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Hunting with bloodhounds in UK

Just because there has been nothing new in this forum for some time, a video of a very, very wet day out with The Farmers Bloodhounds. It is evocative: enjoy the fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hzCUEcwgc0

So fun to watch, thank you! A nice way to “get outside” today.

Ha! I thought it was hunting with bloodhounds, American terminology, those really big wrinkled face dogs.
In movies typically used to hunt escaped prisoners, in real life search and rescue / recovery.

i wanted to see how Bloodhounds were going to keep up with the horses. :lol:

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Yes, those big wrinkled faced hounds follow the scent of a person running across country. The hounds are put on the line about 20 minutes after the runner leaves, then the mounted field follows behind the hounds. Because it is hunting “the cold boot” it is possible to plan where the hunt goes, and how long the runs are. Bloodhound hunts, therefore, tend to be faster and have more jumps than foxhunting. They have breaks when the hounds catch up with the runner (there is a bit in the video where the riders say “Thank you Mr Runner”). The hounds look slightly different from the exaggerated droopy faced show dogs: they had an infusion of foxhound to make them sufficiently athletic to manage running cross country and don’t have the massive haw under their eyes.

Great video! I think I will stick to a controlled canter in an arena with jumps that fall down. Looks like fun though to gallop the countryside.

My horse would lose a shoe within the first five minutes. :smiley: Great video!!

I love the idea of hunting with bloodhounds because it is slower and therefore easier on the horses. The ones I knew about were drag hunts, in which the bloodhounds followed a trail laid out by dragging a bag of scent. If the horses and riders were up to doing more the course could be laid out over longer distances and bigger fences, but the advantage is that everyone knew ahead of time what kind of a ride it was going to be.

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I kept think the same thing! :lol:

Having watched a few videos, that mare looks exhausting to ride. :yes: Perhaps she will be sorted out next season. She does seem able to keep out of trouble at the fences and it’s not her rider’s first “rodeo” for sure.

The audio “good girl” then a head flip followed by “OW”, cracks me up.

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Yes, it occurred to me that the mare might benefit from a correctly adjusted martingale!