AT the National Hound Show, held at Stradbally, Co Laois, on Sunday, July 1st, by kind permission of the Cosby family, spectators will see differing types of hounds in the rings.

‘Which is the best?’ many will ask.

There are several types of hound that provide fun for us. Some say they like the Old English hound; the Kerry Beagle has a strong band of supporters and yet others prefer the Modern foxhound. Various theories are promoted to support one stamp or the other often with friendly banter rather than real evidence.

All these different hounds have great qualities and their proponents declare this type is best or that type suits their country.

Perhaps the first principle is that handling is more important than breeding. A good huntsman can get a tune out of a pack of waifs and strays; a bad huntsman cannot get results out of a pack of Stradbally champions. Secondly, a good hound is a good hound in any country. Let us look at some of the hound types that will be on show at Stradbally 2018.

These robust hounds are found in many parts of Ireland. ‘Old’ is a misnomer since the type emanates from just over a century ago when fashion favoured a dark coloured, strongly-built foxhound.

Initially, the Old English tended to have conformation faults but today that has largely been eradicated. Nevertheless those faults may still appear and can result in too many hounds being kept in kennels to compensate. That said these hounds have produced superlative sport for our grandfathers and continue to do so now.

The tough nature of the Old English allows them to better withstand the curse of Ireland’s electric fencing. Many huntsmen like their ability at a check to return to the point at which they last held the line; a great advantage in 21st century countries when the huntsman cannot always be on hand to witness precisely why his pack has come to a halt during a hunt.

These hounds are well suited to teaching a novice huntsman what the game is all about and they undoubtedly cope with the frustration of few foxes in those areas where game is sparse. Their Modern foxhound counterpart quickly loses the plot if he hasn’t a sufficient quantity of foxes to pursue.

The Old English gene pool is reducing which creates a tendency for hunts to breed close. This can result in their hounds becoming too small. Serious hound breeders have addressed this issue by introducing some Modern foxhound blood lines into the Old English whilst still retaining the traditional Old English characteristics, the result sometimes called a ‘Modernised Old English Foxhound’.

Go to the main Stradbally foxhound ring and see these dark coloured hounds at their best.

This type is seen almost everywhere. They were created in the mid-20th century as breeders tried to eradicate the perceived faults of the Old English. Modern foxhounds need quiet, sympathetic handling. Generally lighter coloured due to the infusion of Fell and Welsh blood lines a huntsman can manoeuvre these hounds with ease; often no whipper-in is necessary. This pattern tends to have good feet, sloping shoulders and balanced movement thus extending their working life. Fewer hounds are needed to maintain a kennel but they can become bored if not kept busy hunting.

Any mixing of Old English and Modern has to be judicially done. The danger of combining Old English with Modern is the tendency to inherit the worst qualities of both. I am also unconvinced the two types hunt well together.

Which sort should a hunt have? This depends on the hunt’s tradition. It would be a sad day for foxhunting if those kennels that have customarily had one type changed to another. If the kennel has no such tradition much will depend on what the huntsman enjoys handling.

Colour preference plays its part in maintaining Old English establishments but inevitably some Old English brood bitches surprise us all by bringing light coloured hounds into the world!

For the first time in many years, the Kerry Beagles of the Scarteen Hunt will be shown in Stradbally’s afternoon Harrier classes.

These hounds did a ‘guest appearance’ when the hound show was held in the RDS Simonscourt arena some time ago but they have not been since. The Ryan family know more about this breed than most and their hounds are world famous.

These smaller hounds hunt in a unique style and when conditions are right few packs can match these dark Kerry Beagles with a wonderful cry that are Ireland’s own. They will attract considerable interest at this year’s show under their new huntsman, Raymond O’Halloran.

All hounds show sport and there is no evidence one type hunts better than the other.

In the hands of a good huntsman, any hound will respond to produce fun for their followers. Judging starts in the main ring at 10.15am so come to Stradbally and see the three rings of foxhounds, harriers and beagles showing their paces under dedicated handlers. It would be sad if all our hounds were the same.

Whether they are Old English, Modern, or Kerry Beagle these hounds all have their place.

The Show also has equestrian events, food outlets and interesting trade stands including Berneys Saddlers with Honri Hats – the man with the ‘magic head machine’.

If you need a hunting cap renovated or replaced, Stradbally is the place to do it.