Foxhunting 101

Foxhunting is the sport of following a pack of scent hounds on horseback as they work the trail of a fox or coyote across the countryside. In North America it is, overwhelmingly, a chase-only sport: the thrill lies in watching hounds puzzle out a line and in riding good country with good company — not in a kill.

What Actually Happens on a Hunt Day

Riders gather at the meet — the appointed time and place — for a stirrup cup and a word from the masters. The huntsman then “moves off,” casting the pack into likely cover to search for scent. When a hound strikes a line, it “speaks,” the rest of the pack honors the cry, and the chase is on. The mounted field follows at a respectful distance, led by a field master, sometimes walking quietly and sometimes galloping and jumping as the run demands. A day typically lasts two to four hours and ends with a convivial hunt breakfast.

Who's Who in the Hunt Field

• Master of Foxhounds (MFH)
  Leads the hunt, the country, and the membership; responsible for everything that happens in the field and the kennel.
• Huntsman
  Controls the pack with horn and voice, casting hounds and directing the chase. The conductor of the whole day.
• Whipper-In
  The huntsman's assistant, helping keep the pack together and reporting the line of the chase.
• Field Master
  Leads the mounted field, deciding the route and pace so riders see sport without interfering with hounds.
• Field Secretary
  Greets members and guests, collects capping fees, and keeps the day organized.
• The Field
  All the mounted riders following the hunt, usually split into a first flight (jumping) and hilltoppers (non-jumping).

First Flight or Hilltoppers?

You ride with the group that suits you and your horse. The first flight stays closest to hounds and will jump fences and gallop. Hilltoppers (sometimes called second flight) follow the same hunt at a walk and trot, taking gates instead of jumps. Both groups see the chase — and newcomers almost always start with the hilltoppers.

The Language of the Chase

• Fixture
  The time and place of a meet. A “fixture card” lists them for the season.
• Cap / Capping fee
  The fee a guest pays to hunt for the day, traditionally collected before the hunt moves off.
• Cubbing
  Early, informal autumn hunting that settles young hounds and horses before the formal season.
• Moving off
  The moment the huntsman leaves the meet and begins to hunt.
• Drawing a covert
  Sending hounds through likely cover (a “covert,” said “cover”) to search for the line of a fox.
• Line
  The scent trail left by the quarry, which the hounds follow.
• Giving tongue / Speaking
  When hounds bay and cry to signal they are on the scent.
• Gone to ground
  When the fox or coyote escapes into a den or earth, ending that run — the usual, happy outcome.
• Check
  A pause when hounds lose the scent and must cast about to recover the line.
• Ware (beware)
  A warning call — “ware hole,” “ware wire,” “ware car” — passed along the field.
• Tally-ho
  The cry raised when a rider actually views the fox; point in the direction it ran.
• Couple
  Hounds are traditionally counted in pairs — “twenty couple” means forty hounds.

Conservation & the Land

A working hunt is a powerful force for conservation. To hunt, a club must preserve large tracts of open, undeveloped country and maintain strong relationships with the farmers and families who own it. That land protects wildlife habitat, watersheds, and rural character that would otherwise be lost to development. Healthy fox and coyote populations are a point of pride — you cannot chase what you do not conserve.

The Hounds

Foxhounds are athletes bred over centuries for nose, voice, stamina, and biddability — not house pets, but deeply cared-for working animals who live and hunt as a pack. American, English, Crossbred, and Penn-Marydel are the principal types in North America. The best way to understand the sport is to come hound walking with us in the off-season and meet the pack by name.