The Theodora A. Randolph Field Hunter Championship
OCTOBER 10th, 2015, 9:00 a.m.
GLENWOOD PARK RACE COURSE
PARTICIPANTS QUALIFY THE WEEK PRIOR TO THE FINALS
WITH OUR SPONSORING VIRGINIA HUNTS
2015 Hunts to be Determined
Finalists compete over a hunter course designed by
judges to test the horses' manners and hunting abilities.
Trophies will be awarded for Field Hunter Champion, Reserve Champion,
Best turned out, Most Suitable, and Sportsmanship Trophy.
A $2,500 cash prize will be awarded to the Field Hunter Champion's Hunt by The Bonnie Family
In addition to the Virginia Fall Race meet is the Field Hunter Championship finals named in memory of Mrs. Theodora A. Randolph, Master of the local Piedmont Fox Hounds for over 40 years. Founded in 1989, this event brings together fox hunting enthusiasts from all across the U.S. and Canada to participate in the week long trial. Mounted judges ride alongside the numbered contestants as they hunt with four area fox Hunts over a five day period. At the end of each day's hunting, the judges announce the horse and rider combinations selected to compete in the finals held Saturday at Glenwood Park. The finals are held prior to the start of the first race.
The Saturday morning finals of the Field Hunter Championship give racing spectators a unique opportunity to watch a high level field hunter and rider combinations dressed in proper hunting attire.. The finalists then follow the Field Master and are judged on how their horse performs.
They are asked to negotiate a handy hunter course in the center of the race course, one at a time, for the championship title. They might be asked to dismount and re-mount from a log, unlatch a gate and close it from horseback, or trot over a fallen tree. The judges ask the riders to show each horse's different hunting skills, and after these individual tasks are completed, a champion is chosen. Trophies are awarded to the Champion, Reserve Champion as well as Best Turned Out, Most Suitable Pair and the Sportsmanship trophy.