A vital relationship

THE increasing pressures on hunting in the modern countryside throw a spotlight on the seminal relationship between field master and huntsman: their bond and trust has never been more crucial.

Respect for the land has always been a founding principle of hunting. As farm income is increasingly derived from non-food production and away from the marketplace, those whose privilege it is to use their land are bound to obey rules and conditions their forebears would have found unfathomable. And yet, tremendous sport is still produced up and down the country under challenging conditions.

The best field masters have a natural ease of horsemanship and diplomacy. Authority stamped with charm is far preferable to clamour. Idle threats and rudeness do not gain respect