Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt.

[Judgemental]

I was half expecting to find a multitude of messages concerning the BV, considering the Drone Footage that has appeared on the Internet. Coupled, 'coupled' that's a nice appropriate word to use in the circumstances, to the fact the whole hunt has been suspended from further hunting for the rest of the season. Seemingly they are not allowed to go visiting. Trouble is, they all think they are above the law. So where is it all going to end. In my opinion, the hunt will have to be disbanded. All the good hounds drafted to other packs. I nearly forgot the keen interest by the police, I gather there are some very angry people in the various governing bodies, such as the Countryside Alliance. Still if the children won't play prettily they will have their toys removed.

 

[Clodagh]

Hunting is in a spot of bother

I just can not get my head around why people still go hunting.People who are supposed to be animal lovers. Forget the pretence of trail hunting most of us know its proper fox hunting in most cases. The chaos on roads, the upset caused to other animals let alone the the act of killing...

forums.horseandhound.co.uk

 

[Tiddlypom]

The drone footage of the BSV is not just on the internet, it was featured on the main news part of the Channel 4 7pm news last night. The link to the C4 report is already on the long running Hunting is in a spot of bother, but here it is again.

Exclusive footage shows how foxes are being illegally hunted by hounds

It's been almost two decades since fox hunting was banned in the UK.

www.channel4.com

I was only thinking last night that Judgemental hasn’t been on the forum for a while. The BSV are your particulate bête noir, aren’t they?

Very interesting development that the whole hunt has been suspended from hunting, not just the masters and hunt staff. Who’s going to turn away the banned if they rock up elsewhere?

 

[Judgemental]

Hunting is in a spot of bother

I just can not get my head around why people still go hunting.People who are supposed to be animal lovers. Forget the pretence of trail hunting most of us know its proper fox hunting in most cases. The chaos on roads, the upset caused to other animals let alone the the act of killing...

forums.horseandhound.co.uk

The drone footage of the BSV is not just on the internet, it was featured on the main news part of the Channel 4 7pm news last night. The link to the C4 report is already on the long running Hunting is in a spot of bother, but here it is again.

Exclusive footage shows how foxes are being illegally hunted by hounds

It's been almost two decades since fox hunting was banned in the UK.

www.channel4.com

I was only thinking last night that Judgemental hasn’t been on the forum for a while. The BSV are your particulate bête noir, aren’t they?

Very interesting development that the whole hunt has been suspended from hunting, not just the masters and hunt staff. Who’s going to turn away the banned if they rock up elsewhere?

Oh, I have a very unique reason. That said it would be most discourteous of any BV member to go visiting in the circumstances. Best they rough their horses off for the rest of the season and go and do charity work in Yeovil, Dorchester and Bristol.

 

[Judgemental]

Whilst reflecting the anger of many people. There should be the following sanctions:

The date of the Hunt Point to Point is abandoned and any notion of holding the meeting is null and void
The Hunt Puppy show is similarly abandoned
Under no circumstances should the hunt be invited to parade at The Bath and West Show or any other show such as Dorchester.
All social events are immediately cancelled.

 

[Dobiegirl]

𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐧 National Trust 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝
𝘑𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘋𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴
𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘥𝘢𝘺 26𝘵𝘩 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 2024
We started off the day expecting to sab the BSV and were out looking for them when we got the news that they had been suspended by their governing body, the BHSA, in light of drone footage of them killing a fox in December. Strangely enough, it took until the day that footage was to be released on national TV for the BHSA to take action against this relentless, criminal fox hunt.
With the BSV hounds in their kennels, we headed further south with North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs after hearing of a hunt gathering near Nettlecombe. We found a joint meet of the South Dorset and Cattistock Hunts at Mappercombe Farm, and we were also greeted by a bunch of support and riders from the suspended BSV who clearly couldn't cope with a day without hunting now their usual gang were out of action.
As we arrived late due to the unexpected no-show from the BSV, the hunt already had a couple hours of hunting thinking they could get away with it without being watched. We first found the hunt on Knowle Hill, and the sudden appearance of our vehicle thus prompted panicked phonecalls as the Cattistock immediately initiated Plan B for when sabs are watching - that is, to assign quad stalkers to sabs and run away.
The hunt quickly moved off southwards, so foot sabs returned to the vehicle so we could get ahead. Reckless behaviour from one quad stalker followed, and some very foolish driving could have easily got their riders killed, as they drove at full speed towards our moving vehicle and attempted to block us down a narrow lane. Fortunately, our driver's quick thinking and hard emergency braking spared the quad riders broken legs or worse.
We managed to lose the quad in the mist and foot sabs were deployed at Spyways as hounds were speaking. After a lot of encouragement, they found a line near some farm buildings and ended up in thick scrub at Lodersland Farm. Quad stalkers played funny business, throwing rocks and lumps of mud at sabs and revving their engines to try to drown out the sounds of hounds in cry and encouragement from the huntsman.
The chase continued towards Knowle Hill before the hounds doubled back towards Lodersland Farm and followed the line further east towards Eggardon Hill where more sabs were waiting for them. Their "trail" managed to get away through a fence that hounds could not pass through, and hounds scattered somewhat in this thick fog on the hill.
Hunt terrier quads, hounds and horses then went across National Trust owned Eggardon Hill Fort before the hunt drew Chaffins Coppice and some unnamed coverts near Bell Stone. Sabs were hindered somewhat by the thick fog and strong winds, but kept watch as best as we could as hounds went in and out of cry in the coppices. They didn't find a line though, and the hunt legged it back towards the meet.
As most of the riders boxed up, the huntsman couldn't resist one last draw, and hounds were cast through a small unnamed covert next to the meet. Hounds were speaking, but with sabs watching, the hunt did another runner. It was almost dark at 5pm when they finally took the hounds back to the meet.
It was a difficult day for our small number of sabs, with the fog, wind, and hunt goons all working against us. But we are satisfied to have disrupted this big meet and kept the hunt running, doing what we could despite the circumstances.
We used a lot more fuel than usual heading this far south. Please help us to recover the costs so we can get back in the field again soon. You can send the cost of a cup of coffee to www.ko-fi.com/MendipHuntSabs or PayPal us directly at www.PayPal.me/MendipHuntSabs.
You can also support us by buying some of our lovely merch at

 

[ycbm]

That video is disgusting. "We only cull the sick, weak and old" "They either get away or they don't".

To dig out healthy foxes which have successfully evaded hounds and gone to earth , then throw them to a pack of hounds just disgusts me. Sport? Really?
.

 

[Apercrumbie]

To dig out healthy foxes which have successfully evaded hounds and gone to earth , then throw them to a pack of hounds just disgusts me. Sport? Really?

Sorry to ask but I can't bear to watch the video - is that what the BSV are seen doing? It's such an outrageous practice - the fox got away, accept it!

I do find it bizarre that otherwise animal-loving people don't question the cruelty of what they're doing. It's like they have blinkers on.

Anyway it doesn't surprise me from this particular hunt, and sadly I think the time has come to take stronger legal action and legislate these packs out of existence. They have consistently proven that they can't be trusted.

 

[ycbm]

They are shown more than once with a spade digging into an earth where a fox has gone to ground, reaching in and pulling it out by the scruff of the neck and throwing it, wriggling, into the waiting pack of hounds.

Vile.
.

 

[Tiddlypom]

The separate and utterly vile footage of the fox being dug up and thrown to hounds by a hunt was given to C4 news by the antis. The antis do not know when or where it was filmed, or which hunt is involved. They are asking for information on that.

It was filmed by someone with the hunt, it is not anti filmed footage.

Whilst the illegal hunting fraternity will be closing ranks, there will be others who know who those people are, and it is only a matter of time before the truth comes out.

The BSV have been freely flouting the Hunting Act with impunity for years. The BHSA will certainly have known this, but they have failed to take any action to curb them until forced to by the airing of the C4 news item.

 

[Judgemental]

I am reliably informed that the Police are likely to interview every single member of the hunt and bring charges for all those hunting on the day of the Drone Footage.

No matter how high you are you are not above the law.

I have been wondering what the Chief Steward of the Jockey Club has to say about the incident, subject and endemic lawbreaking, bearing in mind it is a well-known fact she subscribes to and is a member of the BV.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I am reliably informed that the Police are likely to interview every single member of the hunt and bring charges for all those hunting on the day of the Drone Footage.

That would be a legal precedent if the field were also prosecuted. I very much doubt that will happen.

It’s the hunt masters and hunt staff who are in the firing line.

While the field are morally culpable for knowingly following an illegally hunting pack, and there is no way that they can’t know what that pack is up to, unless they can be proved to be actively taking part in the hunting of the fox rather than just passively going along with it then there then I doubt there will be a case to answer.

The field get their kicks by illegally fox hunting knowing that others will get copped for it if the hunt gets caught in the act. Vile.

 

[Judgemental]

The separate and utterly vile footage of the fox being dug up and thrown to hounds by a hunt was given to C4 news by the antis. The antis do not know when or where it was filmed, or which hunt is involved. They are asking for information on that.

It was filmed by someone with the hunt, it is not anti filmed footage.

Whilst the illegal hunting fraternity will be closing ranks, there will be others who know who those people are, and it is only a matter of time before the truth comes out.

The BSV have been freely flouting the Hunting Act with impunity for years. The BHSA will certainly have known this, but they have failed to take any action to curb them until forced to by the airing of the C4 news item.

Trust me Tiddlypom, the BV will not be flouting the Hunting Act ever again. History, especially where horses and hunting are concerned, there are always old scores that have to be settled.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I am beginning to really dislike hunting we had one local to us only last week, they were told by my neighboring farmer to stay off his land as last time they ran all over his crops and upset his sheep.

So what did they do totally ignore that and do what they bloody wanted to and galloped all over the farmers land and upset all the horses that were turned out in the fields near the crops, because the farmer had told them to stay away everyone left there horses out as normal.

My friends horse was so stressed she went down with colic that evening thankfully she is OK now but my friend was due to compete at Onley on Friday but couldn't go as her horse was still recovering, luckily as she has a vet report she will get her entry and stabling fees back which was over £200.

It's just not on though they are a selfish bunch of individuals.

 

[Judgemental]

I am beginning to really dislike hunting we had one local to us only last week, they were told by my neighboring farmer to stay off his land as last time they ran all over his crops and upset his sheep.

So what did they do totally ignore that and do what they bloody wanted to and galloped all over the farmers land and upset all the horses that were turned out in the fields near the crops, because the farmer had told them to stay away everyone left there horses out as normal.

My friends horse was so stressed she went down with colic that evening thankfully she is OK now but my friend was due to compete at Onley on Friday but couldn't go as her horse was still recovering, luckily as she has a vet report she will get her entry and stabling fees back which was over £200.

It's just not on though they are a selfish bunch of individuals.

Pinkyboots if there is a silver lining to the BV saga, it has frightened every hunt up and down the country. I don't believe they had realised just how technically skilled sabs are and how well resourced that are, with serious financial support. A hunt will never know when a Drone is looking at what's going on. As for the manners of your local hunt, the best deterrent is to confront the Joint Masters publicly. Calling them out and with a camera present.

 

[Judgemental]

Pinkyboots if there is a silver lining to the BV saga, it has frightened every hunt up and down the country. I don't believe they had realised just how technically skilled sabs are and how well resourced that are, with serious financial support. A hunt will never know when a Drone is looking at what's going on. As for the manners of your local hunt, the best deterrent is to confront the Joint Masters publicly. Calling them out and with a camera present.

 

[SEL]

Are drones expensive? Could have done with one today.

 

[Pinkvboots]

The farmer next door to me rents a bit of his land to a group that fly model aircraft and I know they also have drones, I might have a chat with them if I see any of them about and ask about the drones.