'As brave as owt': Catching up with the Lake District hounds

By Sue Preston

FROM April to October each year, the Lake District is alive with the sound of hounds.

HOUND-racing is one of Cumbria’s oldest sports, passed down through the generations, and on weekends and some weekdays you may come across the spectacle of men and women standing in a field with binoculars in hand, shouting and cheering, calling out names, banging dog bowls and blowing whistles to encourage their hounds as they fly across fells to the finishing line.

The hounds follow a paraffin and aniseed trail for a distance of five or 10 miles, with the

younger dogs covering the shorter distance in around 20 minutes and the senior dogs the longer distance in 30 minutes.

The day I visit is unseasonally hot and it is 44 minutes before the winner of the 10-mile race crosses the line to a reward of chicken and tripe.

"They’re athletes, they love to run", hound-owner Gary Woodend says. "If they don’t want to run then they just won’t go."

These keen, lean running machines are among the hardiest dogs on the planet. Critics decry the sport as "poor man’s horseracing" but it is far from that. The trails, which are run over open fell and farmland, put the dogs’ speed, stamina, and natural instinct to the test in a way no other race does.

"They’re as brave as owt", Mr Woodend says.

Hound racing requires effort, not just from the specially-bred hounds but from their owners as well. Before the start of the meet people known as "trailers" must set the course, dragging a woollen rag of paraffin and aniseed across land generously made available by local farmers and landowners.

If the trailers are lucky they have use of a quad bike, otherwise they walk.

And it is no easy walk. The terrain is challenging and can include bracken, rocks, fences,

streams, steep fells, walls, ditches and lots of uneven ground. Then there are the expected discoveries - one trailer climbed over a hedge to find a couple "in flagrante delicto".

If you are lucky enough to catch one of these hound racing events, it’s easy to get caught up in the enthusiasm for this sport which is rooted in tradition in the beautiful lake-land villages of Cumbria.

The earliest recorded race dates back to 1763, with results books from as far back as 1856.

Generations of Lake District families have grown up with the sport and it’s played an

important role in rural culture. Its origin can be traced back 200 years to disputes between local farmers claiming to have the fastest pack of hounds.

The sport recently changed its name from hound trailing to hound racing to end any

misconception that the sport is in any way associated with fox or drag hunting.

Today, races take place all over the Lake District and each race typically features between eight and 12 hounds. On average the hounds run two to three times a week over the season, sustained by a nourishing diet of chicken, tripe, rabbit, beef, pasta, fish and vegetables.

Weather plays a critical role in the outcome of a race; heavy rain can wash away the scent, while hot conditions can cause it to evaporate.

This day, despite the heat, all the hounds are breaking their necks to be off. Every ounce of the "slippers" strength is needed to hold them in position before the white flag drops

signalling the start of the race.

Then it’s an anxious wait for the "catchers" who take up position at the finishing line,

watching through binoculars for a glimpse of their hounds on the fells.

When the first hound is sighted, the catchers erupt. Each catcher has his or her own specific call to bring the hound home. On this summer day some hounds bound across the line, others choose to walk or trot it in. There is an anxious wait until the last of the hounds returns.

There is prize money to be won but "as long as they come home safe and well that’s the main thing," I am told.

The 26-week hound racing season requires a huge commitment of a year-long solid training regime, but "once you get hooked, you want to do it forever," seventh-generation hound racer Jenny Horn tells me.

The fixtures for the hound racing season are published on the Hound Racing Association’s website.

Races that are held as part of a rural show are easily accessible but most meets are

held well off the beaten track and you will need a car, the area code and the grid reference to find them (or an obliging taxi driver in my case). The location details are generally published on the website www.houndracingassociation.com

The Lakeland Trailhound Welfare finds homes for many youngsters who do not

take to racing, as well as older retired hounds. They have already homed more than1,000

hounds that have retired from racing.

The association also promotes trail hounds at dog shows during the summer and organises fund-raising events throughout the year to help cover transport costs, kennelling and vet bills. Visit Lakeland Trailhound Welfare