A fine cross to bear

The Welsh foabund has long been celebrated for its nose, voice and drive, qualities that progressive breeders SVN hi upon to reinvigorate its English counterpart

- ADRIAN DANGAR

FOR MANY hunting enthusiasts a visit to the Wales & Border Counties Hound Show at the Royal Welsh Showground on the last Thursday in June is a highlight of summer. There are several rings for different hound breeds at the spectacular setting within a natural bowl of the mountains at Builth Wells, where the Brecon & Talybont, Golden Valley, Irfon & Towy, Radnor & West Hereford and Teme Valley foxhounds all converge. But the most important ring of all is the one run by the Welsh Hound Association, founded in 1922 under the presidency of Sir Edward Curre "for the purpose of preserving and promoting the Welsh foxhound as a specific British breed". A dedicated stud book has been maintained ever since, and each year registered hounds compete for championships just as prestigious to Welsh hunts as Peterborough is to their English counterparts a month later.

Pure-bred Welsh hounds are shown off the lead in the English style but exhibited by their huntsman kneeling down to support the hound's chin and stern with each hand, possibly to compensate for the breed's aversion to anything as pretentious as showing. Every hunting aficionado knows that a thick, broken coat is the hallmark of a Welsh foxhound, but the breed is also distinguished by a dome head and ears long enough to meet in front of the nose close observation of the Welsh ring at Builth Wells will reveal huntsmen gently tugging the ears of their charges to demonstrate purity of Welsh blood. Once the serious business of the day is complete there is a raucous singsong in the livestock sheds to look forward to, perhaps followed by a visit to the Barley Mow pub nearby, where the former landlord used to host Meets on six consecutive mornings during the Builth Wells hunting festival in November.