NEW FOREST
6 January
Edited by Catherine Austen
catherine.austen@futurenet.com
@cfaustenl23
New Forest, Godshill, Hants
STANDING in the middle of the New Forest in nothing more than underpants and socks may be an unusual position for a hunting correspondent to find themselves in, but there are times when a good story needs to be pursued, and the recent history of the New Forest hounds is certainly such a story.
This is a hunt that only two seasons ago converted from being a pack of foxhounds to a bloodhound pack. This would be a momentous change for any hunt, but especially so for the New Forest, a pack fabled for the quality of its hounds during the era of the legendary master and hound-breeder Sir Newton Rycroft (1962–1984).
In 2020, however, the committee of the New Forest hounds made the decision to change this famous foxhound pack to a bloodhound pack. Why they did this – and, more importantly, how they are faring having made these changes – were two questions well worth investigating.
