Beauty, Pageantry, Horses and Hounds

One of the Ottawa Valley's longest standing clubs

The Ottawa Valley Hunt Club is one of the Ottawa Valley's longest standing clubs.  It has been in existence since 1873. We are a fully insured drag hunt and house 25 hounds at our kennel in Ashton, Ontario. Our comprehensive insurance covers all liability for landowners, members and hounds.

Would you be interested in allowing us to try riding your property for a maximum of 5 times during our hunt season with days to be chosen by you?

We have a very generous group of over 50 landowners but with the expanding city limits we are looking to increase our territory. Do you know anyone with bush, forest or fields that would allow us to continue the tradition of riding to hounds? We have a dedicated volunteer base and an active community that will clear trails on your property if desired and allow you to view this historic sport. Perhaps you have ridden to hounds in the past or dreamt of watching scarlett jackets cross your property like visions of days gone by.

All about the hunt

We lay a scent by foot that our hounds track and riders follow on horseback. The scent that is laid simulates the smell of a fox that the hounds follow just as they would if they were tracking a live fox. Laying drag (scent) helps us insure that our hounds follow the route that we map out prior to our hunt mornings. The scent completely disappears and is undetectable several hours after it is laid just as the scent of a real fox disappears. The scent is not detectable by people but only to the hounds and their keen sense of smell. The hounds are rewarded for following the scent line by fulfilling their natural drive to track and, of course, they receive many treats and verbal rewards at the end of the hunt.

Our season runs May-June and September–November and we ride on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The Ottawa Valley Hunt Club is a proud member of the Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America (our governing body). Our Masters work closely with our valued landowners to find ways around any cropped fields and help in the conservation of your property. Hounds often successfully move predators from area farmlands and wood acreages. We are a volunteer run club that love our horses, hounds and the beautiful land we have the privilege to ride on.

Join us for social events

Our hunt family has an active social membership and we have a fully functional club house where we meet for socializing. Landowners are welcome to attend meals free of charge and we host a special landowner’s night where we highlight contributions made by our property owners.

We'd love to hear from you

The club is looking to expand within an hour drive of Ashton, Ontario. If you have or know of any parcels of available land we would love to hear from you. The OVH is looking to have access to additional parcels of land totaling 1000+ acres. This can be a combination of several properties with different landowners in close proximity. We can be reached on facebook at Ottawa Valley Hunt or by email at masters@ottawavalleyhunt.com.

Thank you for your consideration and we would be happy to discuss Riding to Hounds with you.

The Masters, Ottawa Valley Hunt Club