Centuries-old hunt tradition (From Daily Echo)
When news happens, text SDE and your photos or videos to 80360. Or contact us by email and phone.
Hundreds of people flock to watch the New Forest Boxing Day hunt at Balmer Lawn
9:33am Monday 28th December 2009 in News
IT is a New Forest tradition dating back hundreds of years – and one of the biggest events in the countryside calendar.
Hundreds of people flocked to the start of the annual Boxing Day Hunt, which saw around 100 riders race through the Forest chasing a pack of foxhounds on the trail of a scent.
The grounds of Balmer Lawn Hotel were packed with people clammering for a glimpse of the riders and their dogs.
Many of the riders chose to wear traditional hunting outfits of bright red jackets, white jodhpurs and top hats for the annual hunt, organised by the New Forest Hounds club.
Shortly after 11am, one of the lead riders sounded the huntsman’s horn and the excited pack of hounds tore off in search of the trails, laid earlier in the day by dragging a scent from horseback.
In the excitement, one unfortunate dog was kicked by a horse and had to be carried to safety by a rider.
Mike Squibb, chairman of the New Forest Hounds, said: “We go hunting twice a week but our Boxing Day hunt is what it’s all about for us.
“It is the culmination of our year and is extremely important to us.
“It is a tradition that dates back hundreds of years in the New Forest.”
Mr Squibb said he welcomed a recent survey which revealed a Conservative election win could see an end to the hunting ban, which was brought in by Labour in 2005.
The survey of 130 would-be Tory MPs said none of them would vote against the ban being scrapped and only seven would abstain.
He added: “The ban is a dreadful law which has only seen three successful prosecutions in nearly five years.
“It is impossible for us to work with and needs to be got rid of.”
Hampshires Conservative MP Julian Lewis and prospective MP Caroline Nokes, attended the hunt in a clear sign of their support.
Dr Lewis, a vocal supporter of fox hunting, said: “We come to the Boxing Day hunt for personal pleasure but also for solidarity.
“Fox hunting is a great New Forest tradition that should be celebrated.
“The ban is more about stopping people’s enjoyment of hunting than it is about concern for the welfare of foxes.”
Leading anti-hunting campaigner Ken James welcomed a campaign supporting the ban launched by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn and backed by the actors Patrick Stewart, Jenny Seagrove and Tony Robinson.
Comments(10)
southy
says...
2:39pm Mon 28 Dec 09
geoff51
says...
3:25pm Mon 28 Dec 09
The only reason that the labour party banned fox hunting is as another swipe a what they perceived itto be an upper class pursuit and treated it as such. You will notice that Fishing which by the way is as cruel to fish as hunting is to foxes was not banned as labour did not wish to upset those taking part in what they saw as a working mans sport.
MHayworth
says...
5:04pm Mon 28 Dec 09
Foxes have no natural predators in the U.K. and they control their own populations according to availability of food as you probably know. If you know hunters as we do, you will also know that hunting down the old and weak foxes does not provide for 'a good ride' and therefore it is actually more often the fit and healthy foxes being taken out unnaturally. Even those we know who shoot foxes regularly are saying that the process of hunting with hounds is cruel and unnecessary. It is the prolonged sufferering that makes the difference here.
MHayworth
says...
10:17pm Mon 28 Dec 09
You are talking about concentrating on the 'real' issues like the elderly and deprived families. Do you really think that people who are anti-hunt don't also fight for many of these other issues? I think the plight of the elderly in this country is deplorable (particularly considering the amount of foreign aid we dish out) and I regularly support the charities that help them.
That doesn't mean that I could sit back and watch the hunting act be repealed simply because there are other issues out there. Everyone picks their battles based on their own personal experience and not based on what you decide is worth fighting for. I think there is a direct link between cruelty to animals and cruelty to human beings - so for me this is not such an insignificant issue.
Quite Frankly
says...
12:57am Tue 29 Dec 09
st road. One getting hit. Some idiot bellowing "somebody hold my horse". Three or four very fat people galloping down the road, on some sort of pony business. One with a hunting horn (trad) and a walkie-talkie. All of the people actively participating, and the sheep who followed them, need to be euthanised.
Andy Locks Heath
says...
1:32pm Tue 29 Dec 09
Quite Frankly wrote:Thus do you reveal yourself for what you are - a jealous envious little toerag. By what right do you post something like that and still think you are in some way morally right? I can have a sensible conversation with MHayworth even if we disagree, and I and my family could walk safely among that motley collection of people that you describe in your post, but you.... where do you get off with that huge ugly burden of hate, envy and jealousy on your back? You really have shown yourself up as a contemptible little runt haven't you. Too late now though.
Based on what I saw, these people could not organise a few drinks in a brewery. Dogs running across the Brockenhurst/Lyndhur
st road. One getting hit. Some idiot bellowing "somebody hold my horse". Three or four very fat people galloping down the road, on some sort of pony business. One with a hunting horn (trad) and a walkie-talkie. All of the people actively participating, and the sheep who followed them, need to be euthanised.
forest hump
says...
10:57pm Tue 29 Dec 09
Andy Locks Heath wrote:Andy, why have our previous posts been removed? I think there are editorial influences which do not like anti-references concerning global warming or anti-hunt. I will not condone persecution of any species. I will condone, genuine debate around the current nonsense that we are, as humans, warming the planet. Copenhagen was a nonsense and full of quangos that want to generate cash by raising taxes by duping us all with the fallacy that humans are affecting the climate. Watch this space...this text will be removed.
Quite Frankly wrote: Based on what I saw, these people could not organise a few drinks in a brewery. Dogs running across the Brockenhurst/Lyndhur st road. One getting hit. Some idiot bellowing "somebody hold my horse". Three or four very fat people galloping down the road, on some sort of pony business. One with a hunting horn (trad) and a walkie-talkie. All of the people actively participating, and the sheep who followed them, need to be euthanised.Thus do you reveal yourself for what you are - a jealous envious little toerag. By what right do you post something like that and still think you are in some way morally right? I can have a sensible conversation with MHayworth even if we disagree, and I and my family could walk safely among that motley collection of people that you describe in your post, but you.... where do you get off with that huge ugly burden of hate, envy and jealousy on your back? You really have shown yourself up as a contemptible little runt haven't you. Too late now though.
Andy Locks Heath
says...
11:15am Wed 30 Dec 09
forest hump
says...
4:02pm Wed 30 Dec 09
Andy Locks Heath wrote:Makes sense Andy, it just infuriates me that some of these issues are deemed closed with no further evidence acceptable. Smacks of George Orwell!
FH - Becuase of the ludicrous libel laws in this country, every organisation is now so risk averse including our "free" press - (Everybody knows this is a joke but editors get off on boasting to John Humphrys about their freedom to publish whatever their owner approves of) - nobody will dare print or publish anything that goes against the current orthodoxy for fear of being sued either by the only people rich enough to afford libel lawyers, or by the unrepresentative liberal left but I suspect on this occasion though it may have been a simple glitch - I don't think the foxhunting debate has yet plumbed the same depths of editorial censorship as the premature conclusions being drawn in the climate change "debate".
colinpickford1 says...
11:59am Mon 28 Dec 09
...So was cutting off the toes of any dog that could not fit through the kings stirrup but I don't see any missing toes on the hunts dogs. Any excuse will do I guess.
But it is a great spectacle to watch, maybee we could bring back public hangings as well.