Drag hunting or draghunting is a form of equestrian sport, where mounted riders hunt the trail of an artificially laid scent with hounds.

Description

Drag hunting is conducted in a similar manner to

fox hunting Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of h ...

, with a field of mounted riders following a pack of

foxhound A foxhound is a type of large hunting hound bred for strong hunting instincts, a keen sense of smell, and their bark, energy, drive, and speed. In fox hunting, the foxhound's namesake, packs of foxhounds track quarry, followed—usually on hors ...

s hunting the trail of an artificial scent. The primary difference between fox hunting and drag hunting is the hounds are trained to hunt a prepared scent trail laid by a person dragging a material soaked in

aniseed Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and ta ...

or another strong smelling substance. A drag hunt course is set in a similar manner to a

cross country Cross country or cross-country may refer to: Places * Cross Country, Baltimore, a neighborhood in northwest Baltimore, Maryland * Cross County Parkway, an east–west parkway in Westchester County, NY * Cross County Shopping Center, a mall in Yo ...

course, following a predetermined route over jumps and obstacles. Because it is predetermined, the route can be tailored to suit the riding abilities of the field. The scent, or line, is usually laid 10 to 30 minutes prior to beginning of the hunt and there are usually three to four lines, of approximately each, laid for a day of hunting. Like fox hunting, in the United Kingdom and Ireland the drag hunting season usually starts in mid-October and continues through autumn and winter, finishing in the spring.

History

Drag hunting first became popular in the 19th century when

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...

universities both established packs of drag hounds. The

Pau Hunt The Pau Hunt was established in 1842 by the Société d’Encouragement as a spectacule authorized by the government of Louis Philippe to hunt predatory animals such as wolves and foxes. Internationally, the Pau Hunt, dominated by American and Brit ...

, under the Mastership of

Jasper Hall Livingston Jasper Hall Livingstone (March 23, 1815 – March 30, 1900) was an American horse owner, gentleman rider and sportsman. He was chargé d'affaires (Secretary of Legation) under Ambassador Washington Irving at Madrid and later the Master of the Pau ...

, documents a drag hunt on Saturday, November 26, 1847 between Pau, France and Gardères on the ''Route de Tarbes'' making a distance of 21 km (13 miles) in one hour. Drag hunting soon became popular with the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

, with the

Household Cavalry The Household Cavalry (HCav) is made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). These regiments are divided between the Household Cavalry Regiment s ...

establishing a pack in 1863 and the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academy, military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial Commissioned officer, officer train ...

and the Royal Military Academy Woolwich both establishing packs in 1870. The motivation of the British Army's interest in the sport was it was seen to provide excellent preparation for beginners and those who were about to enter the cavalry divisions. As it does not involve the hunting of live animals, drag hunting remained legal in England and Wales after the passing of the Hunting Act of 2004.

Related sports

Trail hunting

A controversial, alternative to hunting animals with hounds in Great Britain. A trail of animal urine (most commonly

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

) is laid in advance of the 'hunt', and then tracked by the hound pack and a group of followers; on foot, horseback, or both.

Hound trailing

Similar to drag hunting, but in the form of a race; usually of around in length. Unlike other forms of hunting, the hounds are not followed by humans.

Clean boot hunting

Clean boot hunting uses packs of

bloodhound The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar and, since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is called ...

s to follow the natural trail of a human's scent.

References

External links

Masters of the Draghounds and Bloodhounds Association website, ''mdbassociation.co.uk''
retrieved 24 August 2017. {{DEFAULTSORT:Drag hunting Dog sports Equestrian sports Hunting Hunting with hounds