Behind the scenes at the Beaufort

Rebecca Jordan visits the Duke of Beaufort’s immaculate kennels and meets the team behind the seamless operation

- Rebecca Jordan

AS you drive from the village and through the distinctive Badminton gates, the drive rises gently, cushioned each side by a wide and immaculate grass verge. Yew and evergreen holm oaks guide the way into ancient parkland over the brow, where the famous lake lies.

Just before you reach the park, on the right is the beautiful stable yard. Directly opposite is the Duke of Beaufort’s hunt kennels. The first impression is how normal these kennels are, despite their setting. This is a working environment like every other kennels in the country. However, history runs deeper here.

Hounds have been kennelled at Badminton since 1640. Since then they have remained the private pack of the Dukes of Beaufort. The 10th Duke was so synonymous with foxhunting he was known as Master and his car’s number plate MFH1. One specific Beaufort female line can be traced back over 60 generations to 1743. This makes the foxhound the most chronicled animal in the world; the Arabian horse comes a close second.

Today there are 25 couple of dog hounds, 35 couple of bitches and 20 couple of pups preparing to enter next season. These are big, strong hounds that, as a pack, resonate a demeanor appropriate to their surroundings.

Hounds meet four days a week: the dog hounds hunt Mondays and Thursdays and the bitches Wednesdays and Saturdays.

AN EXCEPTIONAL TEAM IN PRESTIGIOUS ROLES

DUE to the scale of this operation it takes an exceptional team of staff to turn out hounds to the exemplary benchmark the Beaufort is feted with within the hunting community.

Nick Hopkins is in charge as kennel-huntsman. His is one of the most prestigious roles within hunt service. Both he and amateur huntsman Matt Ramsden, who spent five seasons hunting the Bedale, moved to the Duke of Beaufort’s in 2016.