End of season marked at farewell dinner

Organiser Rosie Pearson couldn't praise enough the many people who had made donations or helped with the cooking, "Everyone in the hunt always comes together to make sure an event is a great success".

After such a testing time over the last season conversation amongst the gathering guests inevitably turned towards the recent ban. Matthew Penrose, amateur whip, said: "It has been a difficult time recently but we are all in good spirits."

A three-course meal was thoroughly enjoyed, with Joint Master Mary Tweddle's Pavlova receiving particular praise. After dinner speakers were Chris Hall from the Great Yorkshire Show, hunt chairman Christopher Bourne- Arton and Charles Frampton, huntsman and Joint Master.

Charles has decided to move on to pastures new and spoke fondly of his time hunting the Bedale hounds: "I have had a truly wonderful time here, riding across a wealth of wonderful hunting country with some wonderful people."

Looking into the future, he said:"Times have been very testing recently but the Bedale Hunt remains in especially good order and is in the right frame of mind to take on the ban and come through the other side.

"The Bedale Hunt will continue to prosper for years and years to come." As his speech came to an end he received a standing ovation and three rousing cheers showing the respect and affection that has grown for Charles over the last seven years.

* On March 12 Langton Hall became a hive of activity as more than 100 huntsmen gathered for the annual Bedale Hunt breakfast.

Organisers James and Izzie Fife provided everyone with a hearty full English breakfast which was to act as much needed fuel for the 55 riders who took part in the cross-country rides throughout the morning.

With the cross-country split into three levels; steady, intermediate and advanced, there was a course for everyone to enjoy.

Pam Ashworth who runs the riding school at Queen Mary's and the course designer said: "The children really are the future of hunting and it is so important that we make events such as these as child friendly as possible. I think, judging by the smiles around me, it's worked well."

Hunt secretary Sheila Hollins said: "What a glorious day, how lucky the Bedale hunt is that we can enjoy days like this in such beautiful surroundings".

These sentiments were echoed by James Fife as the day came to a close He said: "How great the support for today has been, and how lovely to see everyone on horse back having such a great time"

Stacy Watson

A lesson from King Canute

KING Canute's courtiers thought that he was ever powerful. They thought that his powers stretched beyond those of a mere man. The king himself must have realised how dangerous for his own future such confusion could be, so he decided to teach them a lesson. We all know the story - King Canute could not hold back the waves or control the forces of nature.

When the new Act to ban hunting first came into force it was initially very depressing. However, we in the Bilsdale now feel that there is much to look forward to. We must do all we can to operate within the new law. Not because we want to, but because we are required to, to protect all concerned.

Hounds, however, are bred to hunt, and though the force of law can command people, it cannot command the nature of a hound any more than King Canute could command the waves. We will do everything that we can to work within the law, but we are not above nature either. Nor will we attempt to stop killing foxes by legal means, if we didn't we would not be a hunt, we wouldn't be providing a service to landowners, and we would have allowed this law to reduce our proud heritage into a trekking club. In the long term, when the law is repealed, we are the best hope for the future of the fox.

We always said that the introduction of this law would be bad for the fox, and that is proving to be the case. Natural selection is now gone, and it will probably not be very long before our healthy rural fox population will have disappeared as well.

The urban fox will no doubt continue to be collected up in van-loads by "do-gooding" authorities to be dropped into the unsuspecting countryside. Rather like fly tipping, except that it is cruel rather than messy. These semi-tame foxes, used to living from bins, either fail quickly or they learn to live from easy pickings from farms, and then become a nuisance that has to be removed.

Furthermore, not only are animals ruled by animal instinct, but so are people. I thought that there was a real danger that hunts would quickly collapse, but there is something very deep inside us that won't let that happen and its more than just stubbornness and pride. I don't know if it is the fighting gene or the hunting gene, but its' bit in us won't fold. It's the bit that men have died for and the bit won't be squashed into a chocolate box vision of the countryside for any man. We just don't fit. Actors are told never to work with animals unless they don't mind being made into fools. Whatever comes of these laws, those who introduced them are going to look foolish in time.

Mr Blair should consider that King Canute was remembered for his wisdom because he recognised his inability to control nature. Mr Blair should be remembered for his lack of wisdom in thinking that he could.

The Bilsdale will hunt on until the end of the season which will finish in usual style with our champagne breakfast and gallop on April 2 at Mount St John. See you there.

Judith Skilbeck, joint MFH with the Bilsdale Hunt

Fed up with marching? Go dancing instead

THE Zetland Hunt Farmers Ball held at The George Hotel in Piercebridge was a huge success for the hunt. More than 450 hunt members and supporters danced through the night into the early hours to the music of the resident disco KT Vibes.

Organiser Mrs Chris Farnaby did a superb job of fitting everyone into the rooms throughout The George. "People needed a bit of a lift and fun with the ban on hunting in effect, I think we are all getting fed up with marching and saying our bit, so evenings like this are important for the morale," said Chris. "Organising the ball would have been harder without the fantastic help of Charlotte Tarry and Chris Gibbon, they were brilliant and between us all we had a great evening," she added. The main room had dining tables circling the dance floor for the majority of the guests, while other rooms throughout the hotel had more tables for those who didn't want to eat next to the disco. With four bars spread out through the hotel this certainly was not a problem. The George catered for the evening with a hot and cold buffet, carvery style on a table roster system, with a wide variety of food from delicious prawns to a full roast dinner.

The evening was a fitting end to the season's hunting and the impressive turnout shows yet again the support for our sport, not something to be sniffed at.

Heather Wedderburn

York and Ainsty go straight to jail

FEBRUARY 19, after the first day out since what hopefully will be a temporary hunting ban, saw subscribers, followers and friends of the York and Ainsty North Hunt gather together at Thirsk racecourse for the aptly-named and very entertaining "Not the last supper" evening.

The supper, which is an annual fundraising event, was this year timed to coincide with the ban. A fancy dress "do" had the theme of Convicts and Criminals after the Labour Party saw fit to make it a criminal offence to hunt.

With 120 people, all in fancy dress, filling the room along with cameras from Trevor MacDonald Tonight and Conservative MP Archie Norman, anyone expecting this to be a sad, downcast affair would h ave been sadly disappointed. Spirits were high and the organisers are certain that this will not in fact be the last supper, but one of many, and are making plans for next year's event.

The after dinner speaker was racing correspondent John Sexton, who amused the diners with a series of racing anecdotes. The evening, which included an auction, raised an impressive £2,500 for hunt funds.

Alistair Flood

Keeping the flame of hunting alive in a new era

SO hunting as we knew it has ended with neither a bang nor a whimper, but with a giant raspberry to the politicians. Just as many foxes have been killed, either inadvertently (and quickly) by hounds or by the book (slowly and painfully) by shotguns.

The sour grapes from that axis of spite - New Labour, their paymasters in the animal rights 'charities' and the BBC - have been delicious. Did they really think that we would undergo some road to Damascus conversion and say we now realise that our lives hitherto have been sinful, thank you Tony for showing us the path of true righteousness?

It always seemed rather improbable that we would all just stop hunting. Where, after all, is the logic in being worried about being arrested when we have already discounted the far worse, and possibly more likely, risks of breaking our necks?

To 'the sport of kings, the image of war without its guilt and only five-and-twenty per cent of its danger' has been added the frisson of an illicit cigarette behind the bike-shed.

We are entering a new era in the countryside similar to prohibition time in the United States. Prohibition gave us the cocktail, as a means of disguising alcohol in fruit juice, and promoted the rise of the Mafia as the forerunners of today's drug barons. It will be interesting to see what unintended consequences the present hunting ban has.

On the subject of alcohol, there is a hunting convention that is in urgent need of review - and I should declare an interest here. At the meet it is usual to offer only the mounted followers a stirrup cup to help them to prepare for the ordeal to come.

However, next time you pick your way through the throng with a tray of nectar, I ask you to spare a thought for the harassed-looking dads on foot with the leading rein ponies!

It is becoming the accepted convention to caveat one's remarks by saying something pious about not condoning the law being broken. But in my heart I cannot say that I would condemn anyone for hunting. Nor would I feel ashamed of a criminal record for an offence that would not arouse any disapproval within the communities in which I spend my time. Nor is it likely that many employers would see it as a bar to employment.

In reality we all live our lives by our own moral codes not by the law of the land, hence the reason speed limits on our motorways are widely ignored.

The more the politicians overload us with laws that run contrary to our natural instincts the more we will break them - and it is that I can't condone. And so, as the horses are roughed off, we fall to contemplating next season. It is a bitter irony that the ban has come at a time when hunting is better supported than it has been for decades and when new farming regimes are making the country more accessible.

We can still have fun within the law, but the ancient art of venery is in danger of being lost. We must all keep the flame alive next season.

Jamie Blackett

Published: 01/04/2005