27 December—Oscar Wilde called fox hunts “The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable.” And, boy, was he right. No matter what excuse—call it rationale—people may have for riding to hounds, as it’s known, the hunt usually results in the brutal murder of whatever animals the dogs—forgive me, hounds (they must never be called dogs)—can bring to ground, tree, corner, or otherwise get their fangs into. And the horses aren’t particularly willing or happy, either.

Often as not, the mutts—sorry, hounds—don’t even get to kill their intended vulpine prey. It’s not unusual for even the well-trained ones to get distracted by other wild animals, as well as farm animals and house pets. And a kill is a kill to a foxhound. Why should they care whose blood they shed? It’s not their fault. That’s what they do.

Fox hunters may do the dirty for the pleasure of riding and showing off their equestrian expertise. Some may take pride in their hounds. Hunt riding habit—often strictly enforced—attracts others. And the social aspect—including hunt breakfasts and hunt balls—plays an undeniably important part.

Chasing an animal, usually to the point of exhaustion, and allowing a pack of dogs—er, hounds—to rip it apart in the name of sport is inhumane and unnecessary, to say the least. Positively barbaric, in fact. The horses often are exhausted, too. Who really believes that horses like being whipped, spurred, forced to gallop, and jump? Or to pull wagons or do anything else people make them do, for that matter?

Perhaps the most disgusting rite of passage in a fox hunt is blooding, the ceremony in which a novice’s face is smeared with the blood of the first fox that lucky person has seen killed. Blooding is not done when the hounds kill an animal other than a fox.

That’s a fox hunt for you. And it’s only one variety of animal slaughter for sport . . .