And dash young hopes in the process…
There’s now a whole generation of young riders enjoying trail hunting who weren’t even born when ‘the real thing’ was banned in 2004, writes Liz Benwell.
And they’ve happily joined the thousands of others of all ages and backgrounds who follow hounds once or twice a week every winter.
Whatever your politics, there’s no denying that trail hunting is a thriving equestrian sport and a money-spinner for the many businesses that supply it.
Now the Labour government is fulfilling its manifesto pledge for a consultation on proposals to prohibit trail hunting. We all have until 18 June to respond.
Plenty of people better qualified than I can reel off the economic, social, mental health and rural community adhesion benefits that hunts deliver up and down the country. And we can all nod and say how ridiculous it is to trash all that.
We can also wonder why our government would waste valuable time and resources on such a project considering what other pressing matters are going on in the world.
However, it was after chatting to a young chap who’s employed full-time as a whipper-in that another aspect of this sorry tale struck me.
He told me that, like many of his contemporaries, he’s tentatively looking for another job outside hunt service, such is the mood of pessimism. If new legislation doesn’t kill off trail-hunting, the lack of people to run it will, he explained.
And what a great pity that would be. Having hunted in various parts of the UK and Ireland, I’ve always found young people in hunt service to be polite, articulate, smartly turned out and respectful of people, animals and nature – no matter where and how they grew up.
It could be argued that going into hunt service is as good a grounding as officer training at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
As opportunities for training and employment contract in the countryside, a ban on trail hunting will axe yet another chance for young people to find their niche and thrive in life.
You can respond to the Government’s consultation here: https://consult.defra.gov.uk/defra/trail-hunting-consultation/consultation/intro
