Preserving hunting’s heritage
THE iconography of foxhunting is inescapable in the British Isles. Across the walls of a myriad of country houses and cosy pubs float the spraddle-legged horses and tall-hatted riders of Francis Turner, Henry Alken and John Ferneley Snr. Hounds of varied lineage, red-coated riders and jolly-faced huntsmen adorn pub signs in town and country.
A prodigious amount has been written on the subject, from Peter Beckford’s Thoughts on Hunting of 1779 to the delightful yarns of Somerville and Ross, and Will Ogilvie’s stirring poetry.
Peerless hounds and skilled huntsmen have been celebrated in song for centuries. The Royal Army Veterinary Corps retains the irresistibly jaunty Drink Puppy Drink as its regimental march.
John Peel has the same power to send a shiver down the spine of the foxhunter today as it did 200 years ago: “From the drag to a chase, from the
