Harry Stephenson
Foxhound Column
Harry Stephenson
Preparation for a day’s hunting comes in varying degrees. When I was a boy the tack would be in the kitchen being cleaned, and my black coat (that didn’t fit properly) would be hanging on a cupboard door aggravating my Mother.
My pony would be cleaned, which was a waste of time because he always managed to get unbelievably filthy the night before hunting, and then it was all to do again. I remember one hunting morning having cleaned him, as I went for his tack he got out of the stable and into a muddy paddock, and rolled and rolled.
I think I cried that morning, but I would only be about twelve.
Livery yard owners and hireling yards have a great deal of preparation as there can be lots of horses going hunting from the same yard. Hunting farmers have a very busy time feeding sheep and cattle and checking on a hundred other jobs before getting themselves and their horse ready.
The Master will be fairly busy too, although most of the preparation will have been done the day before. Up to 30 farmers and land owners will have been contacted for permission to come. Certain assurances will have been given by the Master regarding sheep in lamb, wet grass land, corn, electric fencing; the old mare with a foal at foot that doesn’t need stirring up etc, etc. Assurances that will need to be kept on the Master’s behalf by 50 or 60 horsemen and women. How could anything go wrong?!!
All the shoots in the area will have been contacted much earlier so as not to arrange a hunting day that clashes with a shoot day in the same area. But still five or ten keepers will have to be consulted the day before as to where hounds can and cannot go.
The grooms will have to be spoken to about which horses are coming out, where to unbox and where second horses will be changed (in theory). The kennel huntsman will be consulted as to which hounds are coming out, how many pups and which ones. Any lame hounds will be given a day off as will any hounds lacking a bit in condition. The k-h will try to keep all hounds in a level condition by careful feeding, and he will watch carefully to see that all hounds come out on a regular basis, and not just the same ones time after time.
A typical hunting morning in my kennels goes something like this: it’s dark when we go in and the hounds on hearing the doors slide open strike up a fantastic pre-dawn chorus. The villagers certainly know when work starts in our kennels! All the hounds are put onto a passage (dogs and bitches are kennelled separate, but put together in the morning).
The beds are changed and the yards cleaned and fresh straw put on the beds. Once it is light enough hounds are walked out and we make sure everything on our list to come out today is sound, and that no bitches are starting to come in season (the doghounds are consulted on this point).
Hounds are put back on the passage and their feet washed off (I am going to ask our hunt supporters for a foot bath next summer), and the hunting pack are drawn off and put on the doghounds yard. The others go on the bitches’ yard for the day. The hot bitches are fed and their yard and bed sorted. The trailer is hitched up and after some careful reversing the hounds are loaded up. Time to get changed now and kit loaded into the truck, and it’s off to where we have arranged to unbox.
York and Ainsty Hounds | © George Slack
I like to chill out for a bit on arriving at the unboxing point, which we aim to do by 10am. By being early, if there should be a problem on the way, or a farmer to see at the last minute, these things can be dealt with. The days draw can be gone over again and final instructions given to the trail layers, and the field master. A couple of cigarettes can be smoked in relative peace too!
At 10.40am horses are unboxed, scarlet coats are put on, horses are mounted and hounds are let out of the trailer. We gently hack on to the meet allowing hounds time to settle and empty themselves by being given room to trot on in front. A hundred yards from the meet I bring hounds back behind my horse and we jog along looking orderly and immaculate. By our smart organised appearance, nobody would guess that we have done about five hours work already, and that’s how it should be.
It’s a bit like being in show business I suppose, and the curtain goes up at 11am, ready for the show to begin. At the meet I like hounds to stand nice and quietly behind my horse, waiting for the off. Once I’ve left the meet I rarely call them back behind my horse all day, except for a count or on busy roads.
I like hounds to be in front, and the old saying that hounds should leave the kennel in front of the huntsman and stay there all day still holds true to a certain degree. At the end of the day, once all the hounds are safely away in the trailer, there will be one or two people to see who may own land or woods where hounds or horses have unexpectedly been that day.
Arrangements will have to be made for repairs to fences to be carried out, and the master will have to be sure all gates have been shut throughout the day, even if it means going and checking himself.
Once back at our kennels, the hunting hounds are let out the trailer and onto the feed yard where a good feed of flesh is awaiting. The non hunting hounds are then let in as well and while they are feeding the beds are again freshened up and the yard where the non hunting hounds have been is washed down. Hounds are then split, dogs and bitches, and are allowed onto their fresh straw beds. It is very rewarding to watch hounds settle into their bed after a long hard day, knowing their bellies are full and they are a happy lot.
The master gets home and cleans his kit. After a bath and tea he can start phoning 30-odd people for the next day’s hunting, and so it goes on and on. The stud groom may ring to say that Buchanan has lost a shoe and Old Percy is lame and she doesn’t think she can produce enough horses in two days time. She always does though!
That’s the great thing about hunting establishments. Everyone knows the show must go on, and by some miracle, it does day after day. Long may it continue.
Harry Stephenson