Tom began riding at the age of 4 on a $35 stockyard pony named Candy. Later, he bred Candy and at the age of 12, on Blue Blazes, an offspring of Candy’s, Tom began riding with the Loudoun Hunt outside of Leesburg, VA. where he grew up. Loudoun’s huntsman, Hunton Atwell, was famous for blowing his cow horn which is now in the Museum of Hunting at Morven Park.

In 1975 he met his future wife, Vicky, who was riding her sister’s Irish hunter for her first time fox hunting. They later married and continued fox hunting together wherever their careers took them.

They well-remembered an opening meet with the Tryon Hounds when Chip Anderson was the huntsman. “He was a wonderful story teller” Tom said, which was quite a compliment since another of the Jacksons’ passions is literature. Tom retired as President of Woodward Academy and Vicky retired as the Director of the College of Computing at Georgia Tech. Tom was asked to be a joint Master of Green Creek Hounds when they retired in 2000 and left Atlanta to move full time to their farm. Tom continued as a Master until 2012.

On one memorable hunt, they had to cross the Green River and climb up a steep muddy embankment. While Vicky’s horse Willow was game to forge ahead many other horses were not. Vicky and Willow helped coax half of the second flight from the river up the steep bank. (See photo).

Several years ago, Tom and Vicky became social members with the Tryon Hounds as they wanted to join their many friends there and their home, a converted grist mill in Gowensville, is in one of Tryon’s hunt territories. In addition to riding and local volunteer service, they are world travelers.

Valle de Bravo, MexicoSome of their best memories are of their numerous international equestrian trips. While on a mounted safari in Kenya they were charged by a bull elephant and had to swim the horses across the Mara River chock full of hippos and crocodiles. Another memorable time was when their guide in Turkey got them lost in the hoodoos of Cappadocia. One of their favorite destinations is an estancia, Los Potreros, outside of Cordoba, Argentina, where they visited for the fourth time and rode in December 2025.

When asked, with so many interests and passions, why were they drawn to foxhunting, Tom replied, “Being in the moment. It combines a love of horses and hounds, and engages all your senses.” Tom paused briefly reflecting, “…you become immersed in a rural world that is disappearing --- like a picture that’s fading.”