Editing Fox hunting (section)

== Animals of the hunt ==

=== Hounds and other dogs ===
[[File:English Foxhound portrait.jpg|thumb|left|An [[English foxhound]]]]

Fox hunting is usually undertaken with a pack of [[scent hound]]s,<ref name=burns/> and, in most cases, these are specially bred ''[[foxhound]]s''.<ref name=AKC>{{cite web|publisher=American Kennel Club|title=English Foxhound History|url=http://www.akc.org/breeds/english_foxhound/history.cfm|access-date=15 October 2007}}</ref>
These dogs are trained to pursue the fox based on its [[scent]]. The two main types of foxhound are the [[English Foxhound]]<ref>{{cite web|publisher=American Kennel Club|title=English Foxhound Breed Standard|url=http://www.akc.org/breeds/english_foxhound/|access-date=15 October 2007|archive-date=12 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012223227/http://www.akc.org/breeds/english_foxhound/}}</ref> and the [[American Foxhound]].<ref>{{cite web|publisher=American Kennel Club|title=American Foxhound Breed Standard|url=http://www.akc.org/breeds/american_foxhound/|access-date=15 October 2007|archive-date=12 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012222919/http://www.akc.org/breeds/american_foxhound/}}</ref> It is possible to use a [[sight hound]] such as a [[Greyhound]] or [[lurcher]] to pursue foxes,<ref>{{cite web|publisher=American Kennel Club|title=Greyhound History|url=http://www.akc.org/breeds/greyhound/history.cfm|access-date=15 October 2007}}</ref> though this practice is not common in organised hunting, and these dogs are more often used for [[coursing]] animals such as [[hare]]s.<ref>{{cite web|title=End of the road for illegal hare coursing|publisher=BBC Inside Out|date=24 January 2005|access-date=15 October 2007|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/east/series7/hare_coursing.shtml}}</ref> There is also one pack of [[beagle]]s in Virginia that hunt foxes.  They are unique in that they are the only hunting beagle pack in the US to be followed on horseback.  [[English Foxhound]]s are also used for hunting [[mink]].

Hunts may also use [[working terrier|terrier]]s to flush or kill foxes that are hiding underground,<ref name=burns/> as they are small enough to pursue the fox through narrow earth passages. This is not practised in the United States, as once the fox has gone to ground and is accounted for by the hounds, it is left alone.

=== Horses ===
{{main|Field hunter}}
[[File:Mixed field.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|A mixed field of horses at a hunt, including children on ponies<!--Powderham Castle does seem over-represented in these images-->]]
The [[horse]]s, called "[[field hunter]]s" or ''hunters,'' ridden by members of the field, are a prominent feature of many hunts, although others are conducted on foot (and those hunts with a field of mounted riders will also have foot followers). Horses on hunts can range from specially bred and trained [[field hunter]]s to casual hunt attendees riding a wide variety of horse and [[pony]] types.  [[Draft horse|Draft]] and [[Thoroughbred]] crosses are commonly used as hunters, although [[purebred]] Thoroughbreds and horses of many different [[list of horse breeds|breeds]] are also used.

Some hunts with unique territories favour certain traits in field hunters; for example, when hunting coyote in the western US, a faster horse with more stamina is required to keep up, as coyotes are faster than foxes and inhabit larger territories. Hunters must be well-mannered, have the athletic ability to clear large obstacles such as wide ditches, tall fences, and rock walls, and have the stamina to keep up with the hounds. In English foxhunting, the horses are often a cross of half or a quarter Irish Draught and the remainder English thoroughbred.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Waitemata Hunt|title=Hunt Etiquette|url=http://members.tripod.com/horse_hunting/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/hunt_etiquette.pdf|date=October 2008|access-date=29 December 2010}}</ref>

Dependent on terrain, and to accommodate different levels of ability, hunts generally have alternative routes that do not involve jumping.  The field may be divided into two groups, with one group, the ''First Field,'' that takes a more direct but demanding route that involves jumps over obstacles<ref name=Independence>{{cite web|title=Information and Guidelines for Foxhunters in the Field|publisher=Independence Foxhounds|year=2007|url=http://www.independencefoxhounds.com/protocol.html|access-date=18 January 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080308004907/http://www.independencefoxhounds.com/protocol.html |archive-date = 8 March 2008}}</ref> while another group, the ''Second Field'' (also called ''Hilltoppers'' or ''Gaters''), takes longer but less challenging routes that utilise gates or other types of access on the flat.<ref name=Independence/><ref>{{cite web|title=Hunting Hounds and Polo Ponies |year=1998 |publisher=JoCo History |url=http://www.jocohistory.net/culture/11no3hunting.asp |access-date=18 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025165931/http://www.jocohistory.net/culture/11no3hunting.asp |archive-date=25 October 2007 }}</ref>

=== Birds of prey ===

In Great Britain, since the introduction of the hunting ban, a number of hunts have employed [[falconry|falconers]] to bring [[Bird of prey|birds of prey]] to the hunt, due to the exemption in the [[Hunting Act]] for falconry.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Guardian|title=The banned rode on|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/nov/07/hunting.ethicalliving|last=Moss|first=Stephen|access-date=5 October 2007|date=7 November 2006 | location=London}}</ref> Many experts, such as the Hawk Board, deny that any bird of prey can reasonably be used in the British countryside to kill a fox which has been flushed by (and is being chased by) a pack of hounds.<ref>{{Cite journal|author=McLeod, I.|year=2005|title=Birds of prey and the Hunting Act 2004|journal=Justice of the Peace |volume=169|pages=774–775}}</ref>