Horses, Hounds, and Horns

As soon as Jon and I arrived in Suffolk this morning, we were whisked off to watch the gathering of the hunt.  If there hadn't been cars trying to maneuver around the horses, I would have thought I had been transported to Downton Abbey in 1912:

Regardless of what you may think about the morality of the sport of hunting, you have to admit that it's a beautifully stylized activity.  The horses were calm and powerful, their manes knotted and their coats gleaming.  All of the participants were wearing gorgeous blazers and fitted coats with cravats and, as you can see, the woman above was dressed in a splendid suit while riding sidesaddle.  Actually, I was surprised to see that there were as many women as men participating - and that the Master of the Hunt was a woman.

Hunting is technically illegal in the UK, so this hunt was not explicitly chasing hares or foxes; instead, an artificial scent was laid down for the hounds to follow and this was tracked rather than any live animal.

Interestingly, most people who live in the countryside think that hunting should be legal and, also interestingly, I have seen more foxes in London than I ever have outside the M25.  The ban on hunting was enacted for many reasons - morality was in play, certainly, but so were political considerations and issues with class.  Hunting provokes a very visceral debate, I know, as it should.  But as long as no laws are being broken, I think we should be able to enjoy this classic English tradition.  What do you think?