Our Beginning

A group of seventeen passionate fox hunters founded the Fort Defiance Hounds in September 2025. The Founders set a goal of creating a welcoming and joyful group pursuing the sport we love with our friends, horses and hounds. Since our founding we have helped improve the kennels, our hunt country, and purchased tracking devices to keep the FDH hounds safe. Members also help with the care and feeding of the hounds. As one of our founders says, “We take our hunting seriously but not ourselves.”


  • Our Mission

    We are dedicated to preserving the tradition and sport of mounted fox chasing with hounds for future generations, with a special commitment to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. We pursue this mission by conserving open land, protecting wildlife habitats, promoting the humane care and training of hounds, and educating the public on the history, safety, and stewardship essential to the sport.

  • Our Vision

    We envision a thriving Shenandoah Valley where open spaces are protected, wildlife habitats flourish, and the legacy of mounted fox chasing is celebrated as a vibrant, community-supported tradition. Through conservation partnerships, responsible land use, and broad educational outreach, we strive to ensure that riders, hounds, and future generations can continue to enjoy this historic sport amid the Valley’s natural beauty.

  • Our Values

    Conservation

    Stewardship

    Education

    Community

    Safety

    Legacy

Our Territory

Our hunts take place in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, nestled between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains. The terrain is a mix of rolling farmland, open pastures, and gently sloping hills, interspersed with forested ridges, streams, and creek bottoms.

This patchwork of open ground and wooded cover provides both scenic beauty and an ideal terrain for mounted hunting. There’s a mix of open ground for galloping and wooded areas for cover, with occasional streams or small hills adding challenge and variety.

Link to Landowner Page