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THE SOUND OF HOUNDS WILL NEVER DIE
Huntsman Robert McCarthy exercises the hounds of Percy Hunt through Northumberland.
SARAH FARNSWORTH
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The Sound of the Hounds Will Never Die
RIDING TO HOUNDS IS ALIVE AND WELL 15 YEARS POST-BAN.
BY OCTAVIA POLLOCK
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, THE FOXHUNTERS OF ENGLAND AND WALES BEGAN LIVING IN A WORLD WHERE THEIR SPORT HAD BEEN OUTLAWED. They had been cast as bloodthirsty ‘toffs’ by a Labour government refusing to understand that followers of field sports love and appreciate the countryside better than anyone else. The anti-hunt campaign could not see beyond the outdated image of a red-faced lord in a top hat looking down his nose from a horse. Little did they know that anyone and everyone is welcome out hunting, from plumber to plasterer, doctor to duke.
In the 15 years since, hunts still meet at 11 a.m. at pubs, private houses, and market squares across the country, and not a single hunt has ceased operating due to the ban. Moreover, more people are riding to hounds than ever before. Many started hunting after the ban, such as Nick Alexander, chairman of the Grove & Rufford, who laughs: “I didn’t want someone from north London telling me what to do!” Easby, who was hunting the West of Yore in Yorkshire when the ban came in, adds: “Farmers who had never had us before said ‘come.’ Proper British defiance.”
Any changes in hunt countries have been due to pressure from development and ever-busier roads. To adapt, hunts have amalgamated, with great success.
“There are too many people and too little space,” notes Tim Bonner, chief executive of rural campaigning group the Countryside Alliance. “Hunts in wide-open areas such as Northumberland are fine, but most are facing major changes, as in Leicestershire [home of the classic Shire packs].”
Although old-timers may rue the loss of the unfettered past, young people starting now are “more optimistic about the future than some who have spent their whole lives doing it,” says Bonner. “It’s not going to be the same as in Ronnie Wallace’s day, but it can still be great. There is so much determination to keep it going.”
Easby concurs: “It’s not without its difficulties, but I am hugely encouraged by the people still hunting. We have always adapted. They said it would end with the distemper outbreak in the 19th century, then with the railways and barbed wire, but we survived all that, two World Wars, two outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, and the Hunting Act. The ban is just another hurdle to overcome.”
Another hurdle is the proliferation of claims on people’s time, but the chance to watch man and animal work together in the countryside is still a draw. “Hunting remains a fascinating, multi-faceted activity,” says Catherine Austen, hunting editor of Horse & Hound. “It continues to attract new people, old and young, who are as captivated by it as those of us who have been involved with it all our lives.”
The UK-MFHA runs symposiums and training programs for new staff, and Easby says he is hugely encouraged by the quality and passion of trainees.
UK hunts are more likely to face changes in hunt territory from land development rather than effects from the ban.
STILL PROTESTING
This is not to say there is no opposition. Furious that the class war failed, anti-hunt saboteurs still follow with faces covered, screaming abuse, spraying hounds with citronella, blowing horns, and filming. They trespass on private land with impunity, which is finally attracting the attention of the law. Bonner notes there are fewer than in the 1980s and 1990s, but they are increasingly well coordinated.
“They are fit and run with the hounds in two or three groups, connected with radios,” explains Easby. “Trespass laws are difficult to enforce. What can three or four police officers do against 30 black-clad thugs?”
In some areas “the police seem to refuse to deal with their activities.” However, the tide is perhaps turning with the arrest of eight saboteurs in Cheshire for assault and possession of offensive weapons.
“The thought of [people wearing balaclavas] rampaging through the most beautiful parts of Britain is difficult to grasp. How is it deemed acceptable?” despairs Easby.
GATHERING EVIDENCE
For hunt staff, the threat of prosecution is ever-present, with photographic “evidence” concocted by anti-hunting saboteurs. Several have been charged, but subsequently won their cases when it was shown that the court had seen only a fraction of the footage. In the case of the Heythrop Three in 2012, they pled guilty
This is not to say there is no opposition. Furious that the class war failed, anti-hunt saboteurs still follow with faces covered, screaming abuse, spraying hounds with citronella, blowing horns, and filming. They trespass on private land with impunity, which is finally attracting the attention of the law.
because they could not afford to fight the RSPCA, an animal charity that spent £326,000 bringing a private prosecution. The vast majority of convictions under the Act have been for poaching — nearly 500, compared with only 30 for foxhunting. What is certain is that many hours of court time and much public money has been wasted.
However, hunts are fighting back — by filming. “It adds to our work, but if you get evidence, it does make a difference,” notes Easby. “A master in Wiltshire called the police about aggravation and was dismissed until he said he had three different videos showing the scene, which led to prosecution.” Some packs, including the Duke of Beaufort’s, have teams — all girls to avoid inciting violence — following antis with cameras, both as a deterrent and to ensure evidence.
Social media is a significant weapon for antis, as “whatever appears there has a façade of truth, even if it’s highly edited,” says Easby. “Antis spread lies behind the mask of being animal lovers.” Now, hunts’ Instagram pages have proliferated, depicting the good things about hunting, different people, hound puppies, conservation, raising money for air ambulances, litter picking, and so on. “The key is the normalization of hunting, in the hope that common sense will prevail.”
What about hunting’s most crucial element — the fox? Jim Barrington is a former head of the League Against Cruel Sports who, after meeting and listening to hunters, realized that hunting was the best thing for animal welfare. He is now a consultant for the Countryside Alliance and, in Easby’s words, “seldom loses the debate.” He is quite clear that the ban has not benefitted wildlife.
“Millions of pounds were spent drafting and enforcing the law, but not a penny has been spent on what it has done to wildlife,” Barrington points out. “The antihunting lobby knows it has not improved animal welfare — if it had, they would be putting it out there.” He cites anecdotal evidence that more foxes are being shot or snared than before the ban, with no need to “keep one for the hunt.” A 2018 mammal survey by the British Trust for Ornithology showed fox numbers had fallen by 42 percent since 1995, the steepest decline being after 2005.
“Young foxes that would have evaded the hounds are being shot,” he adds. “Hunting is natural selection, which keeps a healthy population; shooting is not. It should never be discussed in isolation, but as part of a jigsaw.” Barrington also works with the Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management, a group of vets who make a clear case: “Hunting provides a vital search and dispatch system for detecting debilitated, wounded, and diseased animals. Before the Act, the rural fox population was in good shape precisely because it was managed. Now foxes are persecuted as pests. ... The moderation ethic has been lost.”
How it Works
LOOPHOLES IN THE LAW include flushing a fox to a bird of prey, but most hunts are trail hunting, which differs from drag hunting in resembling the real thing as closely as possible. Traillayers on horseback, quad-bike, or foot will pull a fox-urinesoaked rag, sometimes lifting it or doubling back, pushing through coverts or crossing streams, imitating a fox’s route.
“Virtually every huntsman will have a different view on which scent and what concentration works best, as well as how far in front of hounds it should be laid,” explains Polly Portwin of the Countryside Alliance. “All are united in the view that whatever scent is used, it should be a quarry-based scent to keep their hounds settled.”
Key is keeping the foxhound’s natural ability to draw country, find and follow a scent, preserving the skills developed over centuries of breeding.
“We’re still producing canine athletes, fit for purpose,” says Easby. Vital to the continuing health of the sport is the hound, and there is no diminution in quality.
SARAH FARNSWORTH Anti-hunt saboteurs often trespass on private land to interfere with hounds and hunts.
SARAH FARNSWORTH Boxing Day hunts are gaining popularity with 2019 turning the largest crowds to date.
Huntsmen are now pitting their skills against humans, rather than foxes. “The challenge of reporting on pre-ban hunting was in describing and reporting on venery, which is no longer possible,” notes Austen. Impressively, in the past couple of years, Horse & Hound’s hunting pages have increased considerably, with features on history, horses, stalwart followers, and more, “which is thoroughly appreciated by the hunting world.”
Boxing Day 2019 was the biggest ever, despite horizontal rain. In Keswick, Cumbria, where the council had tried and failed to stop hounds meeting, Barry Todhunter of the Blencathra “was on the point of tears” having “never seen so many people.” He was not alone. The pernicious hunting ban is just another hurdle that we will clear with room to spare.
Octavia Pollock is based in the UK. She’s a regular contributor to Covertside.
Tim Easby and MFHA
IT IS ALL CHANGE AT THE MFHA IN THE UK, with Tim Easby stepping down as director after 10 years in office. His counterpart at the Association of Harriers and Beagles, Lizzie Pinney, is also standing down.
In the UK, the work of the Hunting Office, encompasses all hunting genres, the MFHA, and the media/ campaigning Countryside Alliance. Easby and Pinney have created a new Hunting Office Executive Committee, with field-based directors responsible for “overseeing the daily operations of kennels and hunting, assessing sustainability, providing support and setting and maintaining standards through a rigorous kennel inspection regime.” Experience and practical knowledge of hunting and all aspects of kennel management and mastership are critical, and the UK hunting world is fortunate to have Alice Bowden, Mark Hankinson, and Richard Tyacke as new joint directors.
“It is clear to me that securing the future of hunting for our children and grandchildren is one of this generation’s main obligations,” emphasizes Easby. “Those of us who have been lucky enough to savor the joys of hunting and have benefitted from the way of life that it brings must do all we can to uphold all the traditional values that it represents. It is therefore now more important than ever to maintain the standards and quality of every part of hunting’s activities. The professional conduct of each day’s hunting, the considerate behavior of the followers, the communication, liaison, and respect for farmers and landowners, the highest standards of hound and horse welfare and organization of the kennels and the breeding of hounds as well as understanding hunting’s role in the rural community are critical. Our mantra must remain — ‘Nothing less than excellent is acceptable.’”
Hunting under a pernicious law and, now, coping with the impact of coronavirus makes 2020 a more challenging year than most, but Easby has left the UK hunting world in a strong position, and we are assured of an equally strong future.
