Welcome to Bear Creek Hounds of Moreland, GA
Heather Cooper, First Whipper-in
Heather was born in Kenya where her father worked for the British Foreign Office, Heather and
her family moved to Wales in 1964 just before the troubles began in South Africa. In Wales, her parents owned a dairy farm, and her
father encouraged her to ride ponies and, of course, to go
hunting.
Heather hunted with the Llandeilo Farmers Hunt until her
father passed away and the decision was made to sell the farm. Heather had all but given up riding, concentrating instead on her young
family, Justin and Sophie, when a tragic road accident before Sophie’s second birthday left them without a husband and father.
Heather
began riding again, bought her own horse and returned to the hunting field with Carmarthen Hunt where she met her future husband,
Guy. They have been inseparable ever since. Heather shares the love for horses and hounds with Sophie and the two are quite
the pair. Heather can often be seen whipping in with her daughter Sophie at her side. Justin pitches in on the farm in
the summer months to fund his love for computers and art. Heather is often on hand to whelp pups and is ever ready to
fill in with the demanding needs of the hunt horses and hounds. Heather manages to balance her work with the Bear Creek Hounds
while being a full-time mom to two teenagers and assisting with the staff horses with amazing ease. Her infectious smile and
wonderful accent from Wales combined with her intense knowledge of hunting make us feel like we’ve stepped into a beautiful painting
depicting the sport we all love.
Guy Cooper, Our Huntsman
Born in the United Kingdom in 1968, Guy grew up in rural Wales where he developed a love for animals,
particularly dogs and horses. This love is still with him today, as strong as ever.
Guy’s introduction to foxhunting came when
the Master of the local Carmarthenshire Hunt of Wales brought his pack of hounds to the tiny, local school Guy attended to teach the
children about hunting. Guy was eager to learn more and, at age 8, attended his first fox hunt.
Guy remained involved
with the Carmarthenshire Hunt throughout his school years until he joined the Royal Navy. He completed a tour of 11 years, serving
aboard the now-retired Polaris nuclear submarines, HMS Repulse and Renown. Guy met his wife, Heather, on the hunting field. He applied
for honorable discharge from the Navy in 1997 and tried running his own business. But he soon realized that his heart was in hounds
and hunting. He and his family moved to Ontario, Canada, where he took over as huntsman to a new pack, the Beaver Meadow Foxhounds.
Guy hunted this new pack for several seasons, getting it recognized by the Masters of the Foxhounds of America and building up a reasonable
He
accepted an appointment as huntsman to the Bear Creek Hounds in Moreland, Georgia in January 2002.
In his spare time, with the
complete support and encouragement of Hal and Linda, Guy has pursued aviation (his second passion) as a means of recreation and holds
a U.S. commercial Pilot certificate for both single and multi-engine aircraft.