Crowds turn out to cheer Carmarthen's traditional new year hunt
LOVE or hate them, nearly 1,500 people turned out to watch one yesterday.
But while Carmarthen's annual new year hunt was a drag hunt, which meant no foxes were killed, there were still protests from people calling for the Hunting Act to remain in force.
However, it was not the banners which kept some riders away from the event, but bitter conditions in the run-up.
While the crowds flocked to Guildhall Square for the annual spectacle, rider numbers were down as many had been unable to exercise their horses for weeks because of the rock hard ground conditions.
More than 20 riders donned their red coats, visiting care homes in Johnstown before making their way past the town's Mansell Arms and Boar's Head pubs.
Some 20 members of the League Against Cruel Sports staged a demonstration before the huntspeople headed off.
The 2004 Hunting Act has made it illegal to hunt foxes with dogs, with alternative forms such as drag hunting — where a scent is followed by hounds — being popularised.
The Hunting Act was passed by Parliament in November 2004 and became law throughout England and Wales from February 18, 2005.
The Act has been criticised in some quarters as being unworkable, and there were fears the tradition would disappear.
Some feel that, following a change of government, there might eventually be a repeal of the Act, with fox hunting brought back.
League Against Cruel Sports member Mike Sharratt stressed that groups like the league were not against the tradition and spectacle of events like the New Year hunt — only against the hunting of animals itself.
Whitland-based Mr Sharratt said: "The difference between Carmarthenshire hunts and representatives of the League Against Cruel Sports was the hunt wants to repeal the Hunting Act, making legal the killing of animals.
"It is clear that the vast majority of the public do not want hunting brought back."
He felt that the spectacle of the traditional hunt meet would not be lost by keeping the hunting ban.
"What the public may want is to see red coats and dogs in Carmarthen, but not bringing the cruelty back and the killing of animals.
"We're not against people coming into town and looking at the people on horses in red coats.
"What we don't want is a repeal of the act; 80 per cent don't want stags hunted and 70 per cent don't want foxes hunted."
Mr Sharratt praised the role of police in managing the 2011 event, claiming that in 2010 some protestors were pushed out of the way.
Carmarthen hunt master Mike Watts refuted that claim, saying that in 2010 a horse had become alarmed by one of the protest banners.
He praised the public support for the new year hunt — and the earlier Boxing Day hunt at nearby Meidrim — but admitted that numbers were down slightly.
"The public support was absolutely fantastic," said Mr Watts.
"It was a very, very good day."
He felt there might be a possible repeal of the Act in the next few years.
"I think, at the end of the day, they've got to do something about it. I think that the appeal should be successful.
"The ban doesn't work. If a fox crosses the line the old hounds will follow it."
Mr Watts added: "We get good times on the drag, we've got to do it, we've got to abide by the law. We do hunt within the law."
He finished: "There's been fantastic public support. These two days — Boxing Day and New Year's Day — are only show days for us. We've got to keep raising money to keep the hunt going.
"I just hope the ban will be lifted. At the moment we don't know where we stand."
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by Ton Jack, Tonyrefail
Thursday, January 06 2011, 11:38PM
“The last few post really do emphasise why hunting is such an issue with certain people and that is becasue of 'class', as it is deemed to be a middle class sport for 'posh' people (i.e. those who don't roll out of bed with a fag and a can of white lightning to Jeremy Kyle every day) and therefore barbaric. It's ok to set dogs on rabbits and go fishing because they are working class sports. The hypocrites who support this act are utterly ignorant of the mass cruelty that exists to put cheap meat on your table. The Hunting act will be repealed...nuff said.”
by spidey jones, planet earth
Wednesday, January 05 2011, 11:26PM
“clever heather has been put in her place on that one
game set and match to ace moaner
ohh yeahhh dig it suckers!”
by Mys T Fied, Swansea
Wednesday, January 05 2011, 7:10PM
“Love the comment Acemoaner, SA1.
I notice there has been no reply from Mumbles to your query about the plastic tack and saddles!!”
by Acemoaner, SA1
Wednesday, January 05 2011, 1:22PM
“Heather, you are vegan. You not only do not eat meat, but eschew animal products, and endeavour to promote animals from performing unnatural acts for the benefit of mankind, right?
Are not horses carrying people performing and unnatural act? Even if the rider is a well known vegan from Mumbles?
My daughter would like to know where you can purchase plastic saddles and tack, because the leather stuff that she has to buy is so very expensive.
Heather you are as full of the stuff that only people who eat large quantities of beans can be.”
by Dan, Llanelli
Wednesday, January 05 2011, 11:53AM
“A farmer is well within his or her rights to shoot foxes and to keep them away if they are killing their livestock, as is any landowner. They can do this with up to two hounds and a shotgun, which is efficient and not so cruel.
Dressing up in stupid gear and going off on horseback with a load of toffs to tear 1 fox to shreds with a pack of dogs is barbaric, stupid and totally inefficient. These people are just unfulfilled and like the feel of killing a small animal because it simply makes them feel big. It has nothing whatsoever to do with keeping fox populations down, it is a sport to these saddos, and a sport only.”
by Edna, Swansea
Wednesday, January 05 2011, 11:22AM
“Oh Heather for G*dsake woman as for hypocisy - that's the pot calling the kettle if ever I heard it. Either you like foxes being torn to shreds by dogs or you are an animal lover. Make your mind up! And try to tone down your vent keeping it to plain facts and not childish name calling....if its at all possible I know its hard with forums.
I love meat - I love animals. I understand farming. Its is possible coming from farming stock I understand quite a bit. I beleive in farm animal welfare. They will die - not unnecessarily - but hopefully without undue cruelty.
Undue cruelty if you need to reference it against this topic - is being torn to shreds and dieing in agony. To echo a previous comment - it isn't an effective control, its a jolly day out for the horsey types. Again Ton Jack, what EXACTLY does a hunt do? An answer would be nice.
Hi GORSEINON Joe or whatever - thanks for offering me the opportunity to reply - very gentlemanly of you I am sure!
I live in Swansea not Tonyrefail as stated before and have seen plenty of foxes. My cat was attacked by one and probably only narrowly escaped severe injury of death but I have also seen cats attacking foxes in the city. Its called wildlife. It happens. I certainly don't applaud an archaic form of cruelty in controlling them. Don't rabble on in typicaly indignant Daily Mail reader fashion about foxes attacking children That was a very serious one off. If it wasn't such then duly list the incidences so I can be duly ticked off for being an ignorant townie.”
by SPIDEY JONES, PLANET EARTH
Tuesday, January 04 2011, 9:52PM
“Hunting a cruel barbaric outdated sport practiced by brain dead yokels and out of touch snobbish hooray henrys
sadly it seems both are on this thread
ban the hunt and arrest the hunters
simple as that and thats the bottom line cos spidey jones says so”
by Sarah, South
Tuesday, January 04 2011, 9:34PM
“"harrangued" to death? Eh? What, are the poor things stood up against a wall while Harriet Harman and Tessa Jowell explain the nuances of equality legislation to them? Now that WOULD be a cruel sport.”
by megamuffit, Wales
Tuesday, January 04 2011, 9:02PM
“Mike Watts, bless him, is talking nonsense to justify his hunt's activities. "If a fox crosses the line the hounds will follow it"! Never mind the fact that you're trying to find them all the time, eh? Or that you draw coverts with a pack just like the old days? Or when the hounds go on cry, your huntsman makes no effort to call them off live quarry - even when monitors are present? Or that you go out with gunmen and a pack of hounds (not just two) to find foxes and shoot them - and then tell the police they had nothing to do with you? Or that you claim the land where a fox corpse lies with it's guts hanging out is yours, and a picture of said fox corpse would look good hanging on your wall? Don't worry - we will release all the footage - we are just working out a way to get it seen by as many folks as possible. Oh and by the way, killing foxes by whatever means - hunting with dogs, gun packs or terrier boys - makes no difference whatsoever to their numbers. Fact. It ain't control, it's just killing for fun.”
by Ton Jack, Tonyrefail
Tuesday, January 04 2011, 7:11PM
“As anyone who keeps poultry will tell you, foxes are absolute pests, they don't just kill one bird to feed off, they will kill the lot for the sheer hell of it. As for other more humane methods of controlling fox numbers, I suppose you mean leaving them die in snares for days on end or to slowly bleed to death from a gunshot? As for animal cruelty, hunting is much less cruel than the conditions in which millions of animals are intensively reared and slaughtered every year in the UK. I don't agree with many of Heather's posts but she is correct when she says that so-called animal lovers who eat meat are hypocrites.”