2004 marks the the forty-seventh season of the Goshen Hounds’ pursuit of “Sir Charles” across the Montgomery County countryside. The Goshen Hounds Hunt Club was established in 1957 from an original nucleus of members from Master Thomas Mott’s Redland Hunt. Mrs. Jane (McGrath) Collins has retired from the hunt field this season and thus closes the chapter of founding members riding with Goshen.
At the time of Goshen’s founding, a young foxhunter who had started with the neighboring Iron Bridge Hounds before moving to Redland, Stanley Stabler, joined Goshen and later was persuaded to become Joint Master. Master Stabler served in that capacity until his death last year. His years of activity with the club greatly influenced its character: Goshen has always attracted friendly, congenial members who enjoy the sport and one another’s company. He was named Master for Life by unanimous petition of the membership several years ago.
Much of the early work of establishing the hunt was done by Master William Carl, with Goshen’s first huntsman, Frank Fraley, and Frank’s cousin, Joe, whipper-in. Tragically, Master Carl died a year after the hunt was established. At this critical point in the club’s early days, several members contacted Marian P. Curran, Sr., who, at the time, was Master of his own Indian Spring Hunt. (The Indian Spring Country Club will again be the site of this year’s Hunt Ball.) Master “Pop” Curran was persuaded to accept the joint mastership at Goshen with Master Stabler and served in that capacity from 1959 to 1969.
Goshen fields a level pack of mostly red-and-white and lemon-and-white purebred American Foxhounds. The original pack was drawn from the “Bywater” hound line of Virginia, with breeding assistance from such venerated houndsmen as Joe Hutton and Everett Wagner. The pack recently has been infused with blood from Orange County, Bull Run, and Potomac, and is competitive on the benches as well as in the field. In 1999, Goshen’s hounds won the pack class at the prestigious Virginia Hound Show.
For the 2004-2005 season, Goshen’s hounds will again be hunted by Mr. Robert Taylor, who comes to us from his native Ireland by way of Australia. Mr. Taylor, the son of an outstanding huntsman, Jack, who now serves as Goshen’s kennel huntsman when he is in the States, brings to Goshen the hunting acumen of one born to the sport and the horsemanship typical of his countrymen. He will be hunting Goshen’s hounds for the eleventh season. The hard work of Robert and many others in the off-season gives promise of outstanding hunting this year.
