... to feel disgusted at fox-chasing toff-twits!

[counterpoint]

On my way to a local town for lunch today, we had to slow down and stop as a horse came galloping up towards us in the middle of the road. On his back sat a dandified twit who was looking for his hounds. In the nearby field some 100 (I kid you not) other starched twits sat on brainwashed horses with hungry hounds running amok. Traffic swayed and stopped as these twits had clearly lost the little sense they had and were dispersing all over the highway, horses looking dazed at being led among cars at great speed on slippery tarmac. Hounds confusedly sniffing all over the road and verges. How much had these twit-toffs drunk? It was not yet noon!

My friends in our car tried to calm me down saying it must be a drag when all of a sudden a poor defenseless fox jumped on the dry-stone wall looking wild-eyed as it tried to determine whether he was safer making a run for it across a busy road or turn back into a field of crazed, uncontrolled hounds and drunken (British?) twits. The fox froze and the driver of my car sped on as I screamed with panic for the predictable fate of the fox.

Why the f*ck is a supposedly civilized country allowing this kind of savagery to continue?

oh well... might deter them from breaking the law in the first place!

Really? So hurting horses and dogs is ok so long as someone else does it first?

I am very much against fox-hunting. I am also very much against militant animal rights activists.

@countpoint No, I think that your use of dramatic, inflammatory and emotive language is a little inappropriate.

Huh! It's as filtered as I could manage after censoring myself (unheard of) and leaving out what I actually said during and after witnessing this. I feel bad I was made to utter such words - but they came straight from my hurt heart. So I have to forgive myself as they are just words but some poor fox was going to feel real, physical pain after the fear.

In the end, I am sensitive (there, I've said it to myself); so why should I have to see such cruelty? Why does there have to be such cruelty? Why can't it just stop?

Oh that's right - we were told it's illegal so it must have stopped, right?
Only, some people are above the law! They are the toffs!

It is but the hunts just carry on as normal. The sabs try and get video evidence of it happening, usually get roughed up for their troubles then the hunt get a slap on the wrist, don't give 2 fucks and go straight back out. Clearly the hunt feel only certain laws apply to them

A fox being ripped apart by hounds is no more vomit-inducing than finding a coop full of chickens or a lamb ripped apart by a fox. This is real life, not Disney, they may look cute but they are born killers and their population needs to be controlled somehow. Personally, I'd rather they were ripped apart by hounds quickly than shot as, unless the shooter is a crack-shot, it is likely the fox would die a slow, painful, miserable death from its resultant wounds.

Actually, am I being asked to doff and kowtow here? Watch my language because my 'betters' might be offended?

Your posts are so over the top - are you like this in real life?

I grew up in the country. In fact I used to live on a hunting yard. We stabled hunters there, my boyfriend and best friends hunted, my boyfriends mother was joint hunt master, I went to hunt balls. Never hunted myself. I accepted all the arguments about population control and was sad when it was banned as I was planning to start hunting.

I’m on the opposite side now. Just don’t see the point of it and think the ban should remain. I’m cross that hunts seem to get away with breaking the law. Though I would never condone the more active sab behaviour of punching horses, etc which I have seen.

The arguement about hunting picking off the old, sick foxes is a silly one. Firstly even if true, why is it ok for an elderly or sick fox to spend the last hour or two of its life terrified and knackered? It isn’t. If a cow or pig being sent to slaughter endured such a plight people would be up in arms and the abattoir workers would be prosecuted for animal cruelty. Secondly don’t pretend that hunts do old, sick foxes a service by putting them out their misery. They don’t need that service. What about the old, sick badgers, the rabbits, the hedgehogs, the deer, the weasels......do they need hunting so they don’t suffer in their old age? Where is the fox hunters concern for those animals? There isn’t any, because they know that quite rightly Mother Nature and a natural death is better than being torn to shreds by a pack of foxes.

Loved that video of the woman rescuing the fox from the jaws of the hounds....I would so do that if the situation arose. In fact I think I might start going out and doing some hunt sabbing.

Meant to say thanks OP for starting this thread. And people taking the piss should be ashamed of themselves.

Drag hunts often turn into a real hunt as hounds will chase a fox they accidentally get the scent of.

I don't think it will stop, because people enjoy it. Horses and hounds also enjoy it- have you ever seen horses at the start of a hunt, in a frenzy of excitement? They get to gallop, jump, race, and it's not predictable like a cross country course. I think hunting fulfills a lot of primeval drives for horses, hounds and humans. It's risky but so are most sports involving speed and obstacles. More horses are injured in sports like Eventing than hunting.

I grew up in a village where hunting was the norm. It wasn't a sport for the aristocracy either- farmers, farm labourers, pub owner, village kids, even the local riding school would follow the hunt. The hunt staff were just normal local people, no airs and graces. It was a very inclusive event.

I do think chasing and killing foxes is cruel, but so is farming animals for meat/leather, taking calves away from dairy cows so we can have their milk, killing rats, mice and squirrels when they invade our loft. Fishing. Shooting pheasants, farming chickens in the dark etc.

People get hysterical about fox hunting because it doesn't impact them. They've never known the joy and thrill of a hunt. They have nothing to lose.
Yet they turn a blind eye to other animal cruelty, as it provides their meat/fish/milk/shoes/handbags/rodent free home!

Oh and I keep chickens btw. Live in the country, am not some out of touch townie. There’s a lot of country people getting sick of the hunts.

I was reading an interesting article about people living in the wilds of the Lake District.....land owners who don’t like the hunt but are being put under a lot of pressure/black mailed into allowing the hunt on their land even though they don’t really want it. Was Eye opening read.

As said above, drag hunts can sometimes turn real as they catch the scent of the fox, hence the confused huntsmen trying to retrieve their hounds from the roadside. He was probably panicked because it’s not safe for the dogs to be so close to the road.

independent article here

Don't divert the argument. This is about a brutal, deathly hobby, not the OP's language.

@mytits how can you compare a fox's natural instict and hunger to hounds being specifically trained, encouraged by humans to kill for sport/pleasure/hobby? A 'show' that celebrates the deatly pursuit, that goes on - that isn't quick, that sees the animal unnecessarily pursued in terror just so that adults get off on it? Justify that to me please?

The spectacle of a fox hunt is not about pest control or defending a coop, it's about the pleasure those humans get from it. That's the bottom line.

“This is real life, not Disney, they may look cute but they are born killers and their population needs to be controlled somehow”

Well, they are born wild animals- which is a bit different!

But yes, they need to be controlled. Hunting is not an efficient way of doing it. And the idea of people dressing up in special clothes and following a series of rituals to do it is questionable to say the least.

People get hysterical about fox hunting because it doesn't impact them. They've never known the joy and thrill of a hunt. They have nothing to lose.

Well I don’t think that the joy and thrill of a hunt should take priority over animal welfare.

Oh and bollocks is it inclusive. One reason I’ve never hunted when younger even though I’d been to meets on foot was because I was saving up to buy the correct outfit. The hunt was extremely strict on what colour jacket, how many buttons, etc it had to have. That’s assuming you had or could borrow a horse as well. I’ve never seen the local riding stable turn up to follow the hunt. Everyone had their own horse or were riding friends horses.

And I'd like to say a big thank you to all the many bright, clear-thinking and erudite posters joining in here who, fortunately for me (and the future of our fellow creatures), also happen to be against killing animals for fun.

Good lord what a load of piffle.

I've " broken" numerous horses - although we call it " backing" and it's a lovey, mutually respectful and trusting process but don't let facts get in the way of your frothing.

At least you called them hounds so one point there , OP.

It’s often the sabs luring hounds towards and even across roads, that’s the only awful thing I’ve ever seen ‘ours’ do.

Zoop explains things well.

Couple of years ago I was in snowdonia and I could hear a hunt the other side of the valley but not see it. Then one lone hound came down the hillside onto the valley floor, looked totally lost. Found itself in a field of sheep and started chasing the sheep. I ran into the field and managed to get it out the field and then tied a fleece round it and took it back with us. Someone where we were staying Called the local hunt and hound was picked up. But all the (quite right) fuss about sheep worrying and the local hunt are guilty.....they didn’t know they were missing a hound until we told them!

@counterpoint

Thank you for this thread. You are not alone. Thankfully, so many can see that the hobby and costumes benefit the idiots behind them and nobody else.

Still no valid reason as to why fox hunting is acceptable. Just snide digs at language and terminology.

Many valid arguments as to why it is a chilling bloosport that has no place in a civilised society. The dressed up particpants get off on it, that's all. Pathetic.

Just to summarise here from the pro hunt lobby. This is a list of reasons why hunting is ok:

1. OP may or may not find fishing/shooting acceptable (based on zero evidence)

1. Hunt sabs can be violent

1. OP doesn’t like posh people

1. The fox population needs controlling/foxes rarely get killed

1. tumblrpigeon ‘does love a hunt’

Anything else to add to this compelling list?

I'm being ironic about civilized. Nothing enlightened about fox hunting.

Mary - you forgot that townies don't realise the thrill of the hunt. Dob't forget that gem.

But at least OP called them hounds.

Why - i guess if you're the sort of inhumane arsehole who actively enjoys killing things, you assume the law doesn't apply to you. Because you know, the majority of the country who think it's disgusting are just naive townies who know nothing, and only people who see chasing a terrified animal to a violent death as fun and sport understand the country, donchaknow?