A Brief History

of the

Snickersville Hounds

Please note that this entry is a work in progress.

The Snickersville Hounds was founded in 1993, when Mrs. Dorothy Smithwick invited Mike Turner to hunt her beautiful farm, Sunny Bank, in Middleburg, Virginia. Mike, a successful amateur jump jockey, had whipped in for several local hunts for many years, and jumped at the chance to graduate to Huntsman and Master.  

Our first kennels were near Bluemont, Virginia, on Williams Gap Road. Mike gathered hounds from many sources, from as far away as New York, primarily Penn-Marydel, but also some cross-breds and American hounds. Our first litter was whelped in the bank barn at the kennels in 1995.

Early fixtures included Sunny Bank Farm, Egypt Farm, Jubilation, Cricket Hill, Bolinvar, and Gritton Mills. We also enjoyed some fixtures near Culpeper. Initially, fields were small, but as the hunt matured and word spread, more and more foxhunters subscribed to the Snickersville Hounds.

Our first Hunt Ball, the Farmers Fling, was held in 1996 at June and Mike Hambrick's barn in Leesburg. Subsequent Hunt Balls have been held at the Middleburg Community Center. They usually feature dinner, dancing to a live band, and a silent auction, the proceeds of which are donated to local charities.

One of Snickersville's unique features is our "Snickersville Hounds in Trucks", a dedicated car-following group that specializes in viewing the fox and photographing the hunt. Non-hunters and non-riders are able to join in the day, experience the beautiful country we hunt, and learn about foxhunting, without risk to life and limb.

In 2002, due to development, kennels were moved from Williams Gap Road to Mike's house on Raven Rocks Road. In 2006, the demands of a growing business, and results of injuries prompted Mike Turner to offer the mastership of the Snickersville Hounds to Gregg Ryan, one of our major landowners and well-known sportsman. Todd Kern took up the horn as huntsman. Gregg has retained the traditions of our farmers pack. We welcome all foxhunters, and particularly "future" foxhunters.

Some Snickersville Highlights -

• Bad Girls? Tours I and II
  We were honored to host the Bad Girls Tours in March 1998 and October 1998. The Bad Girls are hardy foxhunters who embark on marathon hunting adventures at home and abroad, whilst drinking champagne, jumping big fences, and distributing plastic dinosaurs to needy foxhunters. Here is one report of BGT I in March 1998

  Report from Snickersville:  The gals were great!! I must complement all who hunted with us on Sunday----Horses and riders were well turned out, everyone was polite and well mannered (probably because they were burned out Friday night by Mosby's), a joy to behold. On behalf of my staff (Liz Williams, Laura Hayward, Jane Wiles, Chris Ambrose, Penny Newquist, Ray Moffett and Vaughn Clatterback) I wish to thank you all for joining us Saturday at Sunny Bank Farm. Dorothy Smithwick, the owner of Sunny Bank Farm asked me to convey to you her thanks for the respect and courtesy you showed her and her farm. And all of the Snickersville Hounds send their best and have asked that I extend you an invitation on their behalf for your speedy return. And I, as a slave to this pack, can do naught but echo their invitation and live in penury (it was a great cap day!) and abstinence until the return of THE BAD GIRLS!!!!

  Mike Turner
  Snickersville Hounds
   

• The Bear  One fine day in 2001, we met at Mr. Larry Levy's The Hill Farm outside Culpeper, Virginia. Hounds were cast by the small creek, found, and were off and running across a field and up a steep hill to a tree at the top. They had treed a black bear! The bear was not happy with the turn of events, and after several minutes, despite the continued presence of 30+ foxhounds, huntsman, whips, and the field at the base of the tree, descended and ran back down the hill. The only casualty was Snickersville Yuba, who somehow got mauled, but whether by bear or the other hounds no one is sure. Yuba survived to hunt another day.
   
• The Horseless Huntsman  Arriving at Cricket Hill Farm for a day of hunting, we unloaded horses, tacked up, chatted, waiting for the Master and hounds to arrive. Running a little late, Mike pulled in, donned his coat, opened the trailer to let the hounds off, and then stopped, gazing into the front trailer compartment where his horse was SUPPOSED to be. Mike had left his horse, fully tacked, cross-tied in the barn aisle. Fortunately, Malcolm Winter was gentleman enough to offer the huntsman his horse, saving the day for the rest of us.
   
• Emporia  In 2000, Mike Turner took 10 hounds to the Penn-Marydel foxhound gathering at Billy Poole's fox pen in Emporia, Virginia. This event is not a field trial in that there is no competition, just a venue for PMD enthusiasts to meet, hunt their hounds, and watch other PMDs work. Twenty hunts bring 10 hounds each, 5 are hunted in the morning, 5 in the evening. One hundred hounds are turned loose in the fox pen to hunt, twice a day. Snickersville Kirby was seen to be consistently in or near the lead on several long runs. We returned to Emporia in April 2007 to renew old friendships and make new ones.  The PMD enthusiasts were happy to welcome Snickersville back to the fold.