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Western Event Challenge 2003
Its time for the Fifth annual WCT event! This hunt event has rapidly become one of the premiere hunting events of North America. The focus on Coyote as a quarry for traditional mounted hunt clubs has made this a distinctive and exciting event of high speed chases and the wide open country of the American West and Plains!
Red Rock Hounds wins WCT 2003 ! North Hills Hunt takes reserve !
Congratulations to Red Rock Hounds and MFH / Huntsman Lynn Lloyd for their second Western Challenge Tour win ! Also congratulations to North Hills Hunt ( Huntsman Matthew Cook , Jt. MFH's Luke Matranga and Jim Urban ) for Reserve . This is the fifth appearance for both of these hunts in this annual charity event.
Very difficult weather and scenting conditions were experienced this year for a lot of the hunts - which makes judging a challenge but we all know that in this year of drought in the plains and mountain states these are the conditions that we have been hunting with through the season.
From Beverly Heffernan at tour central:
The Wabash Hounds meet that was to be held today had to be cancelled due to the weather. Therefore, an awards dinner in Imogene, Iowa was hastily arranged last night. Red Rock Hounds ( Nevada ) received the perpetual trophy and belt buckle as having been judged to have given the best day's sport, with North Hills Hunt ( Nebraska / Iowa ) as reserve. I perceive that this was close between 4 or 5 of the participants and the judges resorted to some mind numbing scrutiny on technical points to come up with a winner.
The Western Challenger trophy to be held by the hunt that raises the most funds goes to the Kingsbury Harriers by a hair. I had the judges announce Woodbrook as the winner last night, conditionally, but able to access the Internet this a.m. I did find another contribution for Kingsbury emailed to me yesterday afternoon while I was traveling to Vancouver WA. Total funds in the pot are $6360 at this moment; Red Rock's designated charity will receive that-- the Nevada Women's Fund.
Beverley Heffernan
Here are some pictures from the 2003 hunts !
Written Hunt reports from the 2003 hunts !
Click here for an enlarged map of the 2003 tour
Western Hunt Challenge Tour 2003 General Information
FEBRUARY 9, 2003
FIFTH WESTERN HUNT CHALLENGE TOUR SET FOR MARCH-APRIL 2003
Eleven hunts in the western United States will participate in the fifth Western Hunt Challenge Tour, to be held March 19 to April 8, 2003.
Two judges will determine which pack shows the best day’s sport, with the winning hunt’s designated charity to receive a cash prize based on donations by participating foxhunters and other interested parties. The goals of the Western Challenge include increasing camaraderie among the widely dispersed hunts of the western U.S., providing the opportunity to gain insight from experienced judges for the benefit of the participating packs, and supporting worthy charities. The Western Challenge also affords interested foxhunters from around the world the chance to enjoy hunting with a wide variety of packs, in a wide variety of country.
Past winners of the Western Hunt Challenge Tour are: 1999, Mr. Jeffords’ Hounds, for the benefit of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association; 2000, the Red Rock Hounds, for the benefit of the Nevada Women’s Fund; 2001, the Wabash Hounds, for the benefit of the Make-A-Wish Foundation; 2002, the Bijou Springs Hunt, for the benefit of two therapeutic riding programs in Colorado. A perpetual trophy is awarded to the winning pack along with a belt buckle for the winning huntsman. In addition, this year, John Jeffords, MFH of Mr. Jeffords’ Hounds, is donating a new perpetual trophy to the hunt that raises the most funds for the charity prize fund.
Mike V enjoys following the Kingsbury Harriers during this years hunt.
Nine packs of foxhounds, one pack of harriers, and one pack of beagles will be judged in 2003, The schedule is as follows: March 19, Santa Fe Hunt, Temecula CA March 21, Red Rock Hounds, Reno NV March 22, Red Rock Hunter Pace and Hunt Ball March 23, Kingsbury Harriers @ Red Rock March 24, Mr. Jeffords’ Hounds @ Red Rock March 25, Woodbrook Hunt @ Red Rock March 26, Bye Day @ Red Rock March 29, High Country Hounds, Flagstaff AZ March 30, Paradise Valley Beagles @ High Country April 1, Juan Tomas Hounds, Albuquerque NM April 3, Bijou Springs Hunt, Castle Rock CO April 5, North Hills Hunt, Burwell NE April 6, Extra hunting at North Hills April 8, Wabash Hounds, Imogene IAThe judges for the 2003 Western Hunt Challenge Tour are: Arie Rijke, MB and huntsman of the Waldingfield Beagles, Charlottesville, Virginia, and Noel Ryan, huntsman of the Misty River Hounds, Huntsville, Arkansas. The Tour will begin on March 19 at the Santa Fe Hunt in California. The Red Rock Hounds will host Mr. Jeffords’ Hounds, the Woodbrook Hunt and the Kingsbury Harriers for successive days of hunting in Nevada, and from there the Tour will proceed through Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Nebraska, ending on April 8 with a meet at the Wabash Hounds in Imogene, Iowa. Interested foxhunting enthusiasts are welcome to take part in the Western Hunt Challenge Tour 2003; please contact the individual hunts as field size and availability of horses for hire may be limited.
For more information, including schedule, lodging and stabling details, please contact Beverley Heffernan
WCT questions E-mail address for more information
Individual participants are welcome to join all or part of the Tour, but need to obtain permission from the specific hunts and arrange for their own lodging, stabling, and/or horse rental.
Please contact the individual hunt or the listed email contact for details ( much of this information is the same as last year ) Please refer to each hunt's information sheet for details.Please keep in mind that during the Tour as meet times, fixtures, and other details are subject to change depending on the weather.
Important notes
Participants who are hauling horses across state lines should contact their veterinarians to ensure that they have the appropriate documentation for the states to which they will be traveling. At a minimum, this will include a health certificate (usually required to have been issued within 30 days of travel) including proof of negative EIA ( coggins ) some states also require a brand card. All horses, even traveling intrastate, must have proof of negative EIA testing within the past year. FURTHER NOTE: Make sure your vet knows how to do the health certificates! It is better to get a different certificate for each destination.
Human participants must be sure to sign a liability release for each hunt before mounting.
Capping fees vary by each hunt, each hunt donates money for the prize pool, the winning hunt gets to designate the charity where the prize is sent.
Approximate mileage and driving time between hunting areas (note: this list is not all-inclusive but is meant to provide a general guideline for travel planning. Accuracy not guaranteed as the Internet software used for this exercise doesn't necessarily know all the shortcuts or fastest routes.):
Temecula CA to Reno NV: 608 mi/ 10 hours Reno NV to Flagstaff AZ: 701 mi/15 hrs (some do this in a long day, or, can overnight in Tonopah or Las Vegas, NV) Flagstaff, AZ to Albuquerque, NM: 328 mi./6 hrs Albuquerque, NM to Castle Rock, CO: 419 mi/8 hrs Castle Rock, CO to Burwell, NE: 443 mi/8 hrs Burwell, NE to Shenandoah, IA: 273 mi/ 5 hrs
PER STANDARD HUNT COURTESY, PLEASE CONTACT EACH HUNT TO VERIFY ATTENDANCE, PLEASE VERIFY DATES AND TIMES WITH EACH HUNT , EMAIL CONTACT BELOW FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR EACH HUNT
Any questions about this page? Email webmeister
Western Event Challenge - Archives
Details of the WCT 2002 hunts
A brief summary of the WCT 2001 hunts
North Hills Hunt WCT 2001 in Burwell pictures
Western Event Challenge 1999 -TV special by Nebraska Public TV
Western Challenge Tour 2001 Map
Western Challenge Tour 2000 website with results