The Lauderdale Hunt will be hunting with bloodhounds from this autumn. They only hunt people not a trail or an animal.
Following the passing of the Hunting with Dogs(Scotland) Act in February, we took the decision to form a pack of bloodhounds. As the bloodhounds hunt “the clean boot”, that is to say human runners that neither wear nor drag any artificial scent, this means that we will still be able to watch hounds work, but they will be hunting the human scent of our own runners, known as “Quarries” across our glorious Lauderdale countryside. Riders will follow their fieldmaster on several hunts throughout the day. On a jumping day, there will always be a non-jumping fieldmaster. The amazing noses of the hounds are pitted against the skill of the runner in choosing their route across country, making the hounds work to find the scent to follow under the watchful eye of our huntsman.
A popular myth is that this sport is “easy” as compared with traditional foxhunting, but we have been warned by someone who has spent many years doing both, that it is far from “easy’, and it will be a steep learning curve for those at the sharp end. He has warned us that it takes around three years to achieve the full potential of the sport, but ‘the journey’ can be truly fascinating and rewarding if you get it right. It is important to remember and stress this is NOT simulated foxhunting, nor is it “drag” or “trail” hunting. This will be your chance to be involved in the development of “hunting the clean boot” with bloodhounds in the Borders.
If you would like to be involved in the development of hunting with bloodhounds in the Borders or just want to try a fun day out with your horse, please contact our secretary Claire Armet, secretary@lauderdalehunt.com
