Picture a crisp fall day with horses carrying rider in scarlet hunting jackets, hooves pounding as foxhounds bay eagerly in the background. It sounds like a scene straight out of the English countryside, but it can be found much closer to home at Bridlespur Hunt Club, about an hour north of St. Louis. This year, the club celebrates nine decades of connecting people with horses, hounds, nature and each other. It also raises awareness of environmental stewardship by opening its 1,400 acres of hills and woods to those who want to enjoy the beautiful landscape.
The club was founded in 1927 with the help of August A. ‘Gussie’ Busch Sr. and a pack of hounds from a Rockefeller family estate in North Carolina. Today, the dogs’ descendants and Bridlespur members can sharpen their fox-finding skills twice a week between September and March, says joint master Jean Mutrux. “We don’t hold hunts in warmer months because the ground is too dry for the hounds to pick up fox and coyote scents,” she explains. “Ideal hunting weather is cool and damp.” Bridlespur formerly was located in St. Charles County, but now is near Troy in Lincoln County. Neighboring landowners also allow their acreage to be used for hunting, Mutrux says.
These days, when the hunt pack ventures out in search of its quarry, the day is more about riding, watching the dogs work and enjoying the scenery than actually hunting the animals, she notes. “Fox and coyotes are pretty clever, and they usually run off the property so we can’t pursue them any farther,” she notes. “But it’s more about the fun of the chase anyway.” The club’s foxhounds are well cared for and are adopted out to loving homes when they retire from hunting, Mutrux says. Dogs are handled and trained by Eleanor Hartwell, the club’s huntsman since 2002.
One of Bridlespur’s proudest traditions is educating young people to keep the sport of foxhunting alive, according to Mutrux. “We have a number of youth members, and we teach them the rules of attire and etiquette in the field,” she says. Any rider interested in foxhunting can participate in the club, and there are events at different skill levels to accommodate them. “They just need to be comfortable riding outside the arena, and their horses must be well-mannered,” she says. “Confident riders can gallop and jump, and less advanced ones can walk and trot.” Experienced Bridlespur members often ride alongside novices to help them polish their skills.
The club also puts on fundraising horse shows, competitions, trail rides and other events throughout the year, and hikers can use a quarter of the property to explore and reconnect with nature. “We have wonderful natural scenery, including caves, cliffs, streams, woods and wideopen spaces,” Mutrux says. “Many people enjoy birdwatching here as well.” The hiking program was developed in partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation, and more than 100 people have participated this year, she notes.
To raise both awareness and funding for its activities, the club holds the white-tie Bridlespur Hunt Ball every other year. This year, the festivities are Oct. 21 at Greenbriar Hills Country Club in Kirkwood. The day of the ball includes a hunt and hayride, then guests adjourn to the club for cocktails, dinner, a silent auction, live entertainment and more, according to Mutrux. “We give awards called ‘colors’ to members at the party,” she explains. “Riders earn them by showing competence in the field.”
Mutrux says the club enjoys welcoming guests whether they are interested in hunting or not. “Our mission is to advance the sport and encourage people to learn about the natural world,” she says.
