Keswick Hunt Club

History and Hounds Presentations
10:30 & 12:00
​ Hunt Club closes at 1pm

​ ​Keswick Hunt Club  was founded in 1896. Its kennels house approximately 70 American Foxhounds who lead mounted club members on chases in portions of four counties.

​​Foxhunting has been an important part of this community since the 1700s when foxhounds were
brought to the area by Dr. Thomas Walker of Castle Hill, who also helped found the city of Charlottesville.

​Built in 1898, the clubhouse was thoroughly renovated  in 2018.

​The hunt club has hosted at least one horse show almost every year since 1904. Initially, the lower ring’s proximity to the railroad tracks was convenient for spectators who traveled by train from Charlottesville.  Riders whose horses were spooked by trains welcomed construction of the up-per ring in 1957.

​In 2018, the present kennels arose on the foundation of the previous kennels. The new huntsman’s home, completed in January of 2020, rises above a seven-stall barn and is topped by a standing seam metal gambrel roof.

​The hunting season stretches from late summer to early spring. The huntsman spends the rest of the year, as well as non-hunting days during the season, training the pack.

​Keswick Hunt Club competes every year against other hunt club teams to show their prowess in jumping over obstacle courses in sequence and abreast, which is quite challenging for the riders and their horses.