What is Drag Hunting

Drag hunting is quite possibly the most fun you can have with your horse! It doesn't involve hunting an animal, instead the hounds follow an artificial scent - the drag - laid a few minutes earlier.

A drag hunt is similar in nature to a fast cross country ride and takes place over a predetermined course or line. A line can last anywhere between 3 and 4 hours and is made up of 4 to 8 legs, each covering a distance of around 3 to 4 miles. Between each leg the hounds, the riders and horses take a much needed breather.

Lines

Lines are usually on open countryside with jumps that include post and rail fences, stone walls, hedges and ditches. The aim is to ensure that both riders with grade A show jumpers and those with riding club horses can get round and enjoy the day, so big obstacles are never compulsory - there is always a way around them.

At the start of each leg the scent layers - or lines people - ride the leg first to lay the scent (which is painted on the horse's front hooves). The Huntsman, Whippers-in and hounds follow the scent and the Masters, Field Master and rest of the riders, referred to as the field, follow them.

Everyone meets up at the end of the leg and, after a short rest, the whole process starts again.

The preparation of lines is an enormous task. The person responsible for each line and their helpers have probably spent most of their spare time during the previous few weeks in order to organise the line.

Who Does What

It is the Huntsman's job to look after the hounds, to provide hounds for the day's hunting and to hunt the hounds on the day. During a hunt, the Huntsman is supported by Whippers-in who bring up stray hounds.

Our resident Huntsman is Ray Shaw. Ray's wife Margaret assists in the day-to-day running of the kennels including taking the role of amateur first Whip.

Also assisting the team as second Whipper-in is Richard Grace who joined the kennels this season.

To assist with controlling the field, the Masters - Alan Richards and Laurence Leavy - appoint a Field Master on the day. The field must always stay behind the Field Master and only jump obstacles allowed by the Field Master.

Our Hounds

The first pack of hounds consisted of a small draft from the High Peak Hunt as well hounds from the Royal Artillery Drag Hunt which was disbanding at the time.

We now carry out our own breeding policy and our current pack of English Foxhounds has been bred almost exclusively in our own kennels. The breeding of English Foxhounds has been documented for many years and the pedigree of each hound can be traced back to before 1800.

The hounds are kept in kennels in Woodseats Lane, Charlesworth.

When and Where We Hunt

Our hunting season is from early September to the end of the following March. We generally hunt every Saturday in these months with extra meets on Boxing Day and New Years Day.

We hunt over land occupied by over 250 farmers in an area bounded by Rochdale in the North, Leek in the South and Knutsford in the West.