FEW jobs require such a multitude of talents as that of a professional huntsman. The skill required to hunt a pack of hounds one takes for granted, along with the ability to ride across the stiffest of country without falling off. A knack for butchering fallen stock is essential, as well as being an accomplished mechanic in order to keep the hunt lorry functioning. A deft touch with a paintbrush is handy to ensure that the kennels always look their best, too. But perhaps the most underrated necessity is charm, which is far more than raising a cap on hunting days. A good huntsman has to be able to persuade subscribers and supporters to walk hound puppies, not the easiest thing to do when we all know that a foxhound puppy can be the naughtiest and most destructive small animal there is.
The tradition of puppy walking stretches back for almost as long as we have had packs of hounds. A huntsman has quite enough things to do without bringing up the puppies, so it makes sense for the youngsters to go to temporary homes until they are old enough to come back and join the pack. According to the 8th Duke of Beaufort, writing in his authoritative volume Hunting (first published in 1894), puppies are usually ready to be sent for their walks when they are about three to four months old. Here they “remain to be tended at the discretion of their temporary masters till the following spring”.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2020-Ausgabe von The Field.
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Rory Stewart - The former Cabinet minister and hit podcast host talks to Alec Marsh about the parlous state of British politics, land management and his deep love of the countryside
The gently spoken 51-year-old former Conservative Cabinet minister is a countryman at heart. That's clear: he even changes into a tweed waistcoat for the interview, which takes place at his London home and begins with a question about his precise career status. Having resigned from the Commons and the Conservative Party in 2019, the former diplomat and soldier has reinvented himself, first with an unconventional but promising run as an independent for the London mayoralty (abandoned because of COVID19 in 2020) and then as a media figure, co-hosting one of the country's most popular podcasts, The Rest Is Politics, alongside Alastair Campbell, the former Labour spin doctor.
Fodder
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