Walthour-Moss Belongs to the Hounds Again This Fall. Here's How to Share It.

"As a place for equestrian purposes, WMF prioritizes safety, and dogs can create potentially dangerous situations for horses, riders, carriage drivers, and people on foot. Therefore, no dogs are allowed."

That line comes from the Walthour-Moss Foundation's land use policies. It is the most useful sentence for anyone who walks the longleaf pine trails north of Southern Pines. The preserve covers more than 4,000 acres about a mile from town and is open every day from sunrise to sunset. It is not a town park, though. It is land kept for horses, and the public is welcome on terms set by that purpose. Most of the year that hardly shows. From October through Thanksgiving it shows a lot, because this is when the trail crews, the foxhounds and the opening meet all arrive.

The Rules Come From the Horses

The dog rule makes one exception. Foxhounds may use the land if they belong to a Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America member hunt and are "participating in or training for hunting events under the direct control of a qualified huntsman and staff." So the only dogs allowed in the preserve are the ones that hunt there.

The other policies follow the same logic. The Foundation bans unauthorized vehicles, smoking and fires, alcohol and picnicking, firearms, and fishing, boating and swimming. The litter rule is "Pack it in, Pack it out." Its safety list asks every visitor to sign a WMF risk/release waiver once a year and to carry a cell phone. It also asks them to know the 911 location markers posted at each major fire lane intersection, so they can tell emergency crews where they are. It strongly recommends protective headgear. That advice is written for riders, but it shows who the trails are designed around.

The land keeps growing. The Pilot reported that the Foundation bought more than 60 acres near Youngs Road and U.S. 1 in Vass with help from an anonymous donor. The tract has rolling woodland around a central wetland that drains into the Foundation's land. It will be added to the conservation easement the U.S. Forest Service has held since 2021. It will open to the public once it has been folded into the surrounding property. With that purchase, the Foundation conserves more than 4,258 acres in the Sandhills, all gathered through private gifts, purchases and loans.

October Starts With Chainsaws, Not Horns

Before the hunting season gets going, volunteers clear the trails. The Foundation's 2026 trails notice said its Bushwhacker Volunteers would close trails sometime in fall 2026 for clearing work. The events calendar now lists two dates left this month:

• Sunday, October 11, 2026: Bushwhacker Club Trail Clearing Day, clearing summer storm debris from 9 a.m. to noon
• Sunday, October 18, 2026: the same work, same hours

On both days the Foundation closes its trails to all riders and carriage drivers from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. so the crew can work safely. The calendar describes this as a closure for riders and carriage drivers. A rider planning a Sunday morning on those dates should go after 1 p.m.

The Foundation says no experience is needed and everyone is welcome. Volunteers get donuts and coffee in the morning and lunch afterward. Sign-ups go by email to the Foundation's director at [email protected].

The preserve's other fall fixture is lower key. The 100 Miles for Moss virtual challenge is in its seventh year and runs September 1 through December 31, 2026. Participants log miles on runsignup.com and receive a commemorative medal when they reach 100. Miles count from almost anywhere, including a dressage ring, a neighborhood hack, or a morning run. Inside the Foundation's land, miles count on foot, on horseback and by carriage. The Foundation's wording is "yes for all but the cyclists." At 100 miles over four months, a walker covers about six miles a week.

Three Mornings a Week Belong to the Pack

The Moore County Hounds hunt the Foundation's land under a cooperative agreement. Their season starts in October with Fall Hunting in informal "Ratcatcher" dress. The general schedule puts Walthour-Moss meets on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with junior hunts during the holiday season. Hunts in Hoffman are on Mondays and bye days. Exact meet locations depend on the fixture card mailed to members and on the hunt recorder.

The pack is private. Nobody hunts with Moore County Hounds without a written invitation from the Masters, sent each year. Riders also need a signed release, a negative Coggins test for each horse, and, for anyone hunting in Hoffman, a North Carolina hunting license and game-lands stamp. For everyone else, the fall hunt is something you see from the trail on those three mornings, never something you join.

The hounds are Penn-Marydel, a breed the club credits with great scenting ability. Their huntsman is Lincoln Sadler, and the whippers-in act as extra eyes and ears in the field. The Hounds say the dogs are trained to follow particular scents and to ignore squirrels and deer. Those are the dogs the land use policy makes room for, which is why a pet dog on the same trail is a hazard and a trained pack under staff control is not.

Thanksgiving Morning, Hour by Hour

The season becomes public on Thanksgiving Day. The Moore County Hounds invite everyone to the opening meet and the annual Blessing of the Hounds. The ritual dates back to the Middle Ages, and the club says it draws more than 1,000 spectators. In 2026 it falls on Thursday, November 26.

The parking advice has held steady across the last two years. The Pilot's Sandhills Best Bets for Thanksgiving week 2025 told readers the blessing would begin "promptly at 10 a.m." and to plan at least an hour to park and walk from Lyell's Meadow on North May Street to Buchan Field. The 2026 listing in The Pines Times gives the same advice. It names the nonprofit Preserve the Sandhills as host and calls the event a tradition of more than 100 years. The Hounds' own event page places the ceremony at Cameron's Meadow on North May Street. Since the club's page and the published listings name different meadows, check the exact spot with Moore County Hounds before Thanksgiving week.

Two more points from the 2026 listing. Dogs and pets are not allowed, which matches the year-round rule on the preserve. A limited number of VIP tailgating spots near the front are available by contacting Moore County Hounds. The body of that listing still says "Thursday, November 27th." That was the date of the 2025 meet, according to the same outlet's 2025 listing. The calendar entry at the top of the 2026 page shows November 26, the correct date for Thanksgiving 2026.

Where to Watch Horses Without Waiting for Thanksgiving

Carolina Horse Park is nearby and has a busy spectator calendar until the opening meet. The Park says it welcomes spectators and families and that most events are free, though not all. The remaining fall dates on its events calendar:

• October 10: Birds of Prey, an education event
• October 16–18: Autumn Leaves / 2026 NCDCTA Dressage Championships, Dressage Ring A
• October 23–25: SATP Haunted Classic, Main Arena and Grand Prix Field
• October 30–November 1: Mounted Games, Multi-Use Grounds
• November 6–8: War Horse Event Series Championships, Cross-Country Course
• November 14–15: Dressage at the Park, Dressage Ring A
• November 20–22: Sedgefield at the Park 'C', Main Arena and Grand Prix Field

The Sedgefield show ends on Sunday, November 22. Four days later the Moore County Hounds move off from Buchan Field. The calendar lists nothing for December, so for spectators, horse season around Southern Pines peaks in the last two weeks of November.

Horse country sits right beside the neighborhoods north of downtown, and its rules affect daily routines like where a dog can be walked. If you have questions about the land around the Foundation, or about how North May Street fits into the Southern Pines you see every day, I'm glad to talk them through. Ross Laton | Let's Connect.