Shooting Times & Country Magazine
Kennel Diary
As the mercury finally starts to tumble, Harry Beeby looks ahead to hunting over the festive period
Thankfully the weather has turned, and a bit of rain and a drop in temperature has made things a little easier as of late. It was bizarre hunting in mid-november in 20°C, and difficult all round for hounds to produce sport in those sorts of conditions. Even a trail laid a fairly short time in front of them has been difficult to hunt with any conviction. But this week the cold weather has started to arrive and things have been better — not a moment too soon.
It has been heartening to witness the hounds’ tenacity in these warm conditions. When the going gets tough, you want to see hounds with their noses down, trying hard to own their line again. It can sometimes be the case that they get frustrated and give up, but it is important you keep an eye on the ones who continue trying no matter what and breed from those. The drive to keep going is what you are after. Obviously there are other good traits too, but drive and tenacity are high on my list of attributes. With a bit of luck, temperatures will continue in a characteristic manner for the time of year and we can really get cracking in the run-up to Christmas.
The start of the festive period is always a busy time of year, with many hunt events and functions. Christmas parties, dinners, Christmas markets and carol singing are all lovely seasonal events to look forward to, and they contribute much to people’s enjoyment of this time of year as well as to hunt funds. There is then the highlight of the Christmas Eve and Boxing Day meets. For the hardcore, Christmas Day is just something that happens between two days of hunting. For most, these meets perfectly book-end a family Christmas.
Usually, hunting on Christmas Eve is a shorter day to allow people get home and get ready for the following day. The big one is Boxing Day. Meets up and down the country bring hunting regulars, and people who may only come to that one meet in the year, together to celebrate a great tradition. Find your local meet and take the whole family if you don’t already — the spectacle is not to be missed. If following for the whole duration seems a little much after
“Find your local Boxing Day meet and take the family — it’s not to be missed”
the day before, you can always retire to the local hostelry for a port and mince pie.
Hound parade
Countryside Day took place at Cheltenham Racecourse early this month as part of the November Meeting. It is always a popular day and brings many hunting and fieldsports enthusiasts to the Gloucestershire track. Once the hunting season has started, the opportunities to get together en masse are few and far between, so many enjoy this one. As part of the day, and as has been for many years, there is a big hound parade up the course between the second and third races. The Cotswold hounds traditionally parade as they are the ‘home’ pack, and staff from hunts across the country join them and gallop up the course in front of a packed grandstand.
Sadly, this year the crowds were not allowed to join the hounds and hunt staff on the course. Time was that stirrup cups were distributed and everyone enjoyed mingling as they would at a normal meet. But after it took a little longer than ITV would have liked last year to clear the supporters off the course before the next race got under way, it has sadly been stopped. Perhaps the executives over at ITV aren’t aware that you can never rush a countryman or countrywoman with a port in hand.
Harry Beeby lives in Bedfordshire, is a keen huntsman and a dedicated conservationist with a passion for country sports.