I do and most people are fascinated. Perhaps a few disapprove but not enough to say so to my face. I have my MFHA logo on my truck and hunting decals on my trailer so I’m not trying to hide anything. I consider myself an ambassador for horse sports whenever and where ever I ride so I always try to be approachable and friendly.
Sure I announce to the whole world when I go. If anyone has any uncivil opinion about it, they are more than welcome to kiss my horse’s A$$ :D:D:D Negative comment? I’m sure I can find something negative about anyone who criticizes about me so we are fair and even. If they don’t like my company, I sure can find someone else who is more fun to be around. Come one. Life is too short to worry about what other pepole think. With that said, I have not found that I need to use this side of my persona though hahahah.
Ceffyl,
Actually, I’m quite familiar with what happened over there, being one of the US foxhunters who supported the cause, a good many of us did what we could, whether joining Countryside Alliance, or otherwise donating, writing letters, participating in surveys, and yes even attending those marches. Not to mention the Maryland and Virginia foxhunters who demonstrated outside the White House, with foxhounds, when Tony Blair came to visit W. And, actually, yes, my UK foxhunting friends are at the heart of the hunting community, and were there in the forefront, too. Delaying the ban by two years is winning a battle, but the ban did get enacted, so, losing the war. Too late. Though I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping it can get reversed, I do still read my Countryside Alliance communiques faithfully. Here is what ‘too late’ means, as posted on FOL by Janet George:
http://archives.foxhunters.org/2009/Jan/msg00209.html
And if you want to spend hours going through the archives you will find YEARS worth of discussion.
And, again, it isn’t meant at all to be a condemnation of the tremendous effort in the UK, just a political fact of life that hopefully we in the US will learn from, though honestly, I think we’re too late, too, though that won’t keep me from continuing to do what I can. Fundamental issue remains that both in the UK and the US, most of the population has lost touch with the land, and so don’t know, and don’t care.
As for the various dog laws you mentioned in your last post, yes, that is exactly the sort of thing I alluded to in my previous post. How much am I battling it? As much as I can, probably more than most. I also spend considerable time and effort on keeping trails on public lands open to horses.
I’ve only been the once, but hope to join my local hunt next season, and am very involved in/work for my farm keeping the hunters fit, getting them ready to hunt, etc. That said, as soon as the photos came back from the wonderful hunt I got to attend, I happily showed anyone at work/friends/family who wanted to see the photos, and talked about it. They all know I ride, and co-workers indulge me with a mixture of “Goofy girl goes on and on about her pony!” and finding it interesting. I didn’t find a one who didn’t think the foxhunting was especially interesting, way more than the dressage or eventing I go on about.
My boss is from the UK and was quite pleased to see the photos - he is from London, and a lifelong city boy, but he thought it was neat to hear the differences/similarities of what bits I had learned about Foxhunting in GB and here.
Most people I encountered, whether talking about my wonderful chance to hunt, or telling them about the hunters at the farm (bless my indulgent friends and co-workers), always have lots of questions from the obvious “Do you kill the fox?” to “Where do you find the LAND for this?!” It is, as stated several times here already, a great chance to talk about our fast disappearing land.
I think it reminds many people of lovely pictures, a bygone time, and nature. They don’t realize it goes on not so far from where they live, and I liked how interested many people where! Should I get to join the hunt next season, my boss knows full well already why I would take one morning off/week. 
But then, he sends me merrily on my way for any vet or farrier appointment anyway (I am very, very lucky).
England and the rest of the UK is NOT a socialist country.
It most certainly is. Your country went big time into nationalization after the war, and it took Herculean efforts by Maggie to pry you loose from it. And everybody still complains about Thacher, and I ask them, Why? She saved you from third world economic status. “Oh, it’s not what she did, it’s how she did it…”
Jeez.
You are so regulated, controlled, reviewed, watched, monitored, advised, lectured, hectored, ad infinitum. I go over there every year, and even flew over in 2002 to march in the Countryside Alliance march. Every time I leave, I want to scream at you people, “1984” was a WARNING, NOT AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL!!"
As for Foxhunting, I’m loud and I’m proud. I’m not afraid to stop by the convenience store on the way home from hunting and weird people out.
I’ve even participated in the classic Washington DC tradition of showing up at work in hunt clothes. For many years various Washington politicians, cabinet officials, lawyers, etc. would show up in the office in the morning, dressed for hunting, do a few meetings, then leave for the meet. I think it was Grosvenor Merle-Smith’s Grandad or uncle whio worked for the State Department that did the same. Gro would tell me about it.
I would do the same at the Navy Lab (Carderock) I work at in Bethesda now and then. Bull Run meets at 1:00 on Thursdays, so I would show up in the lab properly attired, work in the morning, then bug out at 11:00 to go to the meet. Great fun watching people’s reactions.
When they ask, I leave nothing out. Yes, we chase foxes, and if the fox is old or sick, the hounds catch and kill him, thus saving the fox from the agony of a slow natural death. I’ve never run into anybody who had a problem with it.
[QUOTE=Beverley;3859238]
Ceffyl,
Here is what ‘too late’ means, as posted on FOL by Janet George:
http://archives.foxhunters.org/2009/Jan/msg00209.html
And if you want to spend hours going through the archives you will find YEARS worth of discussion.
QUOTE]
Janet George was one of the problems in the latter couple of years leading up the ban who succeeded in further alienating the countryside community from those who wish to see Britain return to a vast wilderness of feral animals. She has the attitude and manner that further riles the LACS supporters, her comments in press releases about “having a large agressive dog on her property to see off hunt sabs” is not the way to endear the hunting folk to the non-hunters. She formed the radical Countryside Action Network after falling out with the Alliance and by her own admission CAN is a radical group and they did nothing but sitr up more animosity.
The years worth of discussions I am fully aware of thank you. Though the archives link you show seems to be a forum. There are full records of all papers and evidence to support the continuence of hunting with dogs as submitted to MPs and Parliament archived which is available to anyone to read. Plus records of all debates put forward both in Parliament and court.
[QUOTE=Major Mark;3859551]
You are so regulated, controlled, reviewed, watched, monitored, advised, lectured, hectored, ad infinitum. I go over there every year, and even flew over in 2002 to march in the Countryside Alliance march. Every time I leave, I want to scream at you people, “1984” was a WARNING, NOT AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL!!"
*IQUOTE]
And you must fly in and out of Heathrow in one day and clearly know nothing about life in the UK. Pray tell me how we are so regulated, controlled, reviewed, watched, monitored, advised, lectured, hectored, ad infinitum.
[QUOTE=Major Mark;3859551]
It most certainly is. Your country went big time into nationalization after the war, and it took Herculean efforts by Maggie to pry you loose from it. And everybody still complains about Thacher, and I ask them, Why? She saved you from third world economic status. “Oh, it’s not what she did, it’s how she did it…”
.[/QUOTE]
I have NEVER heard anyone complain about Margaret Thatcher.
FYI the UK is a Constitutional Monarchy, NOT a socialist state. The labour party is in government at the present time but this will change.
You have a sadly uneducated provincial attitude that is offensive to the UK citizens, and shows a real ignorance.
Nationalisation was not limited to post war. The first nationalised company was back in 1896 (Oh sorry maybe you do remember that first hand ? - therefore you are correct post Burma war) and that was the GPO. The only nationalised services in the immediate post WW11 years were neccesstities such as gas, coal, electric, rail, road, water and all of those now have competition from private sector ownership apart from roads which would fall under local government. There have been others since including your darling Maggie buying out Johson Mathey for £1. Those still remaining do not have a monopoly as free competition from the private sector is encouraged.
How about American nationalisation? Have you forgotten before you so heavily slate another country for it’s actions?
[QUOTE=ceffyl;3859676]
[QUOTE=Beverley;3859238]Ceffyl,
Here is what ‘too late’ means, as posted on FOL by Janet George:
http://archives.foxhunters.org/2009/Jan/msg00209.html
And if you want to spend hours going through the archives you will find YEARS worth of discussion.
QUOTE]
Janet George was one of the problems in the latter couple of years leading up the ban who succeeded in further alienating the countryside community from those who wish to see Britain return to a vast wilderness of feral animals. She has the attitude and manner that further riles the LACS supporters, her comments in press releases about “having a large agressive dog on her property to see off hunt sabs” is not the way to endear the hunting folk to the non-hunters. She formed the radical Countryside Action Network after falling out with the Alliance and by her own admission CAN is a radical group and they did nothing but sitr up more animosity.
The years worth of discussions I am fully aware of thank you. Though the archives link you show seems to be a forum. There are full records of all papers and evidence to support the continuence of hunting with dogs as submitted to MPs and Parliament archived which is available to anyone to read. Plus records of all debates put forward both in Parliament and court.[/QUOTE]
janet has her own baord and her own rules she was a member of the bhs board until they had words so was told yet she breed irish drafts and hers are the greatest for hunting and dressage dont you know
[QUOTE=goeslikestink;3859787]
[QUOTE=ceffyl;3859676]
janet has her own baord and her own rules she was a member of the bhs board until they had words so was told yet she breed irish drafts and hers are the greatest for hunting and dressage dont you know[/QUOTE]
Her foray into breeding ID’S (Please learn how to spell DRAUGHT) is not that well established. Though she has had years within the equine industry her own “line” of ID’s is in it’s infancy. I’m sure as she has started with the old lines of Touch of the Blues and Grey Macha she will get some of the old heavyweight types.
[QUOTE=ceffyl;3857080]
:mad::no::mad: You clearly know nothing at all about “the problems in England”. The ban on hunting with dogs affects the WHOLE of the UK, not just England.
If you call a Labour governemt socialist then you could call the USA that too with the democrats in power…I see far more snobbery and class envy in the US than the UK.[/QUOTE]
Actually, I was quoting an earlier poster (which is why I had the quotation marks around it).
And you’re right, the labour gov’t is socialist (think Red Ken in London as an example)…and so is “The Bama” and what the dems want to do…universal this and universal that. They are trying their damndest to make the US into GB/France/Sweden/Germany.
The class envy is the city vs. the country (and I do belong to the Countryside Alliance). They hate the “toffs”, the country people, the people enjoying themselves in ways they don’t agree with…just like our L.A. and NYC Americans looking down their noses at the fly over people.
The classic comparison of the Brit vs. American attitude of envy used to be: A Londoner sees a Rolls Royce drive by…he shakes his hand and yells, “I should have that car, not him!” An American sees the Roller go by and states, “I’m going to have one of those one day.”
Please tone down the general political discussion and return the conversation more closely to the original topic.
Thanks!
Mod 1
Ok.
I’m pissed because I can’t go hunting on Saturday. I got snookered into going to some fancy restaurant in the CITY for an early dinner. I’m even going to have to dress up.
Have pity on me. :winkgrin:
Wear Scarlet if convenient…
I was uncool. I went to the Bull Run early cubhunting meets, 6 am to 7 am, then went home and showered and changed, then went to work. And later adjusted my work schedule so as to have every Monday, and every other Wednesday, off.
I did, however, show up plenty of times in the late afternoon, still in hunting togs, still with horse in trailer, to teach classes at church or teach after-school French at the elementary school. The kids loved that, and kids WILL behave during the arsenic hour if you promise they can pet the horse after class. Okay, still having horse in tow did mean I was cutting it too close, but y’all know how hard it is to head back to the meet when hounds are running (and some may have known how hard it was to give up a couple more hours watching Michael Power or Melvin Poe hunt hounds).
Once, the powers-that-be at church detoured me into the office on my way to the classroom. I was concerned they were going to call me on the attire, and/or the hogging of two parking spaces in the parking lot. Shouldn’t have worried- they were troubled because ‘government investigators’ had been there asking questions about me, part of the periodic checkup related to my gov’t security clearance, so they merely wanted to know what I had done that had these investigators snooping around (and was it a venial or a mortal sin)! They accepted ‘nuclear weapons stuff’ as an okay answer…
[QUOTE=Major Mark;3859551]
It most certainly is. Your country went big time into nationalization after the war, and it took Herculean efforts by Maggie to pry you loose from it. And everybody still complains about Thacher, and I ask them, Why? She saved you from third world economic status. “Oh, it’s not what she did, it’s how she did it…”
Jeez.
You are so regulated, controlled, reviewed, watched, monitored, advised, lectured, hectored, ad infinitum. I go over there every year, and even flew over in 2002 to march in the Countryside Alliance march. Every time I leave, I want to scream at you people, “1984” was a WARNING, NOT AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL!!"
******************************.[/QUOTE]
Now, that was as entertaining a piece of bigoted hogwash as I’ve read on this board for a long time, Mark, dear. Thanks for the laugh.
