"I'm in the autumn of my life, and I'm very pleased to be here," said Hugh J. Robards when asked how he felt about yet another opportunity to hunt hounds, this time with Middleburg Hunt where Penny Denegre and Jeff Blue share the responsibilities as Master of Foxhounds.

For Robards, what goes round comes round speaks volumes. He's a bit of a legend in fox hunting circles, having served as Limerick's huntsman for 27 years in Ireland. He made his way across the big puddle to Rolling Rock Hunt (Ligonier, Pa.) where, as Master of Foxhounds and Huntsman, he spent 10 years helping to rebuild the historic pack. In 2007 he moved to Saxonburg Hunt (Pa.) where he again hunted hounds. In 2013, not quite ready to retire, he signed on with Middleburg as 1st Whipper-in to huntsman Barry Magner.

It was a great fit and Magner's story is part of Robards' own history. In Limerick, Robards knew several generations of the Magner family and served as young Barry Magner's mentor. It was inevitable that Magner, who grew up hunting with the Limerick, would continue chasing fox through his university years and end up in hunt service. In 2008 Magner accepted the position of huntsman with Middleburg. All along, he kept in touch with Robards.

Last year, when Middleburg needed a 1st whipper-in, Magner mentioned the job to Robards and the rest, as they say, is history.

"We wouldn't have known Hugh if it hadn't been for Barry," said Blue. "Hugh had been a house-guest of Barry's and hunted with us a few seasons ago. When we needed a 1st whipper-in, Barry and I discussed the possibility of offering it to Hugh and then I made the call to Hugh."

In early May Magner was offered–and decided to take–the position of huntsman with a pack in Australia. Robards, after one year as Middleburg's 1st whipper-in, gladly accepted the promotion to huntsman – what Masters Denegre and Blue agree is a win-win situation.

"We're so lucky to have Hugh," said Denegre. "Barry has been with us for five years. He has been great. We wanted him to continue as our huntsman, and he told us he would stay for the next season. Then he was offered the position with the Yarra Glen and Lilydale Hunt Club in Australia. This is an adventure, and Barry is young and single. We would not want to stand in his way. It just so happened that we had a very seasoned huntsman whipping in and he knows the hounds and they know him. Hugh is in a league of his own. He's also a great guy and lots of fun to be with. We're thrilled."

The feeling, to be honest, is mutual.

Robards loves hounds and hunting and, having started hunt service at the age of 15, offers a lifetime of world-class experience. When he took the position of whipper-in to Magner, he saw it as a great opportunity to keep in touch with the lifestyle and avocation to which he has dedicated his life.

When asked the most important lessons the huntsman has learned from his experiences on both sides of the Atlantic, he thought a moment, but only a moment, and replied, "Always come to work with a smile on your face. Let the hounds alone as much as possible."

But what about the pressures of providing sport when circumstances are not ideal? Red fox are abundant in Middleburg's country; hounds chase the beautiful but aromatic fox with their noses. The invisible trail of scent can blossom up breast-high to a hound or waft like shy phantom wisps, an evasive puzzle complicated by other scents left by various wildlife. That's when hounds have to work hard to unravel the exciting smells to follow their fox.

"As for conditions, one approaches every day as being a good scenting day. You have to have the right attitude," stated Robards. "If you keep trying your best, your hounds will try their best. The more light-hearted you are, the better it is for everybody. People hunt for recreation, they do it for fun."

Robards has authored two books, published by The Derrydale Press. Foxhunting in England, Ireland and North America, his memoir, is out of print and costs dearly if you can find a used copy on the internet. Foxhunting: How To Watch and Listen, published in 2006 and available in paperback, is a must-read for neophytes to the chase and anyone who wants to know what's really going on out there from every point of view: huntsman, whipperin, field master, master, hounds and fox.

As honorary whipper-in and field secretary for 14 years, Carey Shefte has been involved with kennel life all that time. She walks hounds every day during the off-season and knows the country like the back of her hand.

"Transitions can be difficult–it takes the hounds a little while to get used to new staff, but I think that this transition will go very smoothly," Shefte said. "Hugh knows all the hounds. He did a great job whipping in last year. Barry has done an amazing job with the pack and we're all going to miss him, but I'm looking forward to the new season. I think it's going to be fun."

The staff changes aren't confined to a new human leader of the pack. The Masters and Magner hired a new 2nd whipper-in, Libby Gilbert, who made history at the Royal Agricultural College in England when she became not only the first American, but also the first female to hunt the historic RAC Beagles. From New Jersey and a year out of university, Gilbert said softly in a delightful accent, "I became 1st whipper-in when Mr. Robards became huntsman and he was willing to have me."

To watch the new huntsman and 1st whip (there for only a week) with the hounds was like a canine version of the Brady Bunch. The hounds acted vivacious and friendly, greeting the stranger with the camera, leaping up on Robards like children bursting with special stories about their day. The setting was peaceful, even with the melodious chorus of hounds, wondering why they were left behind in the clean and spacious lodge yards.

"I've got big boots to fill and I'm very lucky to be taking over the pack from Barry," said Robards. "My big challenge is to keep running it the same way. Barry did a great job as huntsman. He worked with the hounds that were here and turned them into a good working pack. My goal this season is to carry on as best we can, to have lots of fun and happy hunting."