If you were driving around the Tunstall Bay area on January 1, you may have encountered a group of horses and riders on an orderly and purposeful ride. This was the traditional New Year's Day Mock Hunt of the Bowen Island Horse and Riders Association (BIHORA). What is a mock hunt? It was traditionally a fox hunt done in the English countryside to keep the hounds and riders in good shape and celebrate the New Year. Fox hunting is now illegal so the hunts are "mock" and Bowen Island is foxless.
We used posters of foxes posted on a trail. If the riders were on the right track, the poster would feature a smile; if not, the poster would show the fox's tongue sticking out. After riding and hunting the conjectured fox over hill and dale for an hour and a half, he was finally found atop a fence gate with a smile on his face.
The hunt was great fun and a exciting challenge for the seven riders and horses. The horses were all fresh and ready to go but well behaved. Watch for us next year. Happy New Year from BIHORA and all our four legged friends.
VIVIAN PEARCE
BIHORA
