I’ll be moving to Paris in October and was hoping folks might be able to recommend some hunts within driving distance of the city - any other advice appreciated as well, please feel free to PM if you prefer. I am familiar with the French version of the MFHA and their website but was looking to hear from those with actual “hooves on the ground” experience. Thanks!
jmho
:sadsmile::sadsmile: Noooooo! Don’t leave us!!! We want you here!!! :(:yes:
There is a big difference between hunting on horses in France and fox hunting in the UK, Ireland and the USA. The French generally do not chase foxes etc across open fields with hedge and walls to jump but instead hunt in deep forests. So it is not necessary to have any particular skill in riding beyond being able to trot and canter along tracks for several hours. Many of the horses are trotters by breeding. French hunting folk are into the social aspects (food, wine), the tradition and spectacle, the hound work and hearing their voice in the forest and viewing the wild life chased, such as deer and boar. Several riders will carry a ‘French horn’ wrapped around their body and the horn calls are an important, musical part of the experience: at the start, during and at the end. The horns are necessary to report what is going on in the depth of the trees, when they spot an animal. Hounds are lovely, with amazing deep voices.
The other type of hunting is men with dogs and guns in fluorescent orange gilets. Notices are hung from trees warning the public that La Chasse has begun. The dogs are a mixed and hairy lot. Bells around their necks, bassets, griffons and beagles are put into the forest to flush out the prey. The hunters stand at fixed points within the forest or around the edges. They shoot when the boar or deer etc appear, so some stand for hours and do and see nothing at all. The hunts are strictly controlled, each commune having its own hunt association. Permits are required - and can only be used in that commune. Hunters must take a training course and pass a theoretical and practical exam organised by the National Hunting and Wildlife Agency before they may legally obtain a licence. They must also carry proof of possession of legally required hunting insurance. However, having ended up riding a horse along a track beside a wood where a hunt was taking place, I’m not entirely convinced that the hunters knew what was happening and there were moments when we were under fire as the hunters blasted randomly in our direction. Dogs seemed happy though.
The best way to find a mounted hunt is probably find a good public stable (there are many) and ask the proprietor for information once they know your riding ability and interests. They might have the horses to do the job, too. French “equipages” tend to be close-knit, local groups where members pay a yearly subscription to attend every hunt. Casual attendance is not really encouraged. Another way is to arrange a weekend hunt through a sporting vacation firm as the first instance and take it from there.
