Mr. and Mrs. Ian McDonald (Amanda)

People often remark that members of the Tryon Hounds are remarkably well-traveled—and Amanda and Ian McDonald are perfect examples. Amanda’s parents are from England, but her father’s work in the oil industry took the family to the Middle East, where Amanda was born in Kuwait. At the age of eight, she started riding Arabian horses in the desert and instantly fell in love with horses for life.

At fifteen, her family moved to Ireland, then spent a short stint in London before relocating tothe United States—first to Philadelphia, then Houston, and eventually Tampa, where she would later meet Ian. Amanda’s interest in fox hunting has deep family roots. Her great-grandfather served as Master of the “Braes of Derwent” Hunt in northeast England in the early 1900s. Founded in 1854, the hunt still exists today. He and his son, Cyril Pearson—a well-known show jumper in the 1920s--were deeply involved in the horse world and operated the “Three Horse Shoes” pub (see photo). Horses, it seems, are firmly in Amanda’s DNA.

Ian grew up near London on the south coast. After marrying his first wife, a nurse, the pair learned of a nursing shortage in the U.S. and, in 1983, sold everything and moved across the pond. They eventually welcomed a daughter whom Ian put on a pony at age four. Before long he was a full-fledged horse dad, shuttling her to riding lessons in Tampa. In 2001, now single, he dropped his teenage daughter off at the barn—where he met Amanda.“He saw me at my sweaty best,” Amanda groaned. “I was taking a riding lesson on one of those blistering hot Florida days when you practically have to peel your britches off.” “And don’t forget the helmet hair,” Ian chimed in with a laugh. After crossing paths repeatedly, Amanda finally suggested they get together sometime. “How about Saturday night?” Ian asked. “I already have a date,” she replied. “Then how about Sunday?” When Ian arrived to pick her up, he caught sight of a polished, elegant woman through the glass front door. “I thought I had the wrong house,” he said. “This couldn’t be the sweaty girl from the barn!” Amanda laughed as she recalled his first words when she opened the door: “Well, you certainly clean up well!” They dated for two years and married in 2004.

For 25 years, Amanda worked from home as a Clinical Research Project Manager for Merck focusing primarily on Oncology trials. Ian served as a Manufacturing Consultant, contributing his expertise at gold mines, oil and gas facilities, medical device firms, and an array of other companies throughout South Africa, Australia, Türkiye, China, Indonesia, the United States, Europe, and the United Kingdom. Upon inquiry regarding the number of countries in which he had resided or been employed, he reported a total of thirty-three. Amanda has traveled widely; with her parents, as a child, starting with a world cruise at the age of three; together, they have visited Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Europe, much of the Caribbean, and the U.K., and enjoyed riding in Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Ireland, and England. They are both happily retired now with free time to log in some more airline miles.

A visit to England one Christmas ignited their interest in fox hunting. While staying with relatives in the northeast, they encountered a Boxing Day meet in a nearby village. They followed along—on foot and by car—as is customary in the U.K.“I can still hear the sound of the horses trotting down the village road after the riders enjoyed a stirrup cup outside the local pub,” Amanda said. “There’s nothing quite like it.”

Their move to North Carolina began with Amanda’s declaration one sweltering Florida afternoon: “We’re moving.” “What?” Ian asked. “We are moving. I want four seasons, cooler weather, and mountains.” Amanda, tired of Florida's humidity, and after growing up in the dry desert, wanted a change – no longer interested in retiring in Florida. She pointed to a map. “Let’s find some mountains.” They settled in the Blue Ridge region of North Carolina and connected with realtor Ron Piccari, who specialized in horse properties (and shared the same first name as Amanda’s father). A full horse farm was not practical given their travel and work schedules, so they chose Lake Adger, a rural community in Mill Spring, just 20-25 minutes from TIEC, Landrum, Tryon, and Columbus.
Amanda boarded her horse with Ron, who soon invited them to a Tryon Hounds hunt breakfast at Bonnie Lingerfelt’s home in late 2016.

Not yet sure if they wanted to hunt, they joined Tryon Hounds and Green Creek Hounds as social members to build community connections. After attending multiple hunt breakfasts, they decided to remain social members with Tryon Hounds. “It was the best thing we ever did,” Amanda said. “Tryon Hounds has become a huge part of our social life, and we have made life-long friends here.”

Amanda later served on the Board, helped organize multiple Barn Tours, and has spent years on the Hunt Ball committee. Ian now serves on the Board as well. They both appreciate that Tryon Hounds maintains a traditional style reminiscent of English hunts. Ian—who enjoys pheasant and quail shooting—notes the stark contrast between American and British hunting and shooting traditions. Hunters and shooters in England usually dress in formal clothing rather than camouflage because camo gear is prohibited. “Our friends here understand this tradition,” Ian said, “and you can see it reflected in the turnout during hunt season.”

Amanda’s first hunt with Tryon Hounds took place when Louise Houston was one of the Masters. “Louise was known for her attention to perfection. I was a nervous wreck—worried whether my saddle pad was white enough or my tack shiny enough.” To her relief, she passed muster and has continued to hunt periodically as a social member.

Ian fondly remembers riding in Ireland on a big draft horse named Luke. “He made me feel confident,” he said. “If I could find a horse like that here, maybe I’d hunt with Amanda.” Two years ago, they leased horses for Opening Meet, and Ian enjoyed his first hunt. “I freely admit I’m a princess when it comes to horses,” he joked. “Give me a horse all polished and ready to go, and I’ll hand you the keys when we’re done.”

Over the years, Amanda has participated in hunts with a range of leased and borrowed horses.She plans to join Ian for the Opening Meet and attend more hunts this year. Meanwhile, they volunteer at social events and fundraisers like the Centennial Art Show and Gala, and value friendships within the Tryon Hounds and Lake Adger community.

Ms. Karen Graham

How did a small town southern girl who wanted to teach French to high school students become an International Supermodel and a longtime member of the Tryon Hounds?

Karen grew up in a middle class family in Gulfport, MS. Her grandparents lived upstate and had farms with cows and a few farm horses and chickens. Whenever they visited, Karen would hop on their Tennessee Walking horses. Karen loved going out with her dad in his bass boat and she taught herself how to fly fish for bass and blue gills in the bayous of southern Mississippi. She was also captivated by the French influence of New Orleans which often bled across state lines and began studying French in high school. When she started college at Ole Miss she asked her advisor about majoring in Education. He noticed she had the most credits in French so why not major in both. Excellente idée!

After graduation her parents gave she gave her a gift of $2000. They said it was hers to do whatever she wanted with it; however they did recommend she could open a little shop. “If I can really do what I want with it”, she told her parents, “I’d like to live in Paris and go to graduate school there.”

Karen bought a plane ticket to Paris and a little book titled “Europe on $5 a Day”. Thanks to her book, she found a small hotel room and went unannounced to the renowned Sorbonne front office. She had a lovely conversation with an interviewer who said she would need to schedule a written and oral test. Karen replied, “I’m ready. Go ahead and test me now.” She was accepted to their graduate program with a scholarship – merci beaucoup. Karen met two fellow students from Mexico City who were living with a French family. They invited her to come over and meet the them. “They warmly welcome me into their home and we conversed over a lovely authentic Parisian dinner,” Karen said. “They told me they had a relative they wanted me to meet.” Karen arrived at a stunning apartment overlooking the Seine. The family’s two daughters were off at college so they had plenty of room. “They offered me my own bedroom and bath with a balcony that looked over the Pont Mirabeau in the 16th arrondissement. It was like a dream,” Karen said. “I asked them why they were being so generous. They replied they felt so grateful for America’s help after WWII. I felt so honored.”

After a year at the Sorbonne, and with a degree in Education from the University of Mississippi, Karen wasn’t ready to go back to Gulfport. She decided to take the ocean liner “The France” to New York and quickly fell in love with Manhattan. While searching for a position teaching French to high school students, she found work as a bookkeeper for a law firm in order to pay rent on a small apartment. One day during her lunch break she was strolling through Bonwit Teller gazing at all the beautiful clothes she could never afford when a lady stopped and asked her if she was a model. Karen almost laughed – no she wasn’t, she’d never thought about. The woman smiled warmly and told her she would make a good one. She handed Karen her card and told her to call her.

Karen returned to work and asked if anybody knew a lady named Eileen Ford. Everyone’s jaws dropped: “You met her?” “She said to call her but I’ve never heard of this lady.” “Karen, she owns the most famous modeling agency in the world. You have to call her!” Karen, ever practical, balked. “I can’t afford to try modeling. How will I pay for my rent?” They assured her she could continue doing bookkeeping for them whenever she had free time. The rest was history. She became an International Supermodel with 100's of magazine covers including 20 VOGUE covers. She was also the exclusive model/spokesperson for Estee Lauder for 15 years. She worked nonstop before retiring in 1985 at the age of 40. “I knew my career had a limited time frame, “she explained. “It’s like a professional athlete: a Quarterback’s arm isn’t going to last forever. I wanted to go out on top.”

Karen didn’t choose modeling, it chose her. As a serious-minded person she saw this wonderful, glamourous opportunity as a means to finally have the time pursue her other interests which she was not able to pursue earlier in life. She bought a 300 year old stone house in the Hudson Valley and spent all of her time on the rivers, now fly fishing for trout instead of bass, and along with friends, started a fly fishing school in upstate New York. One day she got a call from ESPN inviting her to host a fly fishing show that would film shows all over the world, famous trout streams from Antarctica, New Zealand, Iceland, and, of course in our Rocky Mountains. While filming these shows she moved out to Saratoga, Wyoming for a few years, living on a ranch with several horses. She asked if she was allowed them and soon she picked her favorite ride, a horse named Spur who was owned by and elk hunting guide who took clients hunting on horseback up to Medicine Bow Peak at an elevations of 10,000 feet.

Having bonded with Spur she brought him with her when she decided to move to Tyron in 2006 to be near her brother and his family. She purchased a horse farm on a private 124 mile equestrian trail network. She rode many miles with a new friend she met on the trail, Cindy Stafford. One day Cindy rushed over to Karen’s and told her she had found our new sport, foxhunting, and they simply had to start hunting together! “I don’t even have an English saddle! “ Karen’s friend, Madeline Clas had an old English saddle she loaned me. Spur took to the saddle and they rode 3rd flight with The Tryon Hounds.

“Third flight was such a hoot!” Karen laughed. “There was so much excitement watching the hounds work and sing!” But true to form Karen delved in 150% and was soon taking jumping lessons. Spur was getting older so she knew it was time to find a hunt horse. She found a 5 year old grey Thoroughbred named Indigo. They both learn how to jump together. One of her friends told her afterwards, “Didn’t you know that green and green make black and blue?!”

But Indigo quickly became her trusted hunt partner. After her self-description of having become an “adequate jumper” she told Jordan Hicks, the huntsman at the time, that she was going to ride in 1st flight. “Hopefully today you can find a coop or two so we can jump, “she said. We were riding in Caroland Farms and Jordan took us over 12 coops!"  Ooops ---be careful what you wish for.

Years later her heart horse Indigo was in the pasture and was gored by a buck deer and had to be put down at 18. Karen was heartbroken. She didn’t know if she could face looking for a new partner. She did have a little quarter horse named JoJo she had bought for her grandson. She looked JoJo in the eyes and asked him, ‘‘ ‘How would you like to hunt?’ and he looked back and said ‘I can do it! I can do it!’ So we did!”  They were enjoying the hunt but every time they came to a coop, JoJo would like to go around it at the last minute. “We started working with a trainer and he said this horse use to be a barrel racer and he thinks he’s supposed to fly around that corner!” JoJo turned into a good hunt partner. Recently while riding 2nd flight they were flying through the woods with the hounds singling when they suddenly came upon a downed pine tree across the trail. They didn’t have time to think and they sailed over it. “JoJo turned and looked at me," Karen said. “He was so proud. ‘I told you I could do it!’ He just loves to show you.”

Karen often rides 3rd flight with Jeanne Ahrenholz as the Field Master. “More stuff happens in third flight and Jeanne has such a great wit. We were hacking along the woods line. I was about midway back. We were in a controlled trot when a giant buck jumped out and split our group in half. The front half was still following the hounds while our half had the daylights spooked out of them! Bodies were on the ground, loose horses were running off and JoJo was the only one who stayed – right by me. I was on the ground, unhurt, but at least he stayed by me. Jeanne came rushing back to find out where everybody was. Jeanne, who is married to a doctor looked around and said, “Carnage. Total carnage.” Somebody brushing off their britches said, “No need to set up a triage just a search party to find our horses.”

Another time 1st and 2nd Flight was galloping over a territory that was fairly new. The Field Master decided 3rd flight should pull over near some woods since they were probably after a coyote meaning they probably couldn’t keep up. “We all kind of huddled around. I looked around and there standing in the center of our huddle was a coyote! He had doubled back and hid out in out in the middle of our pack!” You don’t call them “Wiley” for nothing.

Her favorite thing about the Tryon Hounds is riding with other people I enjoy. “We just enjoy being together in the woods and meadows… watching those beautiful hounds. They sing their passion and we love that song.” J’adore tout!