Mrs. Charles Lingerfelt (Bonnie), MFHA
How could someone with no connection to horses take one ride that would catapult her into a lifetime in the hunt field?
“It’s simple,” Bonnie said. “I hunted with Master Dr. Arthur Fredericks at Smithtown Hunt.”
Bonnie believes her greatest contribution over her 55-year riding career has been mentoring others and supporting the centuries-old traditions of foxhunting.
Bonnie's first hunt horse Fred.
With Smithtown Hunt.
She recalls her very first ride with the Smithtown Hunt on Long Island. Their strict Master, Dr. Arthur Fredericks —an equine veterinarian who hunted until age 91—was small, wiry, and famously formal. If a braid was not perfectly done, you were dismissed from the field.
When Bonnie arrived that day, she was astounded to see 100 riders mounted in the field. Master Fredericks led them on a drag hunt that included a jaw-dropping 54 fences. Bonnie was a natural, continuing to learn from some of the best of the best. Dr. Fredericks also introduced her to live hunting with the Cheshire Hounds, the Piedmont Hounds, and the Middleburg Hounds—and she was completely hooked.
While taking lessons with Harry deLeyer (the famed horseman who turned his $80 plow horse, Snowman, into a legend), Bonnie’s path took another turn. Harry knew of ideal foxhunting horses for sale in Landrum, South Carolina. The Holmbergs (C.W.(Bud) Holmberg and Bonnie (now Lingerfelt)) and Harry DeLeyer flew into Fairview Farms and met Anthony (Tony) Wallace, the farm’s manager and professional horseman. Like so many others, they were captivated by the area. Not only did they buy horses—they decided to relocate.
At that time, the Tryon Hounds had only five members. Rebuilding the club became a central focus for the new arrivals. Then-Master Arthur Farwell asked Bud to serve as Joint Master, and the work of reviving the Tryon Hounds began.
Bonnie on her favorite hunt horse, SpikeOver the years, Bonnie hunted with Tryon Hounds huntsmen Spencer Bumgardner, Robert Ashcom MFH, Charles “Chip” Anderson, Jordan Hicks, and Beth Blackwell. She led First Flight for 10 seasons, served as President of the Tryon Hounds for 11 years—during which she launched the Tryon Hounds Fall Steeplechase—and in 1993 became Joint Master with her dear friend Louise Hughston.
Today, Bonnie’s devotion to the sport is every bit as strong as when she first followed Dr. Fredericks out with the Smithtown Hunt in New York.