‘The English country gentleman galloping after a fox - the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable”.
Oscar Wilde.

The British tradition of fox hunting is, like most blood sports, increasingly difficult to defend in modern society. Viewed by many as an elitist and cruel past time for the rich, fox-hunting, like bull-fighting, evokes a powerful emotional response from both its detractors and its supporters, and has become a major political issue.

Those against fox hunting portray it as as a cruel, elitist pastime. Fox-hunters claim that it is a tradition that holds communities together and creates jobs. As the battle became increasingly heated, a Parliamentary ban under the Labout government banned fox-hunting with a pack of hounds. The law allows hunting on horseback to continue, but only with a single dog. The hunters have become the hunted, but they are refusing to go down without a fight.