8B - The Michigan Daily Weekend Magazine - Thursday, January 28, 1999

The Michigan Daily Weekend S

The Metamora Hunt has been riding for 71 years. Riders
meet on Thursdays and Saturdays and spend
the entire day riding together. The group
congregates early in the morning at a
site defined as the "meet." Once all
the riders have arrived the
Huntsman, who is in charge of near-
ly 40 hounds, arrives and the entire
group begins the chase. There are
two "Masters of the Hunt" who fol-
low the hounds and lead the riders.
While it is a foxhunt, a fox is rarely
spotted, let alone killed. Some'
members ride for years without see-
ing a fox. Being part of a 71 year tra-
dition and riding in the country with
friends is what brings the equestrians back
week after week.

From top left, clockwise:
Eight-year old Ari Tyler at
the meet before her first
hunt; Hunstman Pat
Pierce calls the hounds to
attention; Pat Pierce
stands witthe hounds;
although each hunt begins
soon after sunrise, these
ladies are bright-eyed and
bushy-tailed; horse riding
and fox hunting is a dis-
tinguished traditional
sport, and this is reflect-
ed in the pinques which
some riders wear.

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