Virginia’s horse country — in Jersey City, N.J. A childhood pony ride sparked a lifelong passion for horses. After college, she bought her first horse and began boarding it with friends who hunted. Eventually, Virginia called.

“When I came to Virginia and saw the beautiful countryside, I knew this was where I wanted to be,” she said. “This is the epicenter of hunting in the United States. People come from all over the world — Germany, France — to ride here.”

Owning horses, raising hounds, and chasing foxes have shaped Travellin’s lifestyle. “It’s a hobby, but it’s also a lifestyle,” she said. “Your life is based around this.”

Many riders are empty nesters, though foxhunting can be a family activity through pony clubs and junior memberships. For Travellin, it has meant friendships, travel, and even art. She recently earned runner-up in the Master of Foxhounds Association art contest for her painting, Early Autumn in the Piedmont.

Virginia hunts typically run from early September through March. Clubs pause during the spring to avoid disturbing pregnant foxes and allow farmland to recover for planting. Summers are reserved for training and “legging up” young horses.

The weather is always a factor. Heavy rain can cancel hunts, and frigid temperatures pose risks for hounds and horses. Still, Travellin often hunts up to four times a week.

“Sometimes you see the fox, and that makes it really fun,” she said. “At the end of the day, we’ll gather for a feast together. The camaraderie is as important as the chase.”

Now semi-retired, Travellin looks back on foxhunting as central to her life’s story. “I’ve been a skier, a kayaker,” she said, “but hunting has been a great part of my life. I have no regrets. It’s given me great friends, travel, and a lifestyle I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

Jen Bailey

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