Drag Hunting
Drag hunting has a field of mounted riders following a pack of fox hounds following an artificial scent laid by a person dragging a rag soaked in aniseed or another smelly synthetic scent.
It’s set up like a cross country course, following a predetermined route that can be tailored made to suit the riding abilities of the field. The scent, or line, is laid 10 to 30 minutes prior to the start of the hunt and there are usually four lines laid for a day of hunting. This can vary and each line is approximately 2 miles long.
When Oxford and Cambridge set up their drag hounds packs in the early 1800’s it became very popular. Drag hunting became popular with The British Army, the Household Cavalry established packs in 1863 and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Royal Military Academy Woolwich both established packs in 1870 . It was seen as the perfect training for those that were about to enter the cavalry divisions.
It doesn’t involve the hunting of live animals and was not affected by the hunting act.
