A positive future for the Crawley and Horsham Hunt

With increasing urbanisation as well as changes in farming arrangements and land ownership patterns within their country, the Crawley & Horsham Hunt has made some immediate changes to their infrastructure in order to safeguard the hunt's future.

The pack will be kennelled with the Southdown & Eridge hounds but will still be trail hunting in the Crawley & Horsham country each week throughout the season.

"We are delighted that these new arrangements give us a positive outlook for the future and enable us to preserve our heritage, our hounds and our community," explained a hunt spokesperson. "We have drafted a number of our hounds to other packs to ensure we maintain the all-important bloodlines which have been so successful on the field and in the show ring, and have kept a suitable number of hounds for the new hunting arrangements."

Polly Portwin, head of hunting at the Countryside Alliance welcomed the news: "This is a wonderful example of a hunt planning ahead to reform to ensure they remain viable in the future following increasing pressures on country and inevitably finances."

The hunt spokesperson added: "We are incredibly grateful to our farmers and landowners as well as our loyal supporters - including subscribers and puppy walkers - for their continued support and we look forward to seeing everyone again at our events whenever Covid permits."

Richard Gurney, former Master of the Old Surrey Burstow and West Kent will be joining the existing Mastership to hunt hounds.

The hunt's important social events such as the Hunt Ball, point to point, hunter trial and hunt rides will continue as before, as will other important fundraising activities such as hound sponsorship.