Fox Hunting News
Worst Timing for a Foxhunting Conviction in England
Ex-Cheshire huntsman John ‘Ollie’ Finnegan was found guilty of one count of hunting a wild mammal with dogs this September and was fined £468. The charge related to an incident that took place on a trail hunt on November 26, 2022, with the Cheshire Hunt. This marks the first time someone has been convicted of foxhunting in Cheshire (a county in northwest England).
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New Threats to Riding to Hounds in the UK
Now that Scotland has successfully banned trail hunting, the Labour Party has promised to follow suit in England and Wales. The fallout from this promise, laid out in its “manifesto” released this summer, has already affected several hunt clubs that hunt on Ministry of Defence land despite there not being any new legislation enacted from the newly elected party. In response, the British Hound Sports Association held a National Trail Hunting Day this month to try to sway public opinion away from supporting a total ban.
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Virginia’s Right to Retrieve Law is Challenged
This September a challenge to Virginia’s Right to Retrieve law* was sent to the state’s Supreme Court for consideration.
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2024 JNAFHC Finals Change Locations
The Junior North American Field Hunter Championships (the "JNAFHC") changed their location this year due to unforeseen circumstances in Pennsylvania.
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Independence Foxhounds Announce The End of Their Hunt Club
On February 10, the Masters of Independence Foxhounds announced that they were closing the hunt club. The three Masters are John Dorrier, Jr., Candida Scott, and David Rowe. Candida Scott, also the huntsman, released the following statement.
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New Website Platform
Thank you for your continued support of Foxhunting Life. As of today (Feb. 3, 2024) we have updated our website to a new platform. As part of this update, we are consolidating our membership options to make things simpler and provide more value to all.
Subscription Changes:
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“Thoughts on Foxhunting” Film 50th Anniversary
Melvin Poe - image from the film, "Thoughts on Foxhunting".
The Friends of Emmanuel Episcopal Church Delaplane and Folkstreams.net will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film "Thoughts on Foxhunting" with a special showing on Saturday, February 4, 2023, at 7 PM at the Middleburg Community Center in Middleburg, Virginia.
The event will premiere a new 4K high-definition scan of the original 16mm film.
Big Sky Hounds Celebrate 10 Years!
Big Sky Hounds, Three Forks, Montana. Photo by Gretchen Pelham.
If you are in Montana, you need to hunt with the Big Sky Hounds. Great hounds, great country, great people. It is, as their website says, “Foxhunting Montana-Style.”
They are the real deal.
A Season of Field Hunter Competitions
Virginia Field Hunter Championships. Photo by Liz Caller.
At the start of every hunt season, several field hunter competitions showcase the skills of hunt members and their mounts. The nature of our sport doesn’t usually lend itself easily to competition, so each venue has come up with creative ways to quantify the skills needed to ride to hounds. Some competitions lean more towards jumping skills in an arena, while others try to keep as close to the hunt field as possible. These competitions can be a fun way for members to tune up their mounts for the hunt season. A few of the unique tasks required from competitors during individual rounds are opening and closing a gate while mounted, dropping a rail while mounted, halting from a hand gallop, dismounting and remounting from a stone wall, blowing a horn, and cracking a whip to name a few. Usually, only hunt members in good standing with their hunt clubs riding horses that are considered to have been fairly hunted are allowed to compete.
A Dorset Huntsman Convicted of Illegal Hunting
Photo by Gretchen Pelham
Mark Pearson, Joint Master and Huntsman for the South Dorset Hunt, was found guilty this October of illegal hunting. A video of Pearson was taped by hunt saboteurs that allegedly showed him “encouraging” the pack to kill a fox, violating the Hunting Act 2004. The incident occurred last December 2021 in Dorset, located in southwest England.
