November 22, 2013

Many hunts in England that have used FaceBook to recruit first-time foxhunters have reported a doubling of interest compared to last year, according to a report in The Guardian by Fiona Harvey. More than one hundred people showed up for opening meet with the  Surrey Union Foxhounds, about seventy-five percent of whom were newcomers according to a spokeswoman for the hunt. “It’s been unbelievably successful,” she said. “We had notices locally, but mostly it was through social media.” Mark Ferguson of the Woodland Pytchley in Northamptonshire said, “Facebook has made a huge difference. It is so much easier, we can get to more and more people.” Youngsters seem to be making up a large portion of the new foxhunters. The Countryside Alliance estimates that at least 45,000 people will take to the field for opening meets this season, up about twenty-five percent from the numbers prior to enactment of the 2004 Hunting Act ban. While there has been talk about the possibility of relaxing some of the restrictions under the Hunting Act, no move has yet been made in Parliament by Prime Minister David Cameron to bring the suggested changes to a vote. Posted November 22, 2013

The Blessing of Hounds ceremony of the Aiken Hounds held at Memorial Gate in the Hitchcock Woods each Thanksgiving Day is an annual tradition in this horse-sport-minded South Carolina town. As with many hunts across the country and abroad, the ceremony represents the start of the formal season. This year Aiken Hunt members will celebrate their one hundredth blessing with an expanded liturgy in the Old English tradition to be delivered by Rev. Grant B. Wiseman, Rector at St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church. The ceremony will start at 11:00 am. As always, the public is invited, and with a larger crowd expected this year, attendees are asked to allow more time for parking and walking to Memorial Gate. The Aiken Hunt Masters are Linda Knox McLean, Larry Byers, and Joey Peace. Posted November 22, 2013