Experiences with antis whilst hunting

[marianne1981]

I do not agree with hounds being called across the road, and I very much doubt true hunt sabs would do that. I was of the opinion that actual hunt sabs try to disrupt the hunt tactically, such as spraying strong smells to make scenting impossible/more difficult. Of the hunts I have seen, I saw them at the meets but they stood around in the background, silently. Then just before the hunt moved off you looked again and they had gone. What I did see however was a group of people, not dressed in balaclavas etc at the meet shouting at hunt followers, at a little girl something like "do your friends at school know" etc. They did not seem to be part of the sabs, although who knows. You do have to put this into context though, there is abuse on both sides as hunting is such a emotive issue, for every incident of anti abuse, there is pro abuse too. And no, thanks Alec I am not unbalanced, I certainly could not blow a hunting horn with any meaning in it, hunt sabs learn the right calls, not just blow the horn. You say about the incident about the alleged sabs calling the hounds onto a busy road-what about the many incidents of hounds getting onto railway lines-obviously not trail hunting as who would lay a trail anywhere near a train track?

I dont mind if my children were to be caught in the background of someone elses photo-as the above poster says, where is the harm-my children are safe at night!

 

[ExmoorHunter]

You would be very welcome, so why not go hunting to see for yourself.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I do not agree with hounds being called across the road, and I very much doubt true hunt sabs would do that.

Ehm.......... don't think we both live in the same world hun!!!

 

[smathew]

Many a year ago (when I was of pony club age) I was at a children's meet. About half a hour in and the anti's decided it would be great sport to try and spook horses in any way possible.

I remember them hiding behind the hunt jumps and jumping up as children approached - sending horse and rider in different directions.

How the adults kept their temper as well as they did I don't know :-/

 

[marianne1981]

Exmoor Hunter I would actually really love to try going out draghunting or with the Coakham Bloodhounds, I have always loved the image of the hunt and all the traditions of it-just not the actual bloody ending.

 

[kentridingclubber]

Ehm.......... don't think we both live in the same world hun!!!

thought quite the same.

mid nineties I had to give chase to two loose horses bolting flat out (they were big hunters, so really flat out) down the road. riders had been dragged off by Sabs.
they ran straight over a busy A road. how there were no casualties I will never know. same meet they sprayed the childrens faces.

I have been bibbed at by traffic....on a MOCK hunt !!! no hounds!!!! ignorance knows no bounds.

recently following we were stopped by a regular bird watcher in the area who informed me we were hunting illegally 'you know'. interestingly, as he was waffling on, a fox ran straight past the hounds, whom did not defer from the trail even a step out of place. another person that needs educating!

I am all for people having their beliefs but I am yet to meet, or read the opinion of, an anti that is based on true facts, common sense or proper reason to back up the strength of their belief.

I had never heard of the anti's digging up graves though. and pro hunters are the sick ones. rightyo....

 

[VoR]

Just to add a bit of balance to this, let's not forget that we as a hunting community have had our moments of dishing out abuse to antis, there have been convictions for violence from our side too, yes, there are times when we are goaded and unfortunately we sometimes 'rise to the bait' which is then highly publicized and becomes excellent propaganda for those who oppose us.
The fact is that at times both sides become engaged in playground name calling, maybe we need to rise above that and show we have more restraint and are more adult?
That said, the calling of hounds around busy roads and yes it has happened, deliberate attempts to scare or injure horses and riders, the digging up of graves and the intimidation of those connected with hunts is pretty abhorrent to say the least and does show a disregard for the safety of one animal in the misplaced attempts to 'save' another, the big question therefore is, are they antis in favour of the protection of animals OR are they AGAINST the act of hunting for some other reason?

 

[Isbister]

... are they antis in favour of the protection of animals OR are they AGAINST the act of hunting for some other reason?

That's a great unknowable. I have no doubt there are some antis who have very sincere, if arguably misconceived, views; there are some who seem to have some obscure resentment with life generally; and there are others who - to put it mildly - are out-and-out trouble-makers.

 

[gonebananas]

This is my first season out and so far luckily have not encounted any anti's or sab type activities *touch wood* nor would I want to meet any of them. I have found facebook pages dedicated too them and their activies the way they talk make them sound as though they are God's gift and doing a favour. All I see is deluded anger and obsession. They post photos of them attacking meets and show Masters getting angry etc. They also sab a local Beagle meet to me

ETA: (Stupid question) Does anyone carry or considered carrying pepper spray with them?

 

[Moomin1]

I once had a pony that when you put pressure just in front of the saddle would kick out. Very useful if the antis were around. If I was ever challenged I would always say that horses are unpredictable.

Wow. Sounds like your pony had a pain issue.

Also extremely irresponsible to actually want to physically harm or even kill someone. :-(

 

[ExmoorHunter]

Also extremely irresponsible to actually want to physically harm or even kill someone. :-(

This made me choke as it is exactly how some of the antis behave including killing someone!

 

[Moomin1]

This made me choke as it is exactly how some of the antis behave including killing someone!

Not sure why that should make you choke. Antis behaving that way is just as bad. Two wrongs don't make a right. Why anybody would feel it ok or funny to entice a horse to kick a human being is beyond me. :-(

 

[fburton]

Not sure why that should make you choke. Antis behaving that way is just as bad. Two wrongs don't make a right. Why anybody would feel it ok or funny to entice a horse to kick a human being is beyond me. :-(

They were joking... surely?! :eek3:

 

[RunToEarth]

I do not agree with hounds being called across the road, and I very much doubt true hunt sabs would do that.

I would have agreed with you - being that the entire reason they have formed is in the name of stopping cruelty to animals. However as a teenager I was witness to four hunt sabs letting a cattle trailer full of hounds off its bricks to roll down a hill and it ended up injuring one so badly they had to have it pts.

Humans are the only creatures on this earth with the ability to be evil, and it's both sides of the debate that are guilty.

 

[VoR]

and it's both sides of the debate that are guilty.

So true and the evil, ill thought out acts are what constantly undermine the arguments of both sides, whoever wins that moral battle might just win the war!

What I would say though is that the HSA/LACS et al are far more skilled in using any of these acts by pro hunters as propaganda than vice versa! We had an 'unfortunate incident' a few years ago, which was actually very minor but if you took your information just from the anti-sources, you'd have thought the 'perpetrator' was public enemy No.1 and should be 'strung-up' for his heinous crime at the very least!!

 

[marianne1981]

It's interesting that hunting is still one of those hot, emotive subjects, it brings out the best and worst in people and it splits down the middle. Each side has such a different way of thinking and both believe blindly that they are right as much as the other!

 

[Darremi]

This is my first season out and so far luckily have not encounted any anti's or sab type activities *touch wood* nor would I want to meet any of them. I have found facebook pages dedicated too them and their activies the way they talk make them sound as though they are God's gift and doing a favour. All I see is deluded anger and obsession. They post photos of them attacking meets and show Masters getting angry etc. They also sab a local Beagle meet to me

ETA: (Stupid question) Does anyone carry or considered carrying pepper spray with them?

Pepper spray is illegal in the UK.

 

[gonebananas]

Pepper spray is illegal in the UK.

Oh :S I didn't know that, I thought it was...

 

[Bertiehound]

Can you please give an instance where a sab has been filming young children and why it hasn't been reported to the police?

 

[Bertiehound]

It's interesting that hunting is still one of those hot, emotive subjects, it brings out the best and worst in people and it splits down the middle. Each side has such a different way of thinking and both believe blindly that they are right as much as the other!

The only important eyes are the law, if your breaking it then it doesn't just become a
Two
Sides battle it becomes a criminal battle.

 

[Countryman]

Can you please give an instance where a sab has been filming young children and why it hasn't been reported to the police?

On virtually every hunting day. It's unfortunately not actually illegal to film children in public-you do not need anybody's permission and the antis know this. In fact at our hunt when somebody politely requested they did not film their grandson, the antis proceeded to do so repetitively, just to try and wind them up and provoke a reaction.

 

[Bertiehound]

On virtually every hunting day. It's unfortunately not actually illegal to film children in public-you do not need anybody's permission and the antis know this. In fact at our hunt when somebody politely requested they did not film their grandson, the antis proceeded to do so repetitively, just to try and wind them up and provoke a reaction.

I think the main trouble is that a lot of antis witness illegal hunting and become frustrated that the law isn't up help then they go into vigilante mode if you like.
Trouble is the people who break the law spoil it for everyone

 

[Fides]

I think the main trouble is that a lot of antis witness illegal hunting and become frustrated that the law isn't up help then they go into vigilante mode if you like.
Trouble is the people who break the law spoil it for everyone

But they sab drag hunts...

 

[Houndman]

Yes, a drag hunt near us got sabbed recently. It's nothing to do with hunting per se, but a perceived class war thing.

I remember in the 1990s when there were sabs letting off fireworks behind horses and spreading nails on the road.

 

[EstherYoung]

We used to have antis at our mock hunt - no fox, no dogs.... To be fair they didn't do anything, just held placards and chanted, but they wouldn't pack in even when we explained it was a mock hunt.

 

[Countryman]

I think the main trouble is that a lot of antis witness illegal hunting and become frustrated that the law isn't up help then they go into vigilante mode if you like.
Trouble is the people who break the law spoil it for everyone

I think it is more likely that the antis *fail* to witness any illegal hunting which they are so desperate to imagine occurs. This then frustrates them because they are desperate to have a reason to aggravate hunts. After all, they could easily enforce the law if it was broken-they film absolutely everything everyone is doing all of the time. However, their frustration at being unable to find a stick to beat country people or whoever their pet hate figure is is NO excuse for them to break the law, simply because they cannot satisfy their bigoted prejudices.

 

[LittleRooketRider]

Can you please give an instance where a sab has been filming young children and why it hasn't been reported to the police?

Yes, I can...

Boxing day meet 2013 , I was out with a group of friends (all of us under 18, ranging from 12-17) and another lady I knew with her young son (10) late afternoon we came across some "monitors" filming "illegal activities" carried out by a field that was walking down a private track and had come to a halt. She asked them very politely not to film her son (and pointed out that they did not have permission to film any of the rest of us, as she was looking out for us that day) and they continued. She requested again they ignored her then started yelling abuse at her. So she got out her phone and dialed the police, as she started talking to the police they scarpered.

 

[flojo]

I once had a pony that when you put pressure just in front of the saddle would kick out. Very useful if the antis were around. If I was ever challenged I would always say that horses are unpredictable.

You do the hunting fraternity no favours with statements like that!

You obviously have no thought for the comfort of your pony or the safety of others.

 

[Mike007]

Not all antis are bad and not all hunting folk are a credit to hunting. I do remember an instance where antis were appalled at the actions of one of their number who attacked hounds by ramming them with a bicycle. For my sins I did fell him by using the tip of my hunting whip as a lance ,into his ribs. I take no responsibility however for the actions of my horse who insisted on stepping on the aforesaid bicycle and "killing "it by grinding his hooves on the wheels. The renegade anti was pretty upset about his bike and my horse looked pretty smug. He got absolutely no support from his comrades either.

 

[bakewell]

I actually think the often violent and dangerous actions of sabs prior to the ban is coming back to bite them on the bum as hunting children from that era have the time/ finances to allow them to hunt again.

I am really angry when I think back to how we were harrassed. It wasn't a protest, they were knowingly risking our safety and often over the line into assault. I was supervised by a family friend and I still get her a bottle at christmas. Coordinating several children on stubborn hairy ponies often put her in the thick of it. We regularly had people grabbing our reins, spooking our ponies and shouting abuse... at best. I'd say our average age was 12. She took us out every time we wanted to go because she believed it was our right.

I am going to take my own children hunting when they are able, and I hope I have one ounce of the restraint and politeness our guardian demonstrated in quite frightening circumstances.