FLH News

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FLH News

August 29, 2025

Upcoming Events

Aug 30 – Hound Ex (9am)

Aug 30 – Staff Training (10:30am)

Aug 31 – Fixture Familiarization Ride at Stavers (10am)

Sept 3 – Hound Ex at Henseigh's (9a)

Sept 6 – Frontier Army Museum Living History Day (8a–4p)
Sept 6 – Intro to Foxhunting I (10a–12p)

Sept 7 – Fixture Familiarization Ride at Oak Hill Farm (9a)

Sept 10 – Hound Ex at Oak Hill Farm (9a)

Sept 13 – Intro to Foxhunting II (10a–12p)

Sept 17 – Hound Ex at Stavers' (9a)

Sept 20 – Intro to Foxhunting III (10a–12p)

Sept 28 – Fun Show on Post

Oct 2–5 – NHH Burwell Invitational

* All trail rides are dependent on weather. Watch Facebook for cancellation information.

At last!

Summer likely isn't through with us yet, but the break from oppressive temps has been fabulous! Saturday, we took hounds out in two groups (boys and girls) and practiced staying focused while a mounted participant caused a bit of chaos. Following hound ex, we had our second Intro to Staffing session.

Sunday's fixture ride at Hensleigh's was unfortunately canceled due to construction mishaps. Two groups took advantage of the opportunity to explore trails on post instead. Those groups and the Tuesday trail riders all enjoyed the cooler temps.

This Saturday we will again have on-post hound ex with riders welcome, followed by our third Intro to Staffing session. Hopefully, the weather will hold through Sunday for our fixture fam ride at Stavers'.

Fixture Fam Rides

We're trying! This Sunday, August 31, is scheduled for the Stavers' fixture. On Sunday, August 7 we will ride at Oak Hill Farm. We will reschedule the Settlers Acre and Hensleigh location rides.

Staff Training

Attendees at Saturday's staff info session got an in-depth presentation on radio usage and etiquette, as well as tips on orienting oneself at a new location. This knowledge is going to be hugely helpful as we hunt in various, unfamiliar locations!

THIS SATURDAY IS OUR LAST SESSION—PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN STAFFING IN ANY CAPACITY. This season is obviously going to look different from our previous ones, and the discussions and knowledge-sharing at the session will help prepare all of us for "FLH 2.0".

Saturday's topics will include:

A recap of previous topics
Training horses to be comfortable with a whip and/or drag line
Pre- and post-hunt staff expectations
Protocol for incidents/emergencies
Overview of drag hunt planning and execution
Horn calls

To avoid burnout, or the dreaded last-minute "Hey, can you lead a field today?" situations, we would like to establish a staffing schedule for the season. This will help ensure that we have the staff we need and that no one is "on the hook" to staff at every hunt.

First Intro Lesson and FAM Living History Day

September 6 is going to be a big day! The season's first Intro to Foxhunting will take place, and we'll also be participating in the Frontier Army Museum's Living History Day! Please plan to help out at one of these events. Participants in the Intro session are encouraged to stop by the museum after the session, especially members who can appear in ratcatcher or formal attire.

Please bookmark our new calendar to keep up with FLH activities!

First Intro Lesson and Living History Day

LTC Jessamyn Jempson is coordinating FLH's participation in the Army Frontier Museum's Living History Day. Please let her know if you are willing to participate by bringing your horse, a retired hound, or just yourself (bonus for ratcatcher or formal attire!) to chat with visitors and talk up the hunt.

The event runs from 9am to 4pm, stay as long as you like. The potential for membership recruitment is high because newly arrived service members and their families are exploring Fort Leavenworth to see what it has to offer. It would be terrific to have some of our juniors at the museum!

This year's Intro to Foxhunting sessions are being organized by Laura Tiffany. She is in need of experienced members willing to help lead small groups during the riding part of the sessions. If you are interested, please reach out to her directly or complete the handy online form.

We often have new military folks who would like to participate, but don't have a mount. If you have a horse available, please let her know!

Unfortunately, we have not had any takers for picking up the tack sale. The tack sale is a great way for members who need appointments to get properly outfitted. We have the opportunity to set tack up in the arena building, but someone needs to be there to take money! PLEASE LET LAURA KNOW IF YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO COVER ANY "SHIFTS" (be there during an Intro session or sessions) SO THAT WE CAN MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

Kennel Update

The hounds have been feeling perkier in the cooler weather—we can do a decent walk now without tongues dragging the ground!

Landowner Information

We have prepared a new landing page with information for landowners. This will be more convenient and comprehensive than sharing a social media post, giving enough details to help potential landowners decide if they're willing to entertain conversations about permitting access to their land. View the page here.

Planning for the Season

Dates through the end of the year have been set and added to the online calendar! We're working on the 2006 dates.

We encourage members to attend the North Hills Hunt Burwell Invitational from October 2nd to 5th.

Many of our members are regulars of this annual event, which includes social events, hunting, and the opportunity to mingle with members of many different hunts.

As an added bonus, Huntsman Dude will be hunting a mixed pack, including some of our FLH hounds!

Whether you're able to make Burwell or not, definitely mark your calendars for this year's Kansas Hunt Week! We'll pick up where NHH leaves off beginning on October 7 with Big Sky Hounds. Wednesday we'll hunt with Mission Valley at the Fin & Feather fixture. Thursday, NHH will hunt at Division. Friday we'll be at Matfield Green with the Flint Hills Hunt pack, and Saturday FLH will close out the week at Settlers Acre.

Sign-up is available now!

Committee Updates

Fixture Development

Discussion of additional property options between Winchester and Easton. (Owned by same landowners as the area around Hensleigh's.)

Activity and Membership/Recruitment

Just one week until the Living History Days event, and Fun Show planning is well underway. To assist with our on-post marketing, committee members have been working with FMWR to create printed and online promotional items.

We are currently discussing the possibility of having a booth and doing a demonstration at EquiFest in January. The event is returning to Topeka's Stormont Vail Event Center (formerly ExpoCenter) this year. The organizers are still finalizing pricing for booth and demo participation.

NEEDED: A chairperson for the membership/recruitment committee. The more members we have, the less likely it is that we'll have to raise dues significantly! Keep in mind that new folks won't be comparing their experience with us to what we've done in the past, and we still have plenty to offer. We'd especially like to recruit more social members. We have a couple folks on this committee, but they are also participating on other committees, so we need more members to get involved.

Staff/Hound Training

Mounted participants are invited to join hound ex on post. Wednesday off-post hound ex will begin next week. Our autumn hunting will begin in October.

Receive Recognition for FLH Volunteerism

As FLH is part of the Fort Leavenworth Family, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (FMWR) program, members of the Fort Leavenworth Hunt can record and receive recognition from Fort Leavenworth for volunteer hours spent supporting the hunt. Recording volunteer hours is an individual choice and not a requirement, but is strongly supported by the FLH Masters. Recording hours both allows for individual recognition by Fort Leavenworth FMWR and for Fort Leavenworth leadership to understand the significant time contributed by our members to make FLH successful as an organization. The guide to the right will take you through the process of registering, applying for positions, and recording your hours. Please contact Jessica Kudzia with any questions.

Kennel Needs

The kennel wishlist has been updated!

Let's make sure our kennel staff have everything they need to keep the hounds healthy and happy! View the Amazon Wish List here.

Note: Small biscuits are preferable.

Take Advantage of Comms Resources

Looking for Something?

Looking for the season calendar? Don't feel like searching through emails for the latest weekly update? Please bookmark the Resources page and the FLH Events page of the FLH website! With the exception of last-minute schedule changes (which will go through Facebook, email, and GroupMe), you will find the most current FLH info on these pages.

LAC Information – Make It Easy to Get on Post!

A Local Access Credential (LAC) allows civilians to enter Fort Leavenworth without having to stop at the visitor center each time. Members needing to obtain or renew a LAC must complete the Applicant Information and Criminal History sections of the LAC application (click image to download) and submit it to Master Jim Fain, who will submit it to the FMWR Director, who will sign it and forward it to the Visitor Center (VCC) for processing. Current processing time is 2.5–3 weeks.

For those who need only temporary access to Ft. Leavenworth (for the hunt ball, for example), please register for a one-day pass online. It's quick and easy!

GROUPME FLH Text Alerts

We use GROUPME Text Alerts for changes and cancellations due to weather or other circumstances. (Alerts for changes or cancellation of an event will continue to be posted on Facebook as well, and you can always call a Master.) To sign up for these text alerts, contact Jim Fain.

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