The fox hounds take off in the opening hunt of the season across Windward Farm on Sunday morning. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — On Sunday morning, a longheld tradition returned to Shepherdstown, to kick off the fox hunting season.

The New Market — Middletown Valley Hounds, Inc. held The Blessing of the Hounds, followed by the club’s opening hunt of the season, at Windward Farm.

“Thank you to our fabulous huntsmen for all of their work with the hounds. They were great! And we’re thankful to Pastor Gayle for giving the blessing today,” said Master of Fox Hounds Kate Byron, as she and her fellow huntsmen took their ceremonial drinks from Rev. Gayle Bach-Watson at the event.

For Bach-Watson, this was the second year she had given The Blessing of the Hounds. Last year at this time, she was still the minister of Christ Reformed United Church of Christ, which closed after her retirement at the end of 2022, leaving Bach-Watson little room to take in the event.

“I did it last year and then raced to get to church by 11 o’clock. I came already robed up and then went flying back and then put the overrobe on and did church!” Bach-Watson said.

Rev. Gayle Bach-Watson gives The Blessing of the Hounds at Windward Farm on Sunday. Tabitha Johnston

According to Bach-Watson, fox hunt clubs prefer to have The Blessing of the Hounds given by a member of the clergy within the club, if available. When she joined the New Market — Middletown Valley Hounds last year, Bach-Watson was asked to take on this new responsibility and gladly agreed to do so, since the club’s opening hunt was scheduled to be held conveniently near her church, at the same historic farm in Shepherdstown it has been held at for the last couple of decades.

While the tradition of fox hunting may bring to mind gruesome stories of yesteryear, she said there is a distinct difference between such practices in England and in America.

“We are so different than English hunts!” Bach-Watson said. “In England, fox hunting is outlawed. You can’t do it there, because to them it’s a blood sport. The whole goal of their sport was to have the hounds corner the fox and tear it apart, and that’s just cruel!

“We don’t do that. To us, the fox is the honored adversary. We put extra food out during a hard winter, and if we see a fox outside that’s not doing well, we’ll try to get it to the vet. In fact, if it gets around that your hunt killed a fox, you get a black mark with the masters of fox hunting, because that’s poor sportsmanship,” Bach-Watson said, referring to the Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America (MFANA), of which her club is a member.

To ensure they treat all foxes with consideration, MFANA members are expected to train their fox hounds to respond to commands to protect their prey.

Master of Fox Hounds Kate Byron, center, welcomes attendees to the New Market — Middletown Valley Hounds annual Blessing of the Hounds at Windward Farm on Sunday morning. Tabitha Johnston

“The hounds are trained for the huntsmen to call them off. If the huntsmen think they are going to corner the fox and the fox is vulnerable, the huntsmen will turn the hounds,” Bach-Watson said. “The hounds hate it, but they do it!”

The reason behind this difference in fox hunting may lie in the difference between the cultural perceptions of foxes.

“Over there, foxes are still vermin. Over here, we’re thrilled with foxes — they’re beautiful and they’re clever,” Bach-Watson said.

To learn more about the New Market — Middletown Valley Hounds, visit https://www.nm-mvh.com/NM-MVH%20Home.html.