... 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?

I’ve never seen the local riding stable turn up to follow the hunt. Everyone had their own horse or were riding friends horses.

Some stables rent out "hirelings" for people without horses to hunt on. I've never done it though

Where I live now there is a riding stables which does do hirlings actually. Friend of mine looked into it when we were at uni, so ten years ago and it was £80 back then. So not a cheap day out. Then you have to get the horse to the hunt, so you need to know someone with space in a box. Plus you must have bought the correct gear.

2. Hunt sabs can be violent

You don't think that's a concern? Because I am anti-hunt and think it's very much a concern.

@counterpoint

It's illegal for them to use the hounds for fox hunting if report it if I were you. And if I saw this I would be traumatised. Unfortunately they are perverted wasps who have nothing else better to do and it's sad the poor exhausted terrified fox gets ripped to shreds in an agonising death. Totally immoral and wrong.

The joy and thrill of the hunt.

The joy and thrill of a massive pack of dogs and humans on horses chasing a lone, terrified animal in the hope that they'll get to witness its savage and bloody death? And making the playing field even less even by sending out men to block up earths and terriers to dig out foxes...

See also the kind of nobs who think it's fun to compete to blast a flock of birds out of the sky, often not killing them immediately.

Jesus shitting Christ, thank fuck I cannot see a single iota of "joy" or "thrill" about any of that. I'd be seeing a psychiatrist if I could.

There's a lot about the treatment of animals that we could do a lot better. I don't expect everyone else to be veggie or avoid animal products; that's not realistic. But it's the taking pleasure in it that I find to be truly disturbing about hunting.

@VivaLeBeaver

I like your posts. You have experience of the hunting 'community' and present compelling arguments.

Thankfully the majority of society finds this vile, ego-boosting hobby abhorent.

Was that to me rebeccaslicker? The thrill of trail hunting has nothing to do with seeing an animal ripped to pieces, if the hounds pick up (or are lured by that tiny minority of sabs who hope to film a kill) a real scent I will the hare (or fox) to get away and I know I’m not the only person who does. It’s everything else that’s a thrill. Not every trail hunt is a lie.

@Middleoftheroad
@VivaLeBeaver

Bollocks. People like you shouldn't be allowed to breed with no empathy or compassion for any living being. If you don't think it's wrong and you can watch an animal being ripped to shreds or screaming in agony. Or what about when they steal their cubs to train the hounds to attack? Why are we allowed to raise our children but they aren't? Because of tradition? Sick sick sick. You can justify it all you want but it's wrong plain and simple. I give money every month to support Sabs and I'm glad I do I fact this has made me want to increase how much I give them so they can continue saving these animals from freaks like a lot of people on this post.

Wasn’t hunting banned years ago ?

Why even take dogs? Why not just set a cross country course with landowners permission? Just as much galloping and jumping.

Well I'm with you 100% OP. Take no notice of the nonsense of the pro-hunt lobby on here - trying to deflect the issue to become about fishing, farming practices, etc. Stick with the subject at hand fgs. Yes they are twits and well they know it. You cannot defend the indefensible, simply by pointing out that there are other indefensible practices

I'm not one to cause a scene, but I think I would have been possessed with rage in your situation. I might have got out of the car and started shouting at them. Definitely report with your video evidence.

Why - no, it was zoopdragon who said that we'd just never known the "joy and thrill" of a hunt

TTCI - have you got your posters confused? Seems to me that both viva and middle are very anti hunting?!

@ttci

Not sure what you're on about. I'm totally against hunting...as is @middleoftheroad

Well it seemed to me they were agreeing with it?? Meant to tag @Frillyhorseyknickers aswell.

@TTCI

Er, I vehemently oppose fox hunting and I detest its existence with every fibre of my being.

Have you read the full thread? I've been supporting the OP every step of the way against this vile hobby and asked supporters to justify their deathly costumed pastime!

VivaLeBeaver put forward a brilliant argument as to why fox hunting is never OK and how a sick and old fox's last hours should not be spent in a chase of terror.

@Middleoftheroad but you said @VivaLeBeaver made compelling arguments? For anti or pro? The only reason they didn't hunt was because they didn't have the right gear? Idk

The only reason they didn't hunt was because they didn't have the right gear?

You missed the point totally. Viva was arguing against hunting being inclusive

Have any of the pro hunt brigade explained the slight contradiction about the population control yet? Or are they glossing over that one?

To whoever mentioned chickens, sorry but you are responsible as the keeper for securing your flock. If you can't do that, don't keep chickens. If I don't secure my pets correctly & one gets hurt, nobody goes rushing about blaming anybody but me. Take some responsibility

@TTCI anti hunting of course! No supporter has ever put forward a compelling argument.

Please read the full thread. In one post they even talk about becoming a sab.

TTCI - definitely both against it. Luckily there's only a couple of posters here who are trying to defend the indefensible!

The chickens argument is utter tripe. A fox is an animal. A hunter is a human.

(Unless of course they want to argue that they have the same levels of intelligence and compassion as an animal - in which case, that's fucking unfair to animals)

I think there are maybe a few misconceptions about hunting here.

Hunting itself is not illegal. Hunting an animal, ie a fox, is. You can still do drag hunts or mock hunts. Some people up here do 'hunting' without hounds, it's basically just a long and fast hack.

Breaking a horse isn't cruel or brain washing. It's a technique of training a horse to accept a rider and tack. It's to hopefully prevent the horse from being dangerous in situations, but of course it's an animal, you will never have fully trained it, it will always have instincts. I own a horse that is more instinctual than most, he can be a nightmare to train.

I don't agree or disagree with hunting. I don't agree with the ones that kill animals or go cantering/galloping down roads as all that does is hurt the horses legs. I don't disagree with the ones that have a calm, orderly and safe hunt, who are polite to other road users and pedestrians. Sadly not all are like that, but you cannot tar all hunters with the same brush.

As far the sabs, they can sometimes create more problems than they solve. I've seen plenty of videos on YouTube where a sab has grabbed a horse by its bridle or the reins, which then understandably angers the rider. I would be angry too if someone randomly grabbed my horse and started hurting its mouth. But the riders need to learn to control their anger. I've seen the same riders ride at the people on the ground for attacking them, which doesn't help. If you aren't breaking the law during the hunt, then ignore the sabs. As long as you are being safe and legal, there is nothing that can be done.

Viva explained how her views changed as she matured, from wanting to hunt as a young person to becoming repulsed by it as an adult.

My views have changed a lot too over the years, I no longer understand why classifying animals as vermin or food or whatever makes it morally okay to treat them in the ways that rats, pigs, cows, sheep are dealt with.