Hunting for the first time, I'm terrified

[FirstHunt]

Am hunting on Monday it.l be the 4th time I've ridden the horse though he has hunted, I've popped over some small jumps in the school but I've never ever jumped a hedge, will I have to jump? if I don't jump am I likely to be left behind massively that's something he really doesn't like. I don't mind popping over small stuff but not huge hedges etc.

Is it true about the bolt guns?

I mean, greyhounds and foxhounds being killed by bolt guns?

The average age of a fox hound put down for being 'too old for the hunt' is actually nearer 5yrs. Hunters are notoriously cagey about the inbuilt cruelty of their 'bred' animals for the hunt though. Cruelty is by no means reserved for the wild foxes - it also operates much closer to home in the breeding of the hounds too.

God, those awful animal rights activists - stopping FoxHunters from killing wild animals in the name of sport. What are they thinking??
By endangering the lives of horses and people? How is that right?
A horse is an innocent participant. Airhorns, knives, both cruel things to use on a horse.
I have the evidence own eyes. For me that's evidence enough.

As a hunt follower, Saggy, or were you a random bystander?

Either way, I hope you reported the miscreant with the knife/airhorn to the police, & I hope they threw the book at them. Were they prosecuted?

As an aside, I also, in my idealistic student days, went on a few anti- BNP marches.

We definitely used to attract the occasional oddball who was just out for a rumble. They were discouraged as best we could, & we didn't lose too many tears when they got themselves arrested for punching the nearest skinhead.

Their behaviour may have been unacceptable, & an embarrassment to the rest of us, but it didn't make the BNP any more loveable or racism any more excusable.

Equally, if the best you can do to defend hunting is 'but I've seen hunt protestors behave badly!' then I'm sorry, but I don't think it's enough.

To go back to the OP, I think it's irresponsible to contemplate riding a horse in a hunt when you aren't experienced or confident enough to keep it safe.

Why can't hunters just follow a scent trail instead? I have no objection to that if no other animal gets hurt or killed.

Are new hunt participants handed a script of 'why hunting it ok' when they join? Same tired arguments with no evidence to back up what you're saying.

Arguing that some sabs are badly behaved to justify fox hunting is ridiculous. As it mentioning other animal neglect.

I used to work for a landfill company and we had a contract to take the ash from the hunt incinerators. There were tonnes of ash this year. These are not people that care about the hounds.

How disgusting. This actually makes me sick.

Actually binary, converse of your argument ....why were also hunts branded the same when majority hunt within the law.

And....no it to left facts get in easy of your point, the hunts sf dispose of lots of fallen livestock for farmers.

Tons of ash will be from horses, sheep etc.

Most horse use the hunt to put therir animals to sleep when time comes.

Bunbaker, they want the thrill of the kill.

And then they pretend that their cruel sport is all wrapped up in the 'good of the land' and fox control, even when this has been proved a complete fallacy.

Do they still smear the blood of the fox on the cheeks of the first-time hunters? Or is that too grisly even for the hunters now?

Sorry Eve, I don't understand your second sentence.

I accept that the ash was not just dogs, HOWEVER thousands of fox hounds are destroyed each year when they have served their purpose to the hunt.

As for hunting within the law, well what bollocks. Oops we accidentally happened across a fox and couldn't call off the hounds. Even if you were 'hunting within the law' then you are running the risk of breaking the law at any point. The arrogance of the pro-hunt lobby is amazing.

Hunting is vile and barbaric and any loopholes in the law should be closed.

Hold your horses...... Not going to read 15 pages but

1. no hound can kill a fox
2. you hunt a trail
3. foxs are shot ( got to be really good to kill straight away....)
4. lots of townies I am sure are over run with foxes.... I see more in inner city brum where I work than rural Worcestershire where I live
5. first hunt, enjoy having a wonderful rude in nice country....
6. bottom hole of gag
7. sounds silly but first time out etc, attach a medical card as if you were hurt someone needs to know who to contact, where the horse goes etc..... Sounds stupid but hop ended to friend..ok yes only a broken ankle but no one had her yards number, hers etc or her husbands.

Sorry ride

ugh, can't believe I waded through this entire thread and you didn't even go after all that

and why do people get so worked up about it? Look at all the commercial shoots going on everywhere at the moment, why isn't that targeted? Most of the game is raised to be shot and never even gets eaten. It is becoming a really stupid sport I think.

"and never even gets eaten"

I never knew that. That is disgusting. Why can't they go clay pigeon shooting instead.

linerunner I think everyone who hunts are arseholes to the foxes; most of them are arseholes to the dogs; and far too many are arseholes to the horses.

I find that very offensive line runner, having just spent 2 days with 4 calls to the vet for my horse who has an infected leg (not from hunting by the way, just from the wet and mud) - including an urgent Sunday call. My horse, my dogs and my cat are much loved and cared for, they are the reason I choose to forgo other things and I wouldn't have it any other way. The assumption that because I follow a hunt within the law, I'm cruel is a pretty wild one. It follows a trail - 3 chaps dragging a duster - and haven't seen a fox ever whilst I have been out.

What I hate with this argument is the vitriol and viciousness of the language.

That's why I carefully used the qualifiers 'most' and 'far too many', not 'all', frosty.

I was brought up around working dogs and horses and did see bad owners amongst the good owners, unfortunately. People trying to jump horses without having proper control does my nut in. People owning dogs without having proper control or means of exercising them does my nut in.

As you have rightly discerned, I have no good words for the 'sport' of foxhunting. Never have had. I was pleased when it was made illegal.

At our hunts there are two types of 'antis'. The first and majority are the videoers and followers who can be a bit irritating but they usually keep themselves to themselves which is fine, occasionally they have placards with dead foxes on which always makes me laugh as the only time my dd has experienced seeing a dead fox was on their placards. Anyway they have a perfect right to be there and protest although our hunt always hunts within the law so they are wasting their time really but hey ho, they are quite old and one of the ladies is actually very nice and reasonable really.

The second type is the group of youngish guys with full face balaclavas who are trying to be as intimidating as possible who bang on car roofs and usually approach the children (because they are cowardly at the heart of it) and say things like 'arent you a bit young to be killing things?' etc etc. My dd has honed all kinds of smart remarks back (she's a fiesty young woman and won't let a masked bloke tell her what to do with her horse thank you) but I have told her in no uncertain circumstances not to say ANYTHING EVER but to move away as calmly as possible.

We also live next to a pheasant shoot and they are bred purely to be shot for sport. Why the antis don't target them I don't know. Probably afraid of the guns.

Agree Pony - there's nothing wrong with protesting legally, in the same way there is nothing wrong with hunting legally.

I too have been intimidated by balaclava wearing people, it is really scary and they are incredibly in your face too. I've had buckets of water thrown over me on one occasion, my horse's head has been yanked about by someone grabbing my reins and I've also been grabbed at by the legs - all of which is frightening. I have also had perfectly sane, civilised conversations with more peaceful anti's, we've agreed to disagree and each got on with things uninterrupted - that's how protest should be as far as I'm concerned.

I don't condone men in balaclavas hassling anyone - but the pheasant shoot is irrelevant - it's a bit like telling a policeman who has stopped you for dangerous driving to 'go and catch the real criminals' when dangerous driving is a crime.

When the law to ban foxhunting was passed several Hunt Masters went on record to say they would flout the law and continue to hunt. So I don't blame the monitors filming hunts - and indeed, some of them put up with an awful lot of aggression from Hunt followers - presumably because (unlike ponydilemma's Hunt) they are being true to their word, flouting the law and don't want it on film.

Yes, but if you, as we do, hunt within the law and are still followed, indeed harassed by people in balaclavas waving cameras in your face, telling you "we know where you live", pushing and crowding you and generally being aggressive how would you feel? That happens to us and it is horrible, frightening and unnecessary - they are self appointed vigilantes looking for a crime where there is none and scaring people in the process. The police, if notified are either too busy, or not interested and it doesn't get us anywhere.

Imagine yourself going about your legal business, perhaps walking down the road and someone does this to you how would you feel about it?

I would call the Police.

I don't believe the Police are not interested in harrassment and criminal activity.

If you feel you have had a poor response make a complaint through the proper available channels. I was interviewed as a witness once to an alleged 'Lack of Police response,' as part of an investigation by the Police Standards Department, after just one complaint was put in by a member of the public.