New to this

[Persephone]

Ok as pros and antis both seem to post in here I would be very interested in everyone's view. I have a mare who has hunted. I'm bored of hacking on my own around the same places. I can see why people would enjoy hunting, I just don't know if I can morally justify going. I'm the first to admit that I don't know the ins and outs of the law as it stands or prior to the ban. I don't know what happens on a real hunt, as I have never been. I can however see the attraction of having a good ride around nice countryside in company. Basically I want to decide if I take my mare Hunting or Draghunting. Yes I am an animal lover, but I also have compassion. I have never kept an animal that is suffering alive through sentimentality. I feel I can strike a happy medium.

So people, if you could let me have your views of the pro's and cons of both hunts I would be very grateful. I feel at the moment I am not in possession of enough facts to make an informed choice.

I hope it has come across in the wording of my post that this is not a wind up, or a sorry attempt to start a slanging match.

I am genuinely interested and need info to make my decision.

Thanks

Jo

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

I'm sure there will be many more people along here soon to help you out, but I think drag hunting is rather more fast and furious, and hunting in the old fashioned sense of the word has a lot more stops and starts.

You could to worse than contact the local Secretaries of hunts close to you (Google MFHA) to ask their opinions on what their hunts are like?

Good luck whatever you decide!

 

[winterhorse]

hello and welcome.

first of all, traditional fox hunting is banned as you know, so really a fox hunt should be doing similar to a drag hunt.

it is often percieved that a drag hunt is much faster than a fox hunt, with more jumping, because the drag has a pre determined route. traditional fox hunting can have more waiting around, for hounds to draw a cover(hunt for fox), followed by a good gallop, once there is a chase; if a fox is found.

i am a bit biased, as my husband is the huntsman of a drag pack. we came from a foxhunting background, but as result of the ban and having a young family, we moved.
a drag hunt has set lines. a good run over fences, with a rest in between. we try and run our hunt as natural as possible, meaning hounds have to work to find the trail.

if you want plenty of guarented jumping, go dag hunting.

this is us, please have a look

www.sandhurstdraghunt.co.uk

 

[JessDoesItBetter]

I have been hunting (back in the past) and drag hunting, and if anything drag hunting is a lot more fun - hunting has too much waiting around and my horse often got restless and i became v.bored!
Drag hunting isn't that fast and furious though, everyone looks out for one another and if you find it too much there is a lorry organised half way to take anyone back to their boxes/trailers. you also have optional jumping days for anyone who doesn't wish to jump. I have always found that there are ways around fences on non-optional jumping days.