Hunting
One of the oldest surviving horseback sports is hunting. In the beginning,
the stag was the main quarry, but now, in English-speaking countries, it is the
fox. In both the USA
and Australia, hunting is based on the British model.
In the past many different animals were hunted, but for the
last two centuries, the fox has been the most popular quarry in most countries.
One of the earliest representations of a man mounted on horseback is of an
Egyptian, about 2000 B.C. Probably this daring feat occurred among many
different peoples, at roughly the same time, but horses were driven before they
were ridden to any great extent.
The Assyrians and the Persians hunted with the use of
chariots, but a bas relief of around 600 B.C. depicts an Assyrian king on
horseback spearing a lion. The great horse expert, Xenophon, galloped
across country after gazelle and wild boar.
Horses have always played an important part in hunting, and
hunting has always been considered the sport of royalty. There are
numerous examples of this throughout history. Anglo-Saxons resented
William the Conqueror's Forest Laws which interfered with their hunting.
Richard Coeur de Lion pursued a stag from Sherwood Forest to Yorkshire.
Elizabeth I rode to the chase as assiduously as her father, Henry VIII.
Today hunting is still a popular sport, although wild boar have been replaced by
the fox. (For more
information, see Profiles and
History.)
Hunting on horseback is a sport which is gaining in
popularity. It is to be found in parts of the United
States,
Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and
France.
(For Australia and New Zealand, see the Search - Locations
page.) Many of the finest hunters
come from the Middle Atlantic states of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.
A good hunter stands quietly, ignores hounds, horses and
"refusers," and jumps anything from wire to water safely and at any speed.
He will go first or last without a fuss, will not pull unduly and has the
stamina for two-and-a-half days' hunting a week throughout the season. He
is anything from a bloodhorse to a native pony and is both rare and extremely
expensive.
However, given both a reasonable horse with a good
temperament and a sensible owner, good hunters can be made. The quietest
horse will "light up" when hunting. The most experienced horse may kick at
hounds on his first day out. "Little and often" is the young horse's
correct introduction to hunting. A tired hunter only reflects his rider's
ignorance of good horsemanship.
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Fox Hunting
Followers of the hunt think little of its dangers; its satisfactions are too
great. Once or twice weekly throughout a five-month season (between fall
harvest and spring planting) they meet to ride after foxes at breakneck
speed. The quarry is fast and clever, traditional courtesies are observed,
and always there is the rider's thrill in taking a fine horse over whatever
jumps may loom.
The development of the Thoroughbred breed made this modern
form of hunting possible. Before the 18th century, woodland hunters after
the stag, the boar, or the roe might amble along at two miles an hour, with an
occasional stop for refreshment. Today's fox hunters are likely to ride
for five hours and cover 40 miles, much taken at the gallop.
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History
Hunting on horseback is a sport of ancient age. Wherever horsemanship was
cultivated in early civilizations, there were horsemen who turned the mundane
matter of killing animals for food into something more exciting--a test of
themselves and their horses.
It was in the Middle Ages that the modern form of the hunt
began to evolve. It still bore resemblance to the hunts of
antiquity. The game might be a boar or some other fierce animal, and to
keep the flesh intact for the table the animal was dispatched with lances rather
than by the dogs. Yet the ritual courtesies and standards of sportsmanship
that mark today's hunt were already being established. An important step
was the manual of the hunt written in the 14th century by the French Count
Gaston de Foix (Gaston Phoebus), and later given to the English by the Duke of
York in his book The Master of Game. In adopting the courtly French
style of hunting, the English simply anglicized such field calls as Ty a
hillaut (the game's afoot) into "Tally ho"; illoeques
(here's the spot) into "Yoicks." First mention in print of a
formally-conducted fox hunt is dated 1581, during the reign of Henry VIII.
In the 1600's the number of people riding to hounds in England was swelled by
the addition of men and women from the prosperous middle class. (For
more information, see History.)
The 18th century saw fox hunting established in America,
largely in Maryland, Virginia, and Massachusetts. New Jersey and
Pennsylvania also initiated hunts that have become venerable traditions.
In fact, fox hunting has taken hold in almost every state where topography
allows it and where people have the time and wherewithal to pursue it.
(Light but durable Thoroughbreds turned fox hunting into
sport of fast-paced pursuit.)
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A Day Afield
On the day of a hunt, the
field assembles in the morning at the time and place designated. There is
time for riders to greet, for a courteous salute to the Master of Fox
Hounds. Close to the mounted huntsman hounds wait eagerly for the signal
to move. They are numbered in two's; 12 "couple" means a pack of
24 hounds.
After the horn sounds and the field begins to move, there may
be an uneventful ride of many minutes before a fox or a scent is found.
Riders take these moments to appreciate the beauties of the day, the keenness
and discipline of the pack, and the display of horsemanship by the other members
of the field. It is not a time for "larking" (taking unnecessary
jumps), though some restless young rider may give in to the temptation.
Suddenly the hounds give tongue; they have found a fresh
scent and the field of riders holds back to let them work. Soon they start
off on the line of the scent, the field following. The pace is
restrained. There may be periods when the hounds lose the scent and the
huntsman guides them in finding it again. With luck, they are soon running
hot on the trail and in full cry. The chase is over streams, fences, stone
walls, and meadows, and finally one of the riders in the field catches sight of
the fox. Pack and field take after it at top speed, horses galloping,
hounds baying. "Charley Fox" sets a lively pace, but the hounds
are sure to outlast him unless he can elude them. If a kill comes, the
riders at the front claim their trophies--mask, brush (tail), and paws of the
fox. The huntsman may cast the pack again, or--if the day is late--sound
the call for "going home."