The Hounds
The Foxhound as a breed can be traced back well over
300 years, and indeed the pedigree of some of the OSBWK
hounds can be traced back nearly this far.
Foxhounds are pack animals and have been bred to hunt
by scent. They have tremendous stamina and can easily
cover over 60 miles in a good day! Some hounds can do
this two or three times a week through the season,
meaning they will run many thousands of miles each year.
Feeding
Our hounds are fed on raw flesh which is collected
from our farmers. On average we collect nearly 10
carcasses a day throughout the year - that is 3500 a
year. And we are only one hunt! Different sorts of flesh
are beneficial in different ways to the hounds, with
most meat being calf or bullocks and horses.
The leftovers and inedible parts of the animals are
incinerated in specially built chambers, all in
compliance with ever mounting DEFRA regulations. Regular
upgrades and additional works are carried out to the
flesh house which are inspected regularly by DEFRA
officials.
Hound types
There are 5 main types of Foxhound:
- Old English
- Modern English
- Welsh
- Fell
- American
The OSBWK hounds are a mixture of Old and Modern
English.
Each huntsman has his own preferred type of hound,
and each type of hound has its own merits - for example
the Welsh voice is said to be the best, the Old English
the best for poor scenting. A lot is also down to the
individual hound and any huntsman will be able to point
out the good and not so good points of each hound.
Puppy Show
Every summer each pack holds its Puppy Show where the
coming years entry are judged by visiting Masters and
hunstmen. This day is a thank you from the Masters and
huntsmen to all of the people who have walked puppies
and is a big social event in the hunting year.
In addition to puppy shows there are a series of
Hound Shows across the country, starting with the South
of England Hound show at Ardingly. The ultimate accolade
is to win at Peterborough in July - although all
huntsmen will tell you that it is how the hound hunts
more than how it looks that is the ultimate goal in
breeding!
Hounds as pets
NO! Quite simply it will not happen. Hounds are pack
animals, not pets. Very occasionally a hound will retire
to a private home, but it is a very rare event. The
RSPCA have promised to re-home any hounds requested, but
in their first test failed to find a single home for a
dozen hounds which they were asked to deal with.
A hounds lavatorial habits will not make it a welcome
addition to the hearth rug! It will likely pine and sing
for its colleagues - and at three in the morning a hound
can make a lot of noise! The hunting instinct is very
strong and will likely take the hound on a vanishing run
at the first opportunity.
Having said all of this, hounds in kennels where
they belong, are the happiest of creatures. They are
without doubt the most loved and best looked after of
any dogs. They are exercised every day, well fed and
watered and receive regular attention from the hunt
staff. And best of all they go out and do what they love
so much several times a week - Oh to be a hound!
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