A beautiful Spring day and 136 riders made for another successful Tryon Hounds Hunter Pace.

The group was certainly smiled upon this ‘rain date’ for our Spring Hunter Pace Event held on Sunday, April 14. The sun shone just enough in the morning and a gentle cloud in the afternoon kept the day from being too warm.  It was evident that spring had arrived as the countryside was bursting in bloom and the carpet of green was everywhere. It afforded the opportune time for 136 riders to challenge the perfect hunter pace course over Caroland Farms, newly acquired by Jay and Cornelia Alexander and Bob and Pat Jordan. Areas of the course also included NPA and the Slater property of Cherry Hill and North Carolina Pond. The checkpoint enjoyed a view from John and Jane Gallagher’s farm.

The team of Amy Gantt and Lisa Tyler took home the blue ribbon for first place in the field hunter division and Nancy Finkell and Bobby Turner placed first in the trail rider division. Roberta McKinney and Stephanie Schulte won the Tryon Hounds trophies for the Tryon Hounds member with the best times in the field hunter and trail riders division respectively.

The course designed primarily by Dean McKinney, MFH for the Tryon Hounds, and Nelson Minnick, president of the Tryon Hounds board of directors. They worked together to make sure all the accesses of these properties were taken advantage of including the new owners of Thanksgiving Hill, Alan and Jenny Taylor. Mike Axelrod with his GPS kept track of the mileage along with joining the job of clearing and marking trails.