If hunting is banned no jobs need be lost, and no hounds or horses need be put down, because all hunts can simply convert to Drag Hunting. - MYTH

This is probably the biggest lie that the anti-hunters ever come out with.

It is based on nothing except mere speculation.

Just because two activities both involve dogs and horses, there is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON why they should automatically be guaranteed to be able to employ the same amount of resources, or generate the same levels of investment.

It is no more logical than claiming that :

If Formula 1 was banned no jobs need be lost because all the teams could simply convert to Rally Driving.

 

But, you don't need to take my word for it – Drag Hunting’s own Controlling Body - the Masters of Draghounds and Bloodhounds Association - has confirmed it

However, I suppose that you are going to want a bit more detail than that, so here goes.

The primary motive of Fox Hunting is, surprisingly enough, to kill foxes. For this reason, it takes place wherever foxes are a pest and farmers want them to be controlled.

As well as the hounds and hunt staff, hunting involves a large number of other followers on horses (known as the mounted "field"). These people enjoy the challenge of riding their horses across country, and pay the hunt for the privilege of doing so.

This pays for the cost of maintaining the horses, hounds and kennels, and the wages of the hunt staff. This means that farmer can receive the fox control service for nothing.

As you can imagine, the passage of all these horses can cause a certain amount of damage to the farmer’s crops and field boundaries. It is not much damage, but it is still something that could be irritating to him.

However, without hunting, farmers know that they would have to carry out fox control themselves, which would cost them both time and money. So the farmer therefore allows the hunt access to the land for free in return for the service provided.

It is a "Give and Take" relationship.

 

The Primary motive of Drag Hunting is to provide a fast and exciting ride to the participants. It provides nothing to the Farmer over whose land it travels.

The actions of the Drag Hunt are still just as damaging to the Farmer, but what does he get in return.

Nothing.

Currently, many Drag Hunts gain acceptance from farmers "on the backs of" the quarry hunts. (Quarry Hunt = one that hunts a live "quarry")

However, if quarry hunting is banned there will be no reason for the Farmers to allow drag hunts to damage their property for nothing. Many farmers simply will not allow them access at all. Would you?

The rapid upshot of this would be that many of those farmers that did allow the Drag Hunts would start to charge for access to their land.

 

 

So what effect will this have?

First

Hunting, of whatever sort, is already a very expensive business. Many people who hunt with hounds (of whatever sort) already struggle to pay for the keep of their horse and their subscription to the hunt.

But if they have to start paying the farmers, what is that going to cost?

Hint : there are over 500 farmers in my local hunt country? The additional costs would come to thousands of pounds.

Many people whom currently hunt will not be able to afford to Drag Hunt.

 

Second

As I have already explained, Drag Hunting is only about riding horses fast across country. If people are having to pay lots of money to do it, they will want to ensure that they get the best for their money.

In my region, for example, who is going to pay to trudge across Cambridgeshire plough, when they can drive half an hour up the road and zoom across Northamptonshire grass.

Hint : They follow local Fox Hounds because the point of Fox Hunting is local fox control, so you go to where the local foxes are. The point of Drag Hunting is crossing good country, so you will go to wherever the good country is, local or otherwise.

The Hunts in the less exciting country will lose their members to the Hunts in the more exciting country. Without enough members they can not survive.

 

Third

Because the amount of good country, and the number of Farmers who will be able or prepared to provide access to it, will be very limited, a situation will soon arise where certain farmers are virtually maintaining "courses" for drag hunts to follow. In this case, hunting off those areas will fade out.

Hint : this will remove most of the pleasures available from hunting at present, leaving mainly the challenge of riding.

 

Fourth

Drag Hunting is a fast and exciting equestrian sport. It requires good riding ability and good horses. Many people, such as the elderly, the young and the timid, who currently follow hounds for the pleasures other than riding like a bat out of hell over massive hedges, will not follow Drag Hounds, because those pleasures are not available from Drag Hunting.

Hint : Anti-hunters often try to counter this with the idea that special "slow" drag hunts could be arranged for these people. Why would anyone bother?

• The course is pre-plotted and known in advance, so there’s no access to new countryside
• There is no interest in watching hounds work, because there is no challenge to them.
• It is not part of a "worthwhile exercise".
• And the social element will have been destroyed, because most of their friends will either have given up, or gone to one of the "Fast" hunts somewhere else.

There would be absolutely no incentive for anyone to go on a "slow" drag hunt. They might as well just go for a hack – it would be cheaper.

The old and the young and the timid would find no interest in Drag hunting. These people form a large part of the current following of quarry packs

 

Fifth

For every person, who goes quarry hunting on a horse, there are four or five who follow on foot or by car. There would be no reason for these people to follow or support drag hunting whatsoever.

Hint : Whilst these people do not ride horses, they do go to dinners and dances and other fund raising events that help to pay for the running costs of the hunt. Without their support the Mounted Followers would have to pay even more.

There would be even less money in Hunting, meaning that even fewer hunts could be supported.

 

The Conclusion?

If Fox Hunting were banned, there would be more Drag Hunts, supported by more people, than there are now.

But, for the reasons clearly explained above :

There is no way on earth that EVERY SINGLE Fox Hunt could convert to Drag Hunting. It is just not possible.

The anti-hunters KNOW all the facts that I have given you above. So when they make that claim they are LYING.

But the LIE is even worse still :

Let’s just pretend for a moment that every Fox Hunt could turn into a Drag Hunt.

What the antis know full well, but you possibly have not thought about is that :

Fox Hunting is only one type of quarry hunt.

There are also packs of Beagles, Basset Hounds, Mink Hounds, Harriers and Stag Hounds all operating over exactly the same areas as the Fox Hunts.

In the area covered by the Fitzwilliam Foxhounds, for example, we have :

three packs of Beagles

one pack of Basset Hounds

one pack of Harriers

one pack of Mink Hounds

Now, if we ignored the quality of the riding altogether (the neighbouring Cottesmore Hunt country is much more exciting) we could possibly argue that the area might sustain ONE pack of Drag Hounds, but SIX ?? NO WAY!

So if you twisted reality as far as possible you might possibly be able to suggest that the Fitzwilliam Hunt alone might survive.

Except :

For the fact that the area is already hunted by the Cambridge University Drag.

So there we have it.

The whole idea is ONE MASSIVE LIE from start to finish.

And you might want to ask yourself why, if the case against hunting really were so strong, would the antis feel the need to tell lies.