Drag hunting or draghunting is a form of

equestrian sport Equestrian sports are sports that use horses as a main part of the sport. This usually takes the form of the rider being on the horse's back, or the horses pulling some sort of horse-drawn vehicle. General * * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

where mounted riders hunt the trail of an artificially laid scent with hounds.

Description

Drag hunting is an equestrian sport where a field of mounted riders chase a pack of hounds who follow or 'hunt' a trail of an artificial non-animal based scent. The primary difference between fox hunting and drag hunting is the hounds are trained to chase 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 the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, ...

or another strong-smelling substance and not an animal-based scent mimicking a fox hunt, as in trail hunting. A drag hunt course is set in a similar manner to a cross country 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 drag hunt, and there are usually three to four lines, of approximately each, laid for a day of drag hunting. 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 status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

universities both established packs of drag hounds. The Pau Hunt, under the Mastership of Jasper Hall Livingston, documents a drag hunt on Saturday, November 26, 1847 between Pau, France and

Gardères Gardères (; ) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France. Together with Luquet, the commune forms an enclave of Hautes-Pyrénées within the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. A neighbouring second enclave com ...

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 Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, with the Household Cavalry 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 Great Britain after the passing of the

Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 The Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act was an Act of the Scottish Parliament passed in February 2002, making Scotland the first part of the United Kingdom to ban traditional fox hunting and hare coursing. It was repealed in 2023. Passage ...

and the

Hunting Act 2004 The Hunting Act 2004 (c. 37) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which bans the hunting of most wild mammals (notably foxes, deer, hares and mink) with dogs in England and Wales, subject to some strictly limited exemptions; the ...

(England and Wales).

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 ("brush"). Twelve species ...

) 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, rabbits, 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 ...

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