Dorset Hunt Sabs

HIT REPORT : BSV 
MEET : Rectory Farm, West Camel
Thursday 14th Feb 2019

With a handful of horse boxes and a field of 14 riders the BSV gathered at their meet at Rectory Farm on West Camel – not much love was being shown on Valentines Day ! The foot support consisted of 7 in about 4 vehicles and we have to say were much more pleasant than the Dorset BSV followers . Having a gate opened for you makes a refreshing change from being ridden over and assaulted !! 
We caught up with the huntsman and hounds as they exited Southfield Farm which is west of the meet. The huntsman headed east on the public highway down to the cross roads where he turned right. Mark paused for a while to allow the hounds to search for their miraculous trail in a thicket area beside the public highway. A Sab hopped out the Landy but there was no sign of the trail here as per usual. Eventually Mark continued on the public highway down to Fields where he turned right still on the public highway. 
The hounds were taken along Hornsey Brook searching the thin shrubbery along the field boundaries. A thorough search was made of the area between the brook and Little Marston Farm but they couldn’t find their miraculous trail here either. The hounds did have a squeak here but a Sab managed to get a good visual through a gap in the hedge to watch as it quickly fizzled out. 
From here the hounds were taken south to Lacey Bridge Plantation and with no sign of the miraculous trail here either they crossed the road into land south of Ashington Bridge by Hinton Farm. 
Mark “Lugz” Doggrell took the hounds over to search beside the river following it North towards Ashington Bridge. The Landy continued up the road and dropped a Sab in on the footpath by the Park school. The Sab went along the footpath and found the huntsman, whip and hounds searching the copse. Engulfing them all in a haze of citronella essence there was no chance of picking up on a fox around here. 
Lugz gathered his hounds and headed north to Hornsey Bridge. By now it was about 2.30pm and we were getting really close to the boundary of the Royal Naval Air Station. With limited sab power and long footpaths we struggled to keep them in our sight for the next hour and half but we did have a few glimpses.
The hunt headed back down to Ashington Lane and we were there to see the end of day at 4pm. The hound van arrived to pick them up by Woodside Farm at about 4.15pm.
We are fairly certain there were no kills today !