The scene looked like something straight out of an oil painting of an English fox hunt.

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Riders in formal scarlet coats sat astride their horses, while a pack of foxhounds sniffed about the ground. At the edges of the field, the rolling hills had just begun to break out in a riot of autumn color.

But the field where members of the Sewickley Hunt gathered Oct. 29 for the opening of their formal season was in Sewickley Heights, just minutes from Interstate 79 and a number of suburban housing developments.

For more than 80 years, the Sewickley Hunt has traversed this countryside, seeking sport in the surrounding woods, fields and estates as members ride through portions of Sewickley Heights, Bell Acres, Franklin Park and Ohio Township.

"I love being out in the woods, seeing the hounds work. There is a great relationship between the hounds, horses and nature," said Cherry Semple White, of Sewickley Heights, one of the club's three hunt masters.

The Sewickley Hunt is a "drag" hunt, which means the hounds -- referring to them as dogs is improper hunt terminology -- pursue an artificial scent, not a live fox, along a preset course.

Founded in 1922 by John and Adelaide Burgwin, a prominent Sewickley Heights couple, the Sewickley Hunt is the second oldest of three fox-hunting clubs in Western Pennsylvania. The Rolling Rock Hunt in Ligonier was founded one year earlier. The Saxonburg Hunt in Butler County wasn't formed until 64 years later.

"Tradition is very important to the Sewickley Hunt. The only thing that has really changed over the years is there is less land," said Andy Komer, of Franklin Park, another co-master of the hunt.

Hunt officials secure the permission of landowners whose properties lie along the course, which takes 1¹/₂ to two hours and is divided into legs, with rest periods for the hounds between each leg. Many riders choose to jump the natural and man-made hurdles on the course, but some do not.

The hunt ends with a "kill."

"It's chopped hot dogs from Costco that my mom cuts up the night before," Mr. Komer's daughter, Kristin Brandenstein, of Ross, said with a laugh.

During the formal season, which runs from the end of October through New Year's Day, riders hunt every Wednesday and Saturday and on holidays. This is when riders wear the traditional scarlet and black topcoats and derbies. The formal season is preceded by a short "cubbing" season, beginning in August, during which the young hounds are trained. A hunt is called off only when the temperature falls below 15 degrees or ice is on the ground.

"Rain doesn't hamper us. We get soaking wet," Mr. Komer said.

The club has about 60 hunting members and many other "social members," who attend the after-hunt teas. Often, family members and friends who don't join in the hunt hop in their cars and drive to various vantage points to watch the hunt's progression. Sometimes, they lend a hand in stopping traffic so the hunt can cross roads safely.

For many members, the hunt is a family tradition. Both Mrs. White and co-master Ann Metcalf, also of Sewickley Heights, have followed in the footsteps of their mothers, who were longtime hunt club members.

Mr. Komer has been participating since the early '70s and his daughter also rides. He appreciates the skill involved in the hunt.

"It's just you and your horse. There's a reward in it when you're concentrating on your riding and concentrating on working your hounds," he said.

The biggest threat to the hunt is development. Many of the area's large farms and estates are being subdivided into smaller properties, and not everyone who moves into hunt country allows the club access.

Sewickley Heights does have a 1,000-acre public park the hunt uses, but Mrs. White notes that most hunts have tens of thousands of acres available to them.

"With five-acre lots, it's hard to hold onto the sport in this area. You go from beautiful open farmland to someone's lawn, which is why we need to be in complete control of the hounds," she said.

Mr. Komer said the construction of Interstates 79 and 279 were particularly disruptive to the hunt. But he is optimistic the tradition will continue despite development.

"We continue to have fun on a postage stamp," he said.