The Farmers Bloodhounds Fasten Your Seatbelts!
By Charley Snowdon
seatbelts ladies and gents as I introduce you to the sport of Bloodhounding and despite the name, there is no blood involved (unless you fall off into a bush of course!)
H
Bloodhounds are trained to hunt ‘the clean boot’, this literally means people. Bloodhounds track down the scent of humans; (think George Clooney in O Brother, Where Art Thou? but without the leashes!) There are no fox pee drenched rags or other concoctions being dragged around the countryside on the back of a quad for them to follow, nope, Bloodhounds are only interested in one thing, and that is to track you down to lick you to death!
The job of being ‘hunted’, is shared out throughout the season with a select few athletes who are not only capable of running fiſteen miles off the bat, but also hold a unique understanding of the sport and the country in which they cross. “A good runner will create a good day’
s sport by pre-empting how the hounds will work without disturbing the flow of the field”
says Senior Huntsman Brian Temple. “The direction of the line is always carefully worked out with farmers and land- owners prior to the day, we never cross the same path twice so a day’
fast, responsible fun and the field enjoy jumping dozens of hedges and hunt made fences within that time.
s hunting tends to be over in three hours max. It’ ”
The Farmers Bloodhounds, as with all hunts, are totally dependent on the kindness of the landowners and farmers that allow them to cross their land. “The landowner is God as far as I’m concerned and should be treated with the utmost respect”, says Brian passionately. “At the end of the day, we have no right to be there and without them our sport doesn’t exist. Land is changing hands all the time, so we never assume that we can just rock up somewhere unannounced. Communication and manners are key and cost nothing, we always make sure that the farmers and landowners are
s ,
The Temple family are fundamentally farmers themselves and spend their week juggling working the land, looking aſter their flock of North Country Mules and herd of English Longhorns, tending to twelve couples of hounds, goodness knows how many horses and their own family pack of dogs including three Red Setters, which Brian reassures me are as good as gold off the lead! “Our groom, Stacey Woolmer is a godsend with the horses and can oſten be found riding one and leading many to keep the horses fit in and out of the season! We are extremely lucky and grateful to have her and so are the horses. We like to lead by example and keep traditions alive, so our horses are always turned out to the highest standards and are always plaited on Bloodhounding days.
”
Riders are required to dress as you would for normal hunting, ratcatcher for Hound Exercise and blue/black coats for Bloodhounding. Tweed is also acceptable, and horses don’t
included in the day and a bunch of flowers and a bottle of scotch as a gesture of our appreciation always goes a long way.
”
aving to sign a disclaimer before you are allowed to join the field should give you some clue that things are about to get serious. Get ready to fasten your
(Photos by Paul Buddin)
32
THE AUTUMN SPECIAL 2020
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