The Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America, first established in 1907 as the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America, and commonly abbreviated to MFHA, is an association promoting the activities and interests of fox hunting in the United States and Canada. It has its headquarters in Middleburg, Virginia.
The MFHA is the governing body of fox, coyote, and drag hunts in both the United States and Canada.[1]
As well as organizing fox hound shows and performance trials,[2] the MFHA operates a Professional Development Program[3] and a Hunt Staff Benefit Foundation.[4] It also publishes a number of guides and handbooks, several of which are available on its web site.[5]
Members of the MFHA include the Montreal Hunt, the oldest fox hunt in Canada, formed in 1826, and the Piedmont Foxhounds of Virginia, first established in 1840.[6]
Publications
Forming a Hunt: Considerations and Structure (MFHA, 2003)
MFHA Constitution & By-Laws (MFHA, 2010)
Lt. Col. Dennis J. Foster, Introduction to Foxhunting (4th edition, MFHA, 2013)[7]
Performance Trial Rules and Regulations (MFHA, 2013)
A Guide for Hound Shows, Puppy Shows & Performance Trials (MFHA, 2013)
A Guide to Kennel Standards of Care Checklist (MFHA laminated poster, 2013)
Lt. Col. Dennis J. Foster, A Guide to Being a Master of Foxhounds (MFHA, 2015)[8]
The beagle is a breed of small scent hound, similar in appearance to the much larger foxhound. The beagle was developed primarily for hunting hare (beagling). Possessing a great sense of smell and superior tracking instincts, the beagle is the primary breed used as a detection dog for prohibited agricultural imports and foodstuffs in quarantine around the world. The beagle is intelligent. It is a popular pet due to its size, good temper, and a lack of inherited health problems.
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds", follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.
The coonhound, colloquially the coon dog, is a type of scenthound, a member of the hound group. They are an American type of hunting dog developed for the hunting of raccoons, as well as feral pigs, bobcats, cougars, and bears. There are six distinct breeds of coonhound.
A foxhound is a type of large hunting hound bred for strong hunting instincts, a keen sense of smell, their bark, energy, drive, and speed. In fox hunting, the foxhound's namesake, packs of foxhounds track quarry, followed—usually on horseback—by the hunters, sometimes for several miles at a stretch; moreover, foxhounds also sometimes guard sheep and houses.
Beagling is the hunting mainly of hares and also rabbits, but definitely not foxes, by beagles by scent. A beagle pack is usually followed on foot, but in a few cases mounted. Beagling is often enjoyed by 'retired' fox hunters who have either sustained too many injuries or lost the agility to ride horseback, or who enjoy the outdoors and the camaraderie of the hunt. It is also traditionally a way for young men and women to learn how to handle hounds on a smaller scale before they go on to hunt with foxhounds.
The Duke of Beaufort's Hunt, also called the Beaufort and Beaufort Hunt, is one of the oldest and largest of the fox hunting packs in England.
The American Foxhound is a breed of dog that is a cousin of the English Foxhound. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent.
The Treeing Walker Coonhound is a breed of hound descended from the English and American Foxhounds. The breed originated in the United States when a dog known as "Tennessee Lead" was crossed into the Walker Hound in the 19th century. The Treeing Walker Coonhound was recognized officially as a breed by the United Kennel Club in 1945 and by the American Kennel Club in 2012.
The Berkeley Hunt is a foxhound pack in the west of England. Its country lies in the southern part of Gloucestershire, between Gloucester and Bristol.
The English Coonhound, also referred to as the American English Coonhound or the Redtick Coonhound, is a breed of coonhound that originated in and is typically bred in the Southern United States. It is descended from hunting hounds, especially foxhounds, brought to America by settlers during the 17th and 18th centuries. The breed's first recognition came from the United Kennel Club in 1905 as the English Fox and Coonhound. Further recognition has been granted in recent years by the American Kennel Club, first in the Foundation Stock Service and in 2011 as a fully recognized member of the hound group.
The Welsh Hound is a breed of hunting dog of the foxhound type, indigenous to Wales.
The Grand Anglo-Français Blanc et Orange translated into English as the Great Anglo-French White and Orange Hound, is a breed of dog used in hunting as a scenthound, usually in packs. It is one of the Anglo-French hound breeds which were created by crossing French scenthounds with English (Anglo) foxhounds.
The Quorn Hunt, usually called the Quorn, established in 1696, is one of the world's oldest fox hunting packs and claims to be the United Kingdom's most famous hunt. Its country is mostly in Leicestershire, together with some smaller areas of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
The Cottesmore Hunt, which hunts mostly in Rutland, is one of the oldest foxhound packs in Britain. Its name comes from the village of Cottesmore where the hounds were kennelled.
The Crawley and Horsham Hunt is a United Kingdom foxhound pack, with hunting country of around 23 miles by 20 miles within the ceremonial county of Sussex.
The Warwickshire Hunt is an English fox hunting pack founded in 1791.
The International Foxhound Association (IFA) is incorporated as an NGO since 2012. IFA is an extension of the International Dianna Club. The purpose of IFA is the worldwide promotion of the English Foxhound as a breed. The members of this association are masters of recognized packs of foxhounds from France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, Canada and Australia., and, selected members of existing Master of Foxhound Associations (MFHA). One representative of the MFHA Committee in the UK always stands as Committee member of IFA Associate members are well-known breeders of English fox-hounds. The association publishes its own studbook of a selected number of the best packs of foxhounds in the World and organizes hound shows at Apethorpe Palace in Northamptonshire and at Chateau de Selore in Burgundy. Baroness Monique de Rothschild, former Patron of IFA, and, Baron von Pfetten, current Chairman of IFA published an article in covertside magazine on the "history of the English foxhound". At its 2019 AGM, the late H.R.H. Prince Georg-Constantin of Saxe-Weimar, Crown Duke of Saxony became Patron Ad-Vitam Aeternam, and, The Earl of Yarborough was elected Vice-Chairman.
The Essex and Suffolk Hunt is an English fox hunting pack founded in 1791.
The Duke of Buccleuch's Hunt is a fox hunt which hunts in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland.
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