drag hunting

[spacefaer]

an earlier post got me thinking ........

Before I ask.....I have no feelings one way or the other about people who drag hunt or who fox hunt - each to their own - and I don't want this thread to get hijacked by people with a bias one way or another - I am asking out of genuine curiosity and a realisation that I didn't know......

so my question is - where did drag hunting come from? What is it's history? Where did it start? Who started it?

(ok well several questions!!)

 

[cptrayes]

It came from people who want to have access to open farmland and jump fences and hedges that they can't get access to any other way, who don't want to chase live quarry to do that.

It's been in this country for decades, if not longer. The North East Cheshire pack was established in 1958, I don't know how old the oldest is.

It appeals to people who don't want to hunt live quarry and to people who want more predicatability in the length of run, the frequency and length of checks, and the certainty of jumping opportunities than fox hunting.

It's really a different sport with confusing similarities to fox hunting.

 

[Fii]

I would imagine ( although i don't know for sure) it originated from tracking people like escaped convicts, fellons, peasants and the like. I might be wrong and i expect someone will tell me if i am.

 

[Arabelle]

I also thought - and I will admit to being clueless and probably wrong - that it sprang up in areas where the land wasn't suitable for fox hunting - ie not enough large arable fields to ride around the headlands and coverts - so a sport was developed to enable the horses to keep following.
That is what my vet told me - I have never checked as I have no particular interest in foxhunting, the nearest pack to me has always been a dragpack, so if I fancy a hooley with people in silly clothes that is where I go :grin:
A

 

[spacefaer]

I would imagine ( although i don't know for sure) it originated from tracking people like escaped convicts, fellons, peasants and the like. I might be wrong and i expect someone will tell me if i am.

fii - I think that's blood hounding - I think the the police used to use them for tracking

 

[star]

our pack (SC&RMA draghunt) is apparantly the oldest. there is a painting on our website by Snaffles who is an artist born in 1884 and apparantly we've been going since the end of the 1800's! i dont know why it originated but i'm pretty sure it's nothing to do with land as there is plenty of it still round here and i'm sure even more back then.

 

[Kat]

I would imagine ( although i don't know for sure) it originated from tracking people like escaped convicts, fellons, peasants and the like. I might be wrong and i expect someone will tell me if i am.

Draghounds don't hunt a person, that is bloodhounds (different again), draghounds hunt an artificial scent that is laid, normally by a guy on a quadbike dragging something that smells strongly for the hounds to track. Bloodhounds hunt a runner with no artificial scent, called hunting the clean boot.

 

[Fii]

No draghounds don't hunt a person, i know, but the origins of hunting a scent along with bloodhounds might well go back, to hunting humans, depending on how far back you want to go for the original idea, it maybe an offshoot of this . Spacefaer, i ment long before the police came into being.

 

[joe_carby]

draghounds can hunt the clean boot and can also hunt a drag (sock covered in fox pee) many drag hound packs started up due to the increase in urbanisation making it harder to hunt properly drag hounds are just fox hounds normally in on way or another. it was blood hounds that were used for tracking criminals.

 

[cptrayes]

Our drag chases a man not a quad - he's called Des and he just loves getting wet and muddy all winter long! He referees two football matches on a Sunday, what a glutton for punishment!!

 

[fitzaud2]

Wow, serious glutton for punishment. didn't realise there was a difference from being riding fit to running fit until i tried to run. OMG, thought i was going to die. Seriously need to get fit. I saw a programme on horse and country about a drag hunt last year, and it did look fairly like actual hunting, except for the poor fellow that was running in front of the hounds. We are lucky enough in ireland to still have the real deal, what has happened with hunting in the uk, since it was banned. It'sa load of [****], i've seen what farmers do to foxes, hunting is a more humane way of culling them.

 

[spacefaer]

OK - I've found my answer - drag hunting was invented by the Army.

which is why the SC&RMA is the oldest

it was started for those Army officers who wanted to hunt, but were posted abroad to countries with no suitable quarry animals...... so they chased a man made scent instead - hence all the similarities to the original.

Bllood hounding as a sport comes from the original use of the hounds for chasing escaped criminals. (ASBO anyone?? lol!!)

 

[SueEllen]

Interesting, I've learnt something new today.

 

[cptrayes]

That was CFDH on the telly and our fox is called Des. He says he loves it ! He ran all afternoon in the mud today but the sun was shining and we had a great day.

Great you found the answer spacefaer.

 

[tootsietoo]

I saw that programme on the CFDH! I skyplussed it, and the children LOVE IT. If I need peace for half an hour, instead of sticking on cbeebies, I put on the CFDH and they are silent . Apart from when it gets to the "boring bit with farmers" and I have to wind through it!

Des is a hero

 

[cptrayes]

There's a series in editing at the moment which will be sold on CD. Shall I let you know when it's done - you could shut them up for HOURS ))))))

Des is a WONDERFUL fox!