Hound shows, and how to win them

While performance on the hunting field is everything, the summer prizes on the flags are also hotly contested. Andrew Sallis gets some expert insight

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When a huntsman enters the show ring with his hounds he should have a vision of how the "performance" should play out: how he is positioned to the hounds, the tempo and proportion of galloping to standing on the flags, how to get those individual hounds to stand at their best for the judges.

If the hounds and huntsman have not sufficiently prepared, they are unlikely to have either the ring grammar and experience to cope with anything unexpected or achieve their best, or even know what "best" looks or feels like.

Practice must therefore be built into the routine, as opposed to done by exception. Thirty minutes after breakfast a few times a week will rapidly reap reward, but certain regular short drills are good practice, too. A battalion of staff helps, of course, but plenty of smaller establishments produce great results through dedication and organisation.

“I start practising in the winter, when all the puppies back from walk are on the same yard. Before feeding, just for a few minutes, I'll get them looking at a biscuit and teach them to stand back,” says Philip Hague, the VWH huntsman who has produced hounds to win countless championships over the past two decades.

Such exercises also promote good manners, not mithering the huntsman for a biscuit. In and out of kennels, young hounds learn from their elders.

“When walking out and stood in a field, I'll throw some biscuits and the young hounds soon catch on when they see the older hounds dashing about;” says Philip.

A shy hound should be taken out for walks.

“The pubs and shops of Broadway were familiar stomping ground for our North Cotswold hounds. It’s essential they are confident yet relaxed among people and unfamiliar surroundings,” says Nigel Peel, an eminent judge and former master and huntsman.

More formal practices at kennels in the puppy show ring are imperative but mustn’t bore the hounds. Young hounds have a finite amount of concentration time.