On Saturday we headed to the coast on the very edge of Westward Ho! where the Stevenstone Hunt were meeting on David Lomas’s estate at Cornborough. According to Lomas himself, he wasn’t hosting an illegal foxhunt but rather a “Drag Race” (RuPaul wasn’t invited…). He did clarify that he actually meant a “drag hunt” but didn’t seem to know what one of those is either. Whatever it was he was hosting, it definitely wasn’t a trail hunt (and a trail hunt is quite different to a drag hunt). We did quiz one of the regular riders on where the trail-layer was and what he looked like. His response was “like the fox”. Indeed.
Half-pack Harrison and her hounds gathered in the grounds of Lomas’s manor and the hunt vehicles were parked on the edge of his helipad… The hunt set off to the north and began drawing every dense bush and hedge on Lomas’s land. The gorse-lined slopes which drop right down over the South West Coast Path and then plummet into the sea are so steep, thick and prickly, the hounds needed a lot of encouragement from huntswoman Jessica Harrison and her whip Sean Watts to go in and try and find a fox.
Fortunately, the hunt spent the next few hours drawing blank after blank on Lomas’s land and scattering hounds all over the place. Three foot teams were strategically positioned to intervene where necessary and our drone hovered above the pack throughout. Runner sabs followed on the South West Coast Path and used the opportunity to canvas public opinion about foxhunting. The vast majority of people were disgusted by what they were witnessing on what they must have hoped would just be a pleasant stroll along the coast. Some let slip how despised Lomas is locally, that he comes from old money, looks down on people and loves bloodsports. He definitely loves the sound of his own voice and thinks he can make up and ignore laws at his discretion.
The hunt also spent part of the day at Abbotsham Court and in the dense scrub around the quarry at Chaltaborough. This was the only time we heard hounds speak, but runner sabs were straight in the brambles to move them on.
The hunt packed up at around 3pm. Whip Sean made his way back to the meet on the back of a quad (perhaps his horse had finally decided to give him the boot) and Lomas finished his Drag Race with a show-off helicopter ride.
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