HUNTING Foxhound sires
Alastair Jackson appeals to hound breeders to look beyond the show winners to find sires, as the foxhound gene pool is becoming ever-narrower
54 The dangers of standardisation and why looking beyond show winners is important
THAT great breeder of foxhounds, Ikey
Bell, wrote a magical book of anecdotes, full of his knowledge and experiences of foxhunting. A Huntsman’s Logbook was published just after World War
II. In one of the chapters, entitled “Standardisation”, he regrets that the foxhound, as a breed, had become so uniform in type.
He says: “There was a time that had I met a stray hound in the road, in most instances I could have made a shrewd guess as from what kennel he hailed. Nowadays one could not be so certain.”
In those days the fashionable hounds came from Belvoir, were dark coloured, of the heavier type, with plenty of bone. Ikey
Bell would applaud the type of modern foxhound that wins at Peterborough today. This is the type he was striving for, full of quality and with far less bone than the popular Belvoir type that was the ultimate in those days.
I might add that the modern Belvoir hounds have been skilfully bred, being far more active, while retaining their bloodlines and hunting qualities.
However, on closer inspection of the hounds in most kennels today, he would be even more concerned that hounds had become too uniform. As in the days he refers to, most masters are happy to use the doghounds that win at the major shows.
One wonders how many modern hound breeders study the Foxhound Kennel Stud Book and maintain the valuable tail female lines of their own kennels.
An example is that in the 2019 edition of the studbook, North Cotswold Rallywood 16 sired some 26 litters, and Grove and Rufford Broker 15 sired 22 litters. In that year, the North Cotswold were
responsible for 37 litters and the Grove and Rufford, 36.
That is not to say that both these doghounds were not outstanding. They were bred by two of the most experienced and successful breeders of top-class foxhounds in Nigel Peel, as master of the North Cotswold, and Paul Larby, professional huntsman of the Grove and Rufford. But the danger of other masters taking the easy option of sending their bitches to those hounds from great kennels that have won at the shows is that the gene pool of the foxhound is getting increasingly and dangerously diminished.
The same applies in Wales, where virtually all the hounds in the Welsh Hound Stud Book go back to two stallion hounds, Plas Machynlleth Dyffryn 54 and Irfon and Towy Lordship 63. This has come about by the extensive use of Sennybridge Gelert 74 and David Davies’s Latimer and Lunger 78.
Gelert was a very good-looking black dog who was unbeaten in the show ring. Dyffryn’s son, Plas Machynlleth Miller 63, was the sire of the famous and much-used New Forest Medyg 69. Bred by
Sir Newton Rycroft, Medyg proved himself an outstanding sire, of great longevity, and a brilliant worker.
Capt Ian Farquhar, at the Duke of Beaufort’s, used David Davies Bouncer 94 as an outcross, which it was at Badminton, but even he had 14 lines to Dyffryn and eight lines to Lordship in his pedigree.
FRESH BLOOD
THE old English foxhound has become increasingly popular in recent years, and a number of hunts have reverted to this type of hound. But these hounds also have the problem of a dangerously small gene pool and it is therefore important that these hunts use a wide range of stallion hounds and not just use those that win in the separate old English ring at Peterborough.
The use of such hounds as an “outcross”, providing fresh blood for a modern-bred pack, has been particularly valued and successful over the years. Of course, all the major hound shows still play a very important role in showcasing the very best-looking hounds and providing a standard for other hunts to strive for.
Some of the problem is that many of those responsible for breeding hounds have less time than those in the past to attend the hound shows, puppy shows, or even go to see other packs in kennels or out hunting. This is due to masters having to spend more time earning their living, or running their hunting countries, and professional huntsmen being unable to get away due to fewer staff, if any, in the kennels.
This is a great pity, as so much can be learned from seeing a variety of hounds and discussing hunting and hounds with other practitioners.
Equally, it was quite usual for a prospective stallion hound to be lent for a season to be hunted with another pack, where its true merit and suitability for that country could be judged. Sadly, this practice seems to be on the wane.
Martin Scott, who breeds the VWH hounds and is the foremost expert on hound pedigrees, is always generous in lending doghounds to be hunted in other countries and would generally only use a doghound himself that had hunted with the pack he breeds.
James Andrews, master and huntsman of the South and West Wilts, has always bred his hounds purely for their hunting ability, but admits it was a triumph when his Harlequin 14 won the doghound championship at
Honiton. This was especially satisfying when his dam could be traced back to the hounds Ikey Bell bought (hounds were bought and sold in those days) from the Berkeley when he came to the South and West Wilts in 1925.
He has now used several doghounds from the Tynedale, all of which have Fell and north country blood, and all of which were generously lent to him, proving to be some of the best doghounds he has hunted.
Nigel Peel, who bred the North Cotswold to the highest standards, agrees that the diminishing gene pool is an increasing problem and wishes that more masters would study the pedigrees of their own packs. There is much truth in the old saying that “the dam’s the secret” and, when looking for an outcross, it is often better to acquire a bitch of that different
“The gene pool of the foxhound is getting increasingly and dangerously diminished”
type to breed from, he advises.
In summary, those responsible for breeding need to spend more time planning and researching prospective stallion hounds, especially in the hunting field. Equally, they should cherish the established female lines in their kennel, which will have suited their country over the years.
To quote Ikey Bell again, “Hounds can be of several varieties, yet all beautiful and practical for their respective countries.”