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c h r o n o f h o r s e . c o m w i n t e r 2 014 55 "ose first two years, hunting with those hounds was a heartbreak for me and a heartbreak for them, and that's always sad. And not because they were bad hounds," she adds. "is country is just so different. it's like having a rela- tionship that's not working, you know? nobody's bad in it." frustration finally led lloyd to a neighbor who had hunted bear with Walker hounds. he had two he couldn't break off of tracking coyote, and that couple would even- tually be the start of lloyd's new pack. "i started hunting these two hounds, and they would go all day for me. ey were incredible," she says. "is goes back to, 'hunt the hound that is suited for your country.' " lloyd's only hiccup was that American Walker hounds weren't recognized by the mfhA because they weren't of hunting packs that chased fox. "in my books i have the original 12 hounds from a recognized hunt registered with the mfhA, cross- bred with my two American Walkers," she says. "from then on out, i brought in more and more purebred Walker [blood]. english hounds are bred in england with water every footstep and thick cover. it's totally different out here. i just needed to find a hound that would work for me, and so i had to think outside the box." e Walkers hunt all day for lloyd with no water, undeterred by the rocky terrain and sagebrush. "if i wanted to hunt for 20 hours, they'd hunt for 20 hours. ey have tremendous try. ey are the orough- breds of the hound world," she says. And with a million acres available to hunt, try is imperative. "it's quite amazing, the room. i'm spoiled rotten out here, honey, because we never have to stop the hounds," she says. "i've always said, 'e West is the future of hunt- ing.' it's really fun! "nobody has to ride like this," she continues, hunch- ing herself into a ball. "We have all this space. your horse gets wild? turn him up that mountain. i guarantee he's not going to make it to the top." And lloyd takes pride not just in the rare experience her hunt constitutes, but the fascinatingly diverse array of people the experience has attracted over the years. "i've had all kinds of people in my hunt," she says. "Whether they be strippers, prostitutes, slot mechanics, you name it—as well as people from all over the world and other hunts. at's. What. makes. life. interesting!" in short, lloyd's approach to foxhunting takes every preconceived notion about the stodgy, tradition-bound sport of the elite and turns it directly on its head. "her style is different—somewhat unorthodox," says mfhA executive director dennis foster diplomatically, "but effective and loads of fun. she is one of foxhunt- ing's treasures. she's her own person, she's unique, and she shares her love of hunting with anyone who'll give it a try. she's our Annie oakley of foxhunting and is as tough as she is dedicated. she's just very special." Writer, editor and fox- hunter norman fine is even more effusive when you mention lloyd's name. "i love her," he declares simply. "she is one of my most unforgettable characters of all time. i have so much respect for somebody who just goes out and does it, whatever the hell it is she wants to do. she is so ebullient and so enthusiastic about life—it's just always bubbling over." even without the vibrant pop of her red hunt coat against the muted, scrubby nevada landscape, lloyd would stand out. she is a dynamo—ballsy, big-hearted and bold; a whirling dervish of an experience and, like each of her hounds, a true individual. lloyd defies the conventions of both hunting and life, and you leave her world thinking maybe, just maybe, you've glimpsed something both remarkable and simplistically beautiful: an example of someone not only being true to her inner voice but also having the courage to act on it. hunting and the people she has touched are better for it. "if you really want to know the truth, i'll be honest about myself," she says. "i know nothing about anything, but i do love to hunt. at, and i've never had to work a day in my life. how lucky is that? i'm enjoying the heck out of it." "I have so much respect for somebody who just goes out and does it, whatever the hell it is she wants to do," says Fine. "She is so ebullient and so enthusiastic about life—it's just always bubbling over."

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