hounds usually takes the
form of a “drag-hunt”, a
More proficient Pony
necessary poor relation to the
Clubbers joined the main
more traditional (and
field led by the Field Master,
and thus had the opportunity nowadays much maligned)
form of British foxhunting, for
to see first-hand the
Whippers-In working with the two reasons; firstly because
we don't have foxes to hunt
hounds at the head of the
in South Africa and secondly
hunt.
The most exciting part of the because we must have some
hunt, however, for both riders way of overcoming the
and spectators, was the water barbed wire fencing that
South African land owners
crossing, where with much
use to surround their fields.
whooping and splashing
Drag hunting entails two
riders and horses plunged
riders setting off a few
headlong into chest-deep
minutes before the hunt to
water.
lay a trail of scent for the
K In South Africa, riding to
From page 12
From page 15
W’VILLE SHOW
there for the weekend.
In addition the organisers say
the show's livestock section
will be a lot bigger this year.
There is also a full programme
of entertainment for children,
lots of food available, a beer
garden and performances by
Dusty Dixon, Liezel Pieters,
the DZL Band and others,
apart from displays of
agricultural machinery,
auctions, home industries,
crafts and hobbies and
working dog demonstrations.
The show takes place at the
Walkerville Showground, just
off the R82, on Saturday and
Sunday 9 and 10 April from
0900 hrs till late. Entrance is
R30 per car.
hounds. This is done by
dragging a sack behind them
that has been heavily soaked
in ferret urine. They ride over
a predetermined course (and
sometimes lay short false trails
off the main route to confuse
the hounds and make the
exercise more authentic.)
The predetermined course
will have been laid out before
the meet, with rustic jumps
and other obstacles having
been constructed over wire
fences to prevent injury to the
horses as they cover the
course.
In all other respects, drag
hunting resembles the real
thing, with a hunt master at
the head of the field, assistant
hunt masters to help out as
necessary and whippers-in to
control the pack of hounds
(who are never referred to as
dogs).
In a traditional fox hunt the
hounds will pick up the scent
of a fox and follow it wherever it may run until they
catch it and kill it.
13
www.sasmallholder.co.za
NEWS
Thus participants have no
way of knowing where the
hunt will take them and they
must be willing and able to
jump any hedge, gate or
stone wall over which the fox
may choose to leap, and may
end up many miles from their
home base at the end of the
meet.
Along the way they will also
be troubled by the attentions
of anti-hunting activists, and
there is sometimes “collateral
damage” where domestic
dogs and cats, or poultry, are
“taken out” by the hounds
should the fox decide to lead
H [