Foxhunter qualification.

Will the bar on amateur riders be lifted before Cheltenham?

good thinking ..what other races are ameteur jocks? 1 or 2 of the hcaps if memory serves

All races open to amateurs

of course they are,,,but theres a few that are ameteur only ...thats the point!

There were always 3. NH chase, Foxhunters and Kim Muir. One per day back when it was a 3 day meeting. Not sure if the conditions of the NH chase have changed.

Just checked and the NH chase is now run over 3m 6f and confined to amateurs with a class B license.

They will surely have to lift the amateur restriction in order to allow any horses to qualify for the Foxhunters! I suppose they could allow any certificates from last season to qualify.

Sageform, to reply to the original question, I tweeted the P2P authority to ask, but no reply yet.

Interesting and thanks for the info muse. It is a very important question for anyone trying to qualify a horse or for ante post punters.

https://www.britishhorseracing.com/press_releases/changes-to-horse-qualifica...

The link has been discussed on jumping for fun apparently. It seems possible that "amateur" owners and trainers of qualified horses may not be admitted to Cheltenham even if they have a runner. Professionals only. So how do they get the horses there? The plot thickens.

The RP have published the BHA qualifications today. They also report that, sadly, the word Fox has been removed from the race title. Another victory for the woke brigade.

Is that a joke sageform about the word fox being removed?

It is no joke, cloone river. The pathetic capitulation to the linguistic tyranny of the woke is not an illusion.  It creeps in everywhere. Resist and you will be cancelled.

Aintree have so far not followed their example but plenty of time for pressure to be put on them too.

So the word fox hunters offends people?

Fox hunting is a cruel barbaric and outdated event. I am glad that Cheltenham has disassociated themseves from it.

without hunting, there would never have been steeplechasing.

You are probably right Andymca.Fox hunting in great Britain is illegal?

Sageform, that was then and this is now. Hunting am animal with a pack of dogs over miles of countryside for nothingelse than personal pleasure and social standing, is something that belongs in the past. Changing the name of the race does not devalue it in any way and sets a good example for the younger generation.

my first reaction was ohhh dear,but on reflection i agree with andymca ...folk will still call it the foxhunters but over time it will dilute ....

I certainly agree with the dropping of "fox", although is it yet too late for anti-woke contrarian Laurence (of that ilk) to come in and sponsor the race to preserve its name?
I am joking, of course.

Yes, anything appearing to create a space from the hunting brigade is a good move. Perhaps we can get rid of the 'hunter' bit as well?

In the good old days there used to be two hunter chases on a three day card. Thankfully, times have moved on, and they would move on even further if they shunted the race to the April meeting, and for good measure took the Cross Country Chase with it. Hunter chasing is in a terrible state because all the half decent point-to-pointers are immediately sold. The likes of Shand-Kydd, Collins and Thorne are a very distant memory.

In a normal year I would be deciding where to watch the qualifying hunter chases on my day off: The Dog and Duck; The Bird in Hand; The Fox and Hounds; The Hare and Hounds; The Fighting ****?

Post COVID I look forward to a world where I can do so in Willy Woke's Vegan Latte Bar.

The Foxhunter, along with all Hunter's Chases and Points is undoubtedly in irreversible decline.  It has become increasingly professional dominated, and the grass roots behind it are in their death throes.

But names preserve memories of archaic practices.  The Foxhunter is named for a practice of the past.  Nobody thinks the name is an active encouragement to go and pursue a fox.  In the same way that one person can both be vegan, and enjoy the music of the Smashing Pumpkins (could we get D. Bass to confirm this?).

No moral ground is gained by expunging words, which in themselves do no harm.  The harm comes from being inattentive and uninquisitive about how we arrived at today.  Without knowing how the past led us to here we can easily end up with an aggressive orthodoxy about how the world should be which is as dangerous as it is unpleasant.



Right that is off my chest and I will say no more about it.


I would very much like to know the answer to the OP still, though!

So far there has been just one hunter chase in England so just 4 qualifiers and the riders needed to be professional! If you remove the names fox, hunter and amateur, the race ceases to exist in any meaningful form. I am a 70 year enthusiast of ptp and hunter chases so I will mourn their passing. Baulking Green, The Dikler, Pure Lady (ridden to victory many times by the one armed Gregory Phillips), Credit Call, Woodside Terrace and so many more great names from the 50's to '70s.

So you would sooner allow foxes to habit your city streets ?
Vermine of the worse kind , still being hunted and always will be  by farmers in Ireland because they have experience  of what they can do.
Bringing foxes into your towns and cities is like letting a pandemic come in through your airports.
Hang on a minute !

Mother's 'nightmare' after baby twins 'mauled' by fox
Published7 June 2010

Fox attacked baby boy in own home, police say
Published10 February 2013

MAULED BY FOX Horror injuries of seven-month-old baby attacked by fox that crept into family home and BIT her in bouncer
Plymouth family say animal had been lurking around their garden before it snuck into their home and attacked tot


14 Feb 2018, 17:48Updated: 16 Feb 2018, 5:15
A BABY girl was bitten by a fox after it crept into their home

What is wrong with ejits ?

killing foxes as vermin is one thing but hunting them with a pack of dogs and a glassof champagne and then calling it a sport is another thing altogether

You been to hunt lately ?

Slaughtering animals for social standing is not my kind of fun. Sign the petition you know you want to. https://focusingonwildlife.com/news/petition-ban-fox-hunting-in-ireland/

Ah thought so .....you havent a clue what happens at hunts in Ireland

Why chase a fox over fields with horses and dogs to kill it as vermin, when a shotgun will do it a lot more efficiently and humanely. I think you will find that the majority of Irish people agree with me.

A shotgun ? You are absolutely clueless pal.

I thought a shotgun was the preferred choice of you landed gentry.

It is when it comes to antis like you.....

I have to admit to being on both sides of this one. I grew up on farm and went hunting on foot as a teenager but not since. I believe that tradition is an important part of racing and a countryside base has always supported jumping. If foxes were killed quietly, it made good sense as they are a significant economic cost for farmers but the dressing up and riding to hounds is what has brought it's demise. Badgers are far more destructive than foxes but there is no way that they can be harmed.

You might be needing one of these once Irishone wakes up https://www.safeguardclothing.com/uk/15-bullet-proof-vests/?gclid=CjwKCAiApN...

My family "hunt" now every year .....dont think they have ever caught a cold let alone a fox. All they do is follow the trail of a scent. Its an iconoc irish village tradition.

iconoc irish village tradition? Are you having a laugh or drinking too early again ?

Clearly your village is missing its ejit

At age 76 I have seen continual changes in public opinion on a whole range of issues. As a child I was encouraged to collect pressed flowers, birds eggs, butterflies etc and taught which wildlife were considered to be pests and how to control them. Rabbits, Badgers and Rooks were considered the biggest economic cost to arable and livestock farms in Gloucestershire where I lived. Organised means of controlling them were encouraged. Food was still rationed and the Ministry of Agriculture encouraged and paid for anything (including getting rid of the pests above) that could raise yields and production. As time passed, evidence emerged that such practices were both damaging to the environment and morally questionable as cheap imported food became the norm. Foxes were a pest but the reason why they were hunted was that they were easily found by a pack of hounds and ran fast enough to create a fun sport. My keen interest in wildlife which grew from my earlier activities led me to question fox and hare hunting but I respect those who still carry on with a family tradition. What I find nauseating to watch are the abuses of pets such as cats and dogs that are cooped up in small rooms and then allowed out to terrorise wildlife for the sport of their owners. That would be banned in 24 hours if I was the PM. I would also ban all martial arts that I find no different from the Roman Gladiators who were killed and injured for other people's sick pleasure.

I hope next time you swat a fly, tread on an ant or by chance kill a poor bat that might be carrying  a corona virus at night in the headlights of your car ......that you remember its all a matter of balance...... And who the feck are you to say where the fulcrum lies ?

My village might be missing an ejit, but it is blindingly obvious that if you had another brain, you would be twice as stupid.

Andy you have no clue what happens in rural ireland
Its fine, dont get so childish
Sorry you lost your eyesight !

I am from the north and there are very few, if any hunts up here. I have never heard of any in Derry, Tyrone or Donegal.

There sre quite a few actually , two in down and one in dungannon at least that I know of.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where traditional fox hunting is legal.

Dungannon Foxhounds[8]
East Down Hunt[8]
Iveagh Hunt[8]
Killutagh, Old Rock and Chichester Hunt[8]
North Down Hunt[8][9]
South Tyrone Hunt[8]

Theres a farmers hunt pack in Donegal and a harriers pack.

Its very popular and the vast majority of people who take part dont want to see a fox die. The image portrayed by the antis is far from what actually happens.

No doubt the term NATIONAL HUNT will upset the snowflakes soon ..... What a dopey world we now live in .

All those are where there were landed gentry, native Irish do not participate as we do not have to impress anybody.

? Impress anyone ? Really ? Going on a hunt ? Who are you impressing ?
Landed gentry ? P M S L
Its a jolly mate,  the dance and the drink up is a great social occasion
You can take part with a kid  on a shetland in Galway if you want !
Full of native Irish .
Galway Blazers hunt is a lauded occasion , whole village of native Irish turn out in Craughwell
Seriously dont know where you get your information from.

http://www.banbloodsports.com/latest-blazers.htm

1998 ?

That gives you away.

Fine against anti-hunt activist dropped
Originally Published / Monday, 2 Oct 2000
An anti-hunt activist who was involved in a protest over foxhunting on lands owned by the Catholic Bishop of Clonfert at Loughrea in County Galway had a £150 fine quashed in the Circuit Court in Galway this morning. Thomas Hardiman, from Craughwell, said he was delighted with the decision. The Irish Council Against Bloodsports said it was a major victory for their campaign against foxhunting. Mr Hardiman staged his protest in front of Loughrea Cathedral last year, objecting to the fact that the Galway Blazers had been allowed to hunt over land owned by Bishop John Kirby.

Again your information is invalid and out of date !
The fellah referred to in your post was an activist twenty years ago. ?
I would not let my daughter or my grandchildren take ponies to any hunt if they were to see animals die.
To be frank, they wouldn't go themselves anyway if they knew there was any chance of that happening !

It is not my intention to argue with you, so it may be best if we agree to disagree on this matter. With that in mind, have you heard anything about Fakiera in The Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle. I backed it at 33s NRNB on PP, but now it is only 12s. I know it was tipped on a couple of those podcast things, but have not heard anything else that would lower its price

The Gregory Phillips old colours are declared at Warwick on Wednesday on Azure Fly. He has been pointing and is 13yo but his second to Thomas Crapper is not bad. He was second in a ptp in December so should be fit enough. I might throw £2 at it for old times sake.

Billaway won handily enough yesterday, but jumping is very suspect. That said, it is hard to find anything to oppose him.

Two more Hunter chases in GB this week but having professional riders is farcical.