Last Friday, pro-bloodsports lobby group, the British Hound Sports Association, achieved the impossible – they managed to make their showpiece National Trail Hunting Day even more ridiculous and irrelevant than last year!
The HSA had long ago dubbed the event ‘Farcical Friday’ but even we were surprised by its inept organisation and embarrassing turnout.
A few hundred reluctant hunters assembled at just 7 meets across the country – down from 30 last year – to watch a sock get dragged around a field. The HSA had a presence at every meet, with some sabs openly observing and others deploying covert surveillance techniques. They report a great deal of grumbling from hunt supporters about the poor leadership of the BHSA and the Countryside Alliance, though many were consoled that at least this year they didn’t have to miss a proper day’s fox hunting on Saturday.
The Percy Hunt – host pack in the supposed hunting heartland of Northumberland – managed 8 riders. Representing the whole of the south-west were the Cotley Harriers who fielded just 12 on horseback. Most embarrassing of all was the event hosted by the North Cotswold Hunt who, fresh from causing a road traffic accident earlier in the week, wrapped up proceedings in less than half an hour!
Back in the real world, the HSA released a groundbreaking, year-long investigation, while Kent Hunt Sabs found one of the many hunts that didn’t bother to support National Trail Hunting Day. Sabs were immediately confronted by terriermen with spades and ‘working’ dogs as they rolled into a meet of the Kent Hounds. These idiots claimed they were “nothing to do with the hunt” which they proved by brandishing a permission letter from…er…the hunt.
Everybody knows that fox hunting continues, and trail hunting is a lie.
An HSA spokesperson commented:
Last year’s National Trail Hunting Day set the bar very low, but this year’s non-event was an even worse embarrassment. They switched it to Friday in the misguided hope that journalists, MPs and Rural Crime Officers would be more likely to attend this year. But aside from one regional BBC crew – who ended up interviewing a hunt sab – we’re not aware of anybody but a handful of hunters turning up at any of the 7 events. Truly, Farcical Friday has fallen flat!
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