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The following is a commentary used at Lowther in August 2006 to introduce the VLH and the Three Counties Bloodhounds:

The Vale of Lune Harriers

The Vale of Lune is a pack of Stud Book Harriers which have hunted in the Vale of Lune between Sedburgh and Lancaster since Captain Foster established the kennels at the Deer Park at Hornby Castle in 1875. The country is a glorious mix of Vale, Grassland and Moor, strongly fenced with hedge, timber and walls.

Pre-ban, they hunted both Hare and Fox, but have settled to hunting a fox based scent without losing their lovely enthusiasm. The present Joint Masters are Mrs Victoria Atkinson-Sutton, John Clive Richardson and Mr Alexander Pimbley.

With the hounds today, a wonderful experience for both them and us at Lowther, are the young people of the Vale of Lune, all Under 13 and all mad keen on Hunting with Hounds. Huntsman is Johnny Richardson who hunted these Hounds two years ago at the Children’s meet when he was only 11 and afterwards claimed to be the youngest mounted Huntsman. We would love to hear from any challengers!

Johnny is riding William who is a pure bred New Forest who wasn’t rounded up until he was 3 and still thinks that he is entire!
Johnny whips in to his Dad on Saturdays and quite a few Wednesdays when he sneaks off school…he hopes none of teachers heard that!

His whips are Gillian Hayhurst, a farmer’s daughter from the hills above Lancaster, who is riding Freddie. Gill is on Pony Club teams, does Area Show Jumping, Zone Games and is just home from Club Camp last night…so if she falls asleep, we’ll know why!

Also whipping-in is Holly, who is daughter of the Cumberland Farmers Foxhounds Master and Huntsman, Peter. She is lending her experience helping father and will also be parading Hounds with him tomorrow, so it is a busy weekend for her and we thank her for her help.

The 3rd member of the team is Danny Gallager who, like them all, is hunting mad. Danny has hunter with the Vale of Lune and the Holcolmbe Harriers, and is hoping to whip-in next season and has just been awarded his Hunt Buttons, which is an honour for one so young.

Come on everyone, lets get this mean and spiteful legislation overturned so these smashing kids can experience proper Hunting and pass it on to their children.

Ladies and Gentlemen: The Vale of Lune Harriers.

The Three Counties Hounds

A new pack of Hounds appearing in Public for the first time today is the Three Counties. This pack originated from the Three Counties Bloodhounds in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge and were purchased by a group of enthusiasts from the Lune Valley back in 2003. Since that date the original pack has been crossed and bred from using Tynedale and Dumfrieshire Foxhound blood to produce the Hounds here today. The result is a much more athletic Hound, capable of crossing strongly fenced country, with a cleaner face but still retaining the pendulous ears, nose and wonderful cry of the Bloodhound.

The pack has been kennelled at the Deer Park at Hornby Castle, in Lancashire, the home of the Vale of Lune Harriers and will hunt in their country or by invitation in the three Counties of Lancashire, Cumbria and North Yorkshire.

The entire pack here today is unentered and will travel from here today to the Scottish Borders where the pack will be fine tuned to hunt a trail of fox-based scent or hunting an elite runner as a Clean Boot. On returning to England, the pack will start hunting in the Vale of Lune country in early September.

With Hounds today is some of the Hunt staff of the Vale of Lune Harriers kindly loaned for the occasion. Joint Master and Huntsman, John Clive Richardson, who is riding Mr Bumble, who was a commissioned Police horse, until he decided that he preferred Hunting to squashing football yobs outside Old Trafford.

Also, on Blue, is Simon Derby, who has whipped at the Vale of Lune for the past two seasons and was born in Chiddingfold and Leck Country with whom he has hunted, as well as with the D&S Staghounds and the Exmoor. Simon is a land agent with Smith-Gore, based now at Taunton and has kindly come all this way to be here today.

Last, but not least, Julia Tissington, riding Patrick. Julia has just completed a season whipping-in, has been nearly drowned in the Lune, submerged in a bog and rolled on…but it certainly has not put her off! We promise her next year will be better!

Ladies and Gentlemen: The Three Counties Hounds.