A Sporting Season: Horse-Hunting with Hounds on Long Island, Fall 1916

 A Sporting Season: Horse-Hunting with Hounds on Long Island, Fall 1916

In the fall of 1916, Long Island’s South Shore witnessed a surge in the popularity of horse-hunting with hounds. Prominent hunt clubs such as the Meadow Brook Hunt and the Smithtown Hunt drew large gatherings of skilled riders and eager spectators alike. These hunts, which included both live-fox chases and drag hunts following laid scent trails, became a defining feature of the island’s autumn social and sporting calendar.

Among the devoted participants was Harvey S. Ladew of Brookville, an avid equestrian already riding to hounds by 1914. Ladew embodied the spirit of the sport—elegant, daring, and deeply committed to the tradition of mounted hunting. He would go on to be known nationally for his love of fox hunting and later for creating the famed Ladew Topiary Gardens in Maryland.

The terrain of Nassau and Suffolk Counties demanded bold, agile horses capable of clearing high timber fences at speed. The pace of Long Island hunts was notably fast and thrilling—so much so that Theodore Roosevelt, reflecting on his own experiences with the Meadow Brook pack, compared it to leaping a series of five-bar gates at full gallop.

What began as a pastime for the elite quickly grew into a celebrated spectacle, blending sport, society, and the natural beauty of Long Island’s open countryside. The 1916 season marked a golden era for the island’s hunting culture—one that left a lasting impression on both participants and observers.

🐎 About Harvey S. Ladew

• 
  Harvey Smith Ladew II (1887–1976), originally from Manhattan and Long Island, was an avid fox‑hunting enthusiast beginning around 1914. He hunted extensively on Long Island before moving to Maryland in 1929.

• After World War I, he withdrew from his family’s leather‑goods business and fully embraced equestrian pursuits. He even rode to hounds on both sides of the Atlantic within a remarkable 72‑hour span — flying via amphibious plane to do it.

• Though later known for his Ladew Topiary Gardens in Maryland, his interest in fox hunting was lifelong, particularly during his Long Island years.