ABOUT
WHAT IS TRAIL LAYING?
A trail is laid using an artificial scent. The trail is laid across the countryside, taking a route that simulates a fox travelling through woods, along hedgerows, coverts, ditches and open land. It is laid by dragging a scent-soaked sock, cloth or sack along the ground. This can be done on foot, a horse, a bicycle or a combination. The trail is not laid continuously but occasionally lifted for some distance, then dropped again to allow the hounds to ‘cast’ (search for the scent if they lose it).
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COUNTRY
The country is predominately plough with some heathland and grass. The terrain consists of dykes, stone walls, hedges and hunt fences. Over the years, we have been fortunate to have had over 70 acres of woodland coverts bequeathed to the Blankney Hunt, which are continually maintained.
We have a great deal of support from landowners, farmers and shooting friends within the country who allow the Blankney Hunt to cross their land, to whom we are always grateful.
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HOUNDS
The Blankney hounds were originally bred along the lines and traditions of “old English” foxhounds, however over the decades they gradually became what is now known as “modern English” foxhounds. Modern English is largely the old English bloodlines with the addition of Welsh foxhound breeding; our hounds also have within their breeding some bloodlines from Fell, American, Harrier and even a tiny bit of the old Dumfriesshire pack. The diversity in the hounds breeding helps to ensure they have a strong and healthy genetic makeup.
We base our breeding program around two tail female lines - a tail female line is an unbroken record of the mothers mothers mothers mother etc..
A hound called Lady (born in 1800) and another called Cautious (born in 1799) are the foremothers to our current pack. We have a full record of their breeding going back 46 & 54 generations respectively.
HISTORY
The Blankney Hunt was founded in 1871 when the pack split away from the old Burton Foxhounds. The country is predominately plough with some heathland and grass. The terrain consists of dykes, stone walls, hedges and hunt fences. Over the years, we have been fortunate to have had over 70 acres of woodland coverts bequeathed to the Blankney Hunt, and these are continually maintained.
We have a great deal of support from landowners, farmers and shooting friends within the country who allow the Blankney Hunt to cross their land, to whom we are always grateful.
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