Eva’s Warm Welcome
Written by Sarah Hickner | Photos by Joanne Maisano
Eva Smithwick grew up hunting with her dad, but she never imagined she would one day become a Master of Foxhounds (MFH) and huntsman. Today, she leads Snickersville Hounds, a thriving hunt based at her family’s farm in Middleburg.
A native of Rappahannock County, Smithwick earned a degree in economics from the University of Virginia. In 1988, she married the love of her life, Speedy Smithwick. The couple spent 20 years training flat-racing horses, living near major tracks in places like California and Kentucky before settling at Speedy’s family farm, the historic Sunny Bank Farm.
It wasn’t until 2011, with encouragement from her good friend Gregg Ryan, that Eva became involved in leading Snickersville Hounds. Ryan and Smithwick shared the role for years. Smithwick says, “After my husband passed, Gregg Ryan passed the torch to me knowing I needed a full-time project of my own to help me heal from the devastating loss. It is because of his support that I am MFH and huntsman at Snickersville Hounds.”
As Smithwick carries on her family’s legacy, what she’s leading has become more than a hunt; it’s a community. One thing that makes it particularly special? The women behind it.
Smithwick will be the first to tell you she doesn’t do it alone. From her all-female honorary staff of whippers-in to the women who lead each of the three fields, these volunteers work together for the love of the sport.
An Atmosphere of Welcome
On Wednesdays and Sundays during hunting season, Snickersville regularly draws large groups of riders to Sunny Bank Farm, with three fields designed to accommodate different experience levels.
First field offers a faster pace and jumping for experienced riders. Second field keeps up with much of the action, but jumping is optional. Third field provides a more flexible pace, allowing green horses, junior riders, and newcomers to enjoy the sport without feeling pressured to keep up with the fast pace of the hounds.
The horses themselves are as varied as the riders. Alongside career hunt horses, you’ll find eventers, steeplechasers, show horses, search and rescue horses, and just about anything else capable of navigating the rolling hills of Hunt Country.
Foxhunting is a sport built on tradition, and like most equestrian disciplines, it comes with its own expectations for attire, turnout, and etiquette. While Snickersville takes pride in those traditions, Smithwick and her team don’t want the lack of a particular piece of equipment or the wrong color coat to keep someone from participating.
A Day With Snickersville
It was the hunt’s open-gate policy that convinced me to put my show horse on a trailer one chilly November morning and make the drive down Sam Fred Road to Sunny Bank Farm.
I expected the uncomfortable feeling of being an outsider, but was greeted with smiles, open arms, and a friend ready to tie my borrowed stock tie so I looked the part.
As the hounds were released, bounding from the trailer with flapping ears and noses already to the ground, a little of my tension eased.
My horse, Silas, and I danced across creeks, hopped a log or two, and waited and watched as the beautiful Penn-Marydel hounds canvassed the hillside for the scent of the sneaky fox. Along the way, we got to experience one of Virginia’s historic farms in a way few people ever do.
When we returned to the trailer, I grabbed the pie my husband had made the night before and headed to the post-hunt potluck. I remember Smithwick telling me I was welcome back as long as my husband baked that pie every time.
Spoiler alert: he rarely makes the pie, but I’ve always been welcomed back.
The Next Generation
For Smithwick, welcoming newcomers isn’t simply about filling the fields today; it’s about ensuring that foxhunting has a future. Snickersville Hounds is committed to introducing the next generation to the sport, and junior riders are invited to hunt free of charge when accompanied by an adult riding chaperone.
And these young riders aren’t simply passengers. They’re encouraged to participate, whether by opening gates, helping manage cattle crossings, or holding a horse when the group returns to the kennels.
Snickersville even offers an unusual educational perk: a “late to school” note on official hunt letterhead explaining that a morning spent foxhunting is a study in environmental science, history, wildlife stewardship, and, of course, horsemanship.
It’s hard to argue with that curriculum.
Through opportunities like these, Smithwick and the Snickersville community are helping youth to appreciate the land, care for their horses and hounds, and become part of a tradition that has been passed down through generations.
When I asked Smithwick what she is most proud of, she said, “That I am able to share this unique and magical property with people who truly appreciate it, whether on our trail rides or out hunting. It brings me joy that we have introduced so many people, especially juniors, to the sport of foxhunting and that we have made them aware of how important it is to be good stewards of the land.”
For more information about Snickersville Hounds and how to get involved, visit their website at snickersvillehounds.com. ML
Published in the November 2026 issue of Middleburg Life.