The Sandanona Harehounds: Keeping Country Sport Alive
By ML Ball

Photos by Jim Henkens

In today’s hustle-bustle, screen-addicted world, few things equal the pure delight of tramping through the countryside following the Sandanona Harehounds doing what they’ve been bred to do for centuries, which is follow the scent of rabbits.

To the casual observer, their movements may seem random—into and out of a thicket, through cornfields, across a lane—but in fact they are intentionally and expertly choreographed by Betsy Park, Sandanona’s huntsman and joint master. 

“There’s a game plan,” says Park. “Always. Where are we drawing. Where should the hounds be. Which side should the whippers-in cover. They have to be at a certain elevation where they can see what’s coming.” [A whipper-in keeps hounds from wandering away from the pack.]

Founded in 1977 when the Sandanona Beagles merged with the Flint Hill Bassets (Park’s private pack), the Sandanona Harehounds is the only hunting organization in the U.S. maintaining two packs of hounds. It is also one of the few remaining subscription (member-supported) packs. Consisting of approximately 100 beagles and bassets, the group is housed in Millbrook at Thorndale Kennels, a solid stucco structure built in 1920 by Oakleigh Thorne to house his pack of harriers (harehounds). 

Today, the organization persists because of the hard work and generosity of many—landowners, subscribers, joint master Gary Dykus, treasurer Susan Branson, secretary Betsey Battistoni, employee Natacha Kondratiev—but its driving engine, its heart and soul, is Park. Finding her successor won’t be easy. 

Says Park, “There are many problems, one of which is, hardly anybody goes outdoors anymore. Children don’t play outside. I was raised in an environment where you ran around and did whatever you did. I was riding my pony or looking for salamanders in the creek. Kids don’t do that anymore. I think we are more and more separated, in many ways, intellectually, spiritually, and from our animals.”

Another obstacle is that “everybody’s always looking at a screen,” she adds. “It’s very hard to find young people to help out.”

Although the way forward is not immediately clear, the answer might be found at Sandanona’s annual puppy show, held at the kennels every July. (This year’s date: July 30.) Beagle and basset puppies are enthusiastically shown by local children and judged by esteemed members of the hunting community. A local tradition for generations, ribbons are awarded, the finer points of hound conformation are explained, and hunting enthusiasts as well as the general public enjoy a festive day. 

Maybe, Sandanona’s next Huntsman will have taken part in a puppy show, either this year’s or one in the past, and fallen in love with this wonderful sport. “Since time immemorial,” Park explains, “even if people don’t understand the hunting part of it, they appreciate the out-of-doors, the countryside, the company, the conversation, and whatever social entertainment is attached. We offer people an opportunity to get out and have a unique experience over private land.” And that is well worth perpetuating.

To learn more about the Sandanona Harehounds or become a subscriber, contact Betsy Park at [email protected].