Bill King and the Bedford County Penn-Marydels hack to new covert.
Photo courtesy of Bedford County Hunt
Table of Contents / Foxhunting
By Lauren R. Gianninin
William R. King, aka Bill, has been the professional huntsman at Bedford County since 1972, and added MFH to his credentials in 1989. He comes from a very horse-oriented family near White Horse, Pa., in Radnor Hunt's country. He has dedicated his life to being a huntsman and admits that he can't imagine doing anything else.
Sidelines: How did you end up with Bedford County in Virginia?
WRK: When I was a kid growing up near Radnor, we foxhunted and the country was so beautiful, so manicured. It was absolutely a dream. I worked for Mr. Walter Stokes and then went to Radnor as huntsman. I was there 10 years, and leaving was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I had a pack of Penn-Marydels, completely deer-proof. They won Bryn Mawr Hound show many times - stallion hound, bitch and puppy classes. But it got to be a real worry when hounds were hunting and had to cross a road. The traffic got worse as the older people died and their heirs sold the land to developers. So I moved.
Sidelines: Did you take any hounds from Radnor to Bedford?
WRK: At first, I didn't get any blood from the pack I had developed, but then I bought some older bitches. I got some Penn-Marydels from Doc Addis, some from Marlborough, and we put it all together and got a nice pack.
I have a pack of beagles, Fox Valley, but I had a couple of knee operations and a chest operation, so they're not registered. We used to go to Aldie all the time. One time, Jake Carle was judging and it was one of the best hunts we ever had there, but it was getting dark. Jake said, 'please don't pick them up - let them run!' We used to do joint-meets with Keswick and he knows his hounds. I have a bunch of puppies, guess I'll have to see what they can do.
Sidelines: Who are your favorite hounds, past and present?
WRK: My most favorite at Radnor was Shaker - he wasn't the best looking hound, but he was the best hunting and strike hound. When he spoke it was the law. He was always wonderful. We've had some really nice hounds down here, Quack and one of his puppies, Ranger. Quack was bred by Andrews Bridge, but he came down with some bitches we bought from Radnor, and that was a surprise. I called up and said, what's this black and tan male hound doing here? The guy said, if you don't like him, you don't have to pay for him.
I took him out and when hounds started running, Quack came back and looked at me. This happened a couple of times and I said, something's wrong here. Then we found another fox and Quack was out front screaming on. He's absolutely straight and if he doesn't go with them, it isn't a fox. Whenever he spoke, we knew hounds were on a fox.
I have some really good bitches, Shania and Fair and Feisty. Sometimes I'll hunt an all bitch pack - guess that makes me a ladies man.
Sidelines: How did your family cope with your passion for hunting?
WRK: I've been married to Bernice for 51 years and I couldn't ask for anything better. She never rode in her life and we tried to get her to ride, but every time we put her on some dead quiet pony, she'd get hurt. She coped really well with me. She'd go out every time with the beagles, always went to races and shows, never complained about me and the hounds. She's a school teacher, special ed at Bedford Christian Academy and retired but didn't like it. She teaches second grade now. My daughters Leslie Jean and Tammy Jane were more involved with the beagles as kids. They still come out and foxhunt once in a while. Tammy's husband, OV Rawlins used to help me with the hounds and farm chores. He's a farrier, but he got too busy, and I miss his help. Our grandchildren - Amanda, Zachary and Maggie Elizabeth - have their own horses and they're very useful.
Sidelines: Do you ride just to hunt? Is there anything else you'd like to do?
WRK: I ride to hunt and I love the hounds. When I worked for Mr. and Mrs. Stokes, I won the Radnor Hunt Cup Bowl, the big timber race at their spring meet, and the Cheshire Bowl twice on Aquitine Play. Mrs. Stokes owned him and I bought his full brother, Water Wizard. When they re-opened the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup we won it the first time we ran in it, and then I moved. I think both those horses loved to hunt just as much as we did. I hunted Nyknos many years and won the Delaware Valley Point-to-point Association trophy two or three years in a row. Finally, Radnor said stop racing before you get hurt and can't hunt the hounds. I had to get my brother, Hunter King, to ride them in races. He moved down here about five miles away and he's still showing a bit.
Right now I have two really good hunt horses, Bo and Daisy, and I'm so fortunate in everything I have done and wanted to do. I love every bit of it. The hounds are like my children and I can't wait to get out there and see them in the morning. I'm so blessed in life - horses, hounds, showing, racing, my marriage, children, beagles - I just want to keep doing what I do. My beagles were national champions for 10 years and I've hunted three times a week my whole life. What more could you ask for?
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