Equestrian Bio:Robin Mayo

Equestrian Bio:

Robin Mayo

Robin grew up in Ringoes, NJ where she now lives with her husband and 4 sons.

A petite and extremely attractive blonde it is hard to see through her beauty to the determination, power and grit that she owns.

One must believe these attributes can only be learned and attained through her equestrian upbringing. She has a presence that commands a room, the charm and wit to seduce any audience be it human, horse or hound.

Yes I did say hound! Ha!

Robin is the Huntsman at Amwell Valley Hounds, dedicated not only to riding and directing the fox hunters but to a wonderful pack of hounds.

Personally speaking I can barely manage my 8 indoor pet dogs so I marvel to see her in action with 20 plus dogs all following her on foot each morning when she walks them out through the bucolic fields of the farm lands in Ringoes valley.

Robin knows each hound by name and takes the time to give each one a moment of undivided attention with some words of praise followed by a sneak of a treat.

Dedicated to their wellbeing I see her many times driving past my house on route to the kennels to check in on them no matter the weather! It is not uncommon to arrive at her home and personal barn to find a sick hound that she has brought home to nurse back to health. She is responsible for all the care of the hounds from exercise, vet visits, nutritional needs, vaccination/health records and even showing! As the hounds age she searches for a good retirement home for each of them and keeps track to make sure each hound finishes out its life with dignity in a loving home environment.

Every Sunday and Wednesday morning there she is arriving at the hunt launch site in her stock trailer, one section with hounds poking their noses out and the other with her loyal steed, Bella, shiny coat, glossy hooves and tail, mane braided.

Robin dressed in the formal hunt attire of red jacket, white breeches, polishing boots and horn. She is a picture of timeless perfection.

Watching this petite lady is truly inspiring. I say lady with conviction because Robin truly is!

Polite, friendly and very accommodating to all the riders and spectators, she mounts her steed with grace and commands the hounds and off they go under her leadership, riders and hounds searching for a scent of a fox.

Galloping through the country fields, jumping triangular boxes they call coops she leads the entire event with the appearance of cool, confidence and calm and seemingly in a zone that one can only recognize as sheer bliss.

*Photo by Lisa Crowe Uthgenannt

Many may say fox hunting is uncompassionate and a bloody sport and it is not my intention to glamorize it in any way. What I wish to bring attention to is the Equestrian behind the scenes. The engine that keeps it all running smoothly taking into consideration the wellbeing of the horses, hounds and the land, many times making last minute decisions to redirect destinations to avoid mud that could endanger horse and rider but also having great consideration for the land owners ensuring not to ruin their property footing.

Once used as a method to help farmers by reducing fox population to lessen the poaching of livestock such as chickens and lambs, fox hunting has become a dying art. The fox is no longer considered such a pest and the hunt has become more of a chase most time resulting in no catch.

It appears the riders in the club are there for the, etiquette, tradition (think- annual Ball), comradery and the thrill of the chase, they return back on a glorious morning to enjoy a lovely breakfast and a toast to their great fortune of being able to ride on Robin’s careful but thrilling hunt.

If you have an interest to try out hunting as a proficient rider or if you are a beginner who would like to take lessons or trail ride Robin is an excellent trainer!

Reach out to Robin at robinalicandri@yahoo.com

She is also taking applications to place on the "Adopt an Elderly Hound" waiting list!