a quintessential English scene, but one that is not a welcome sight to me.
Got stuck into Graham's tax return today which ended up involving doing months and months worth of filing in order to find most of the information I needed. While I was mid-file I received a phonecall from a friend of mine who was walking his dogs on the opposite side of he valley to us. He told me that if I was wondering what the noise was coming from our field (must admit I hadn't heard them - must have had the Archers on too loud - radical I know!) it was the donkeys chasing the hunt's hounds out of their field 'eeyoring' as they went. Good old donks! but the hounds were now in the field where we keep our pigs. So I had to go out and see what was going on.
The hounds had crossed a stream at the bottom of the valley in pursuit of a fox and the horses were stuck on the opposite side of the valley watching proceedings. By the time I got out they had moved onto the adjoining land. The donks were all fired up and watching what was going on with interest. I checked the fences and there only seems to be a bit of damage to one of our neighbour's.
Pretty much the same thing happened at about this time last year and I can't explain how angry it makes me that this is allowed to happen. I have informed the hunt that we don't want them on our land, and our gates are all chained, but they seem to think that as long as they send me a card informing me that they are going to be hunting in our area then they have done their bit. One of these days I am going to load all of our animals up into a lorry and let them rampage around some of their gardens, the pigs would have a ball! A few years ago a friend of mine's children witnessed the hounds tearing a fox to shreds when it was cornered in their garden.
A large tract of land which is very close to ours is owned by someone who uses his home as a holiday home. He and his wife are very much into hunting and they have recently bought some more land off a local farmer that had always been used by villagers as a place to walk their dogs. He has made it known to villagers that his groundsmen have been informed that if they see any dogs off their leads on his land then they are to be shot because they may frighten his animals (something that has never been a problem before.) Wonder what his response would be if I went out with a shotgun when the hounds are rampaging over our fields terrifying everything in sight.
Rant over.................
I had planned to return to a local reservoir this evening because the sky looked all set for a good sunset. About half an hour before I was due to set of it was obvious that this was not going to happen but I stubbornly went anyway - a complete waste of time and I ended up with earache from the freezing cold gale that was blowing. So this picture, which would normally have ended up in my 'same tree, different sky' album will have to be put here.
Yuk! Can't you phone the RSPCA? They managed to prosecute a hunt recently. Contrary to what the press said this is exactly why I send them donations. Well one of the reasons anyway....
@aromatic Agreed! Why do people enjoy this sort of cruetly. Weird. I think the proseution was worth it despite the costs. Otherwise the law means nothing at all. Although it seems to be too full of loop holes anyway. grr.
That was the Heythrop hunt which is very close to here Alison. I followed that case very closely. Hunting went very quiet in the area while the case was going on.
The RSPCA spent something like 327K on the case. I think that only two people were fined and their fines were about 4K each. The hunt was given a small fine plus 15 K costs. Not exactly a deterrent for the wealthy people who make up most of the hunting fraternity. In order to prosecute they have to prove that the hounds were being encouraged to hunt foxes - not easy to prove, Nevertheless I always take my camera with me when they are around. Photographed two horsemen yesterday going across a neighbour's land over which they had no right of way, but the trespass laws in this country are extremely flimsy. @fueast
Sorry all of these comments are out of order because I deleted my last one above so I could correct the figure for amount spent by the RSPCA on the case from 237K to 327K, and then I actually deleted Jane's first comment by accident and Alison had responded to so it - what a mess !!
@dh Yes, when you see them in action you can see why in some countries they use them as guard animals to guard flocks of sheep and even cattle against coyotes and wolves.
The pigs are pretty un-phaseable, wheras the donks showed their stress by all having very runny bottoms - yuck!
We as farmers would have hated the hunt to have ridden over our well managed fields, all those heavy hooves treading up but luckily no hunting round our area. The nearest not too far away so I have seen them in full hunting mode, a very English sight I agree & it makes this wonderful photo. I really thought that hunting actual foxes was against the law, aren't they supposed to use a substitute these days?
I am not a lover of foxes & they are the bain of our lives round here biting chickens heads off & killing any weaker new born lambs but they shoot them round here which I have no problem with ( if they can catch them that is!) I don't agree with pursuing any animal to its death.
trespassing on peoples land is right out of order....I would blow a gasket if it happened here!!
@happypat It is against the law Pat, trouble is a lot of the people who make the laws hunt. They pretend that they are just following a scent that has been laid in advance by humans, but lo and behold the hounds often take off on the trail of a fox, and what can the poor innocent huntsmen do about that.........?
I completely agree that fox populations need managing (badgers too, now there's another thorny subject....) I have lost quite a few chickens, and like you think that shooting them is the most humane way. I don't have a problem with hunting per se, but the idea of pursuing something and then tearing it to shreds as a way of having fun, by people who probably consider themselves to be educated is something that I find bewildering. The fact that because they are the landed gentry they are above the law is my main objection.
wow -- very disrepectful. Our hunts in the US are very protective of the landowners and value them more than the members! And, hunts in the US don't kill the fox, just chase -- and usually, the fox outsmarts the hunt, many times, watching the goings on from a perch, unnoticed by the hounds.
I love the tree and sunlight on the grass... the riders are beautiful in your photo, but I understand your frustration. I agree with Michelle above... trespassing is an offense not taken lightly here in the states. Here most of the wealthy who tread on the average citizen are elected to Congress... oops! Did I just say that? :)
Wow....I would have thought some legal recourse was available to this! You could send a note to the club, same as was sent to you....all dogs off leash seen on your property would be shot as it frightens your animals! My goodness...nervy people!
Just read this with interest - hanging out in the city I naively assumed that whatever the arguments the hunt-lobby would have accepted they'd lost and that it was all about the harmless drag these days.
I think I have slightly mixed feelings about the issue in principle, but it is seriously irritating that the hunts consider themselves above the law...nice picture though!
Firstly fab pic - but what a story - I suspected that this went on - it seems to be virtually unenforceable especially as you say with the interests of those in power. Aside from any animal cruelty, the whole trespass thing is absolutely astonishingly atrocious - when presumably some would be the first to rant about ramblers or anyone else trespassing on their estates.
I honestly thought fox hunting was something whose time had long passed. It's so surprising to learn that it is still considered a pleasurable sport by some.
Nasty little loophole about the hounds deviating from the laid scent and on to a fox. And for the hunters to have such complete disregard for the property of others as they go galloping across the countryside is such ugly behavior. Just proves money can't by character.
Yay for the donks. It's interesting to learn that they are useful as guard animals.
Oh, your photo! Love it and Fav it. It's a stunning shot in spite of everything else surrounding it.
February 6th, 2013
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The RSPCA spent something like 327K on the case. I think that only two people were fined and their fines were about 4K each. The hunt was given a small fine plus 15 K costs. Not exactly a deterrent for the wealthy people who make up most of the hunting fraternity. In order to prosecute they have to prove that the hounds were being encouraged to hunt foxes - not easy to prove, Nevertheless I always take my camera with me when they are around. Photographed two horsemen yesterday going across a neighbour's land over which they had no right of way, but the trespass laws in this country are extremely flimsy. @fueast
The pigs are pretty un-phaseable, wheras the donks showed their stress by all having very runny bottoms - yuck!
I am not a lover of foxes & they are the bain of our lives round here biting chickens heads off & killing any weaker new born lambs but they shoot them round here which I have no problem with ( if they can catch them that is!) I don't agree with pursuing any animal to its death.
trespassing on peoples land is right out of order....I would blow a gasket if it happened here!!
I completely agree that fox populations need managing (badgers too, now there's another thorny subject....) I have lost quite a few chickens, and like you think that shooting them is the most humane way. I don't have a problem with hunting per se, but the idea of pursuing something and then tearing it to shreds as a way of having fun, by people who probably consider themselves to be educated is something that I find bewildering. The fact that because they are the landed gentry they are above the law is my main objection.
I think I have slightly mixed feelings about the issue in principle, but it is seriously irritating that the hunts consider themselves above the law...nice picture though!
Nasty little loophole about the hounds deviating from the laid scent and on to a fox. And for the hunters to have such complete disregard for the property of others as they go galloping across the countryside is such ugly behavior. Just proves money can't by character.
Yay for the donks. It's interesting to learn that they are useful as guard animals.
Oh, your photo! Love it and Fav it. It's a stunning shot in spite of everything else surrounding it.