Four-year-olds to join the hunt (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Four-year-olds to join the hunt

HUNTERS are preparing to take children as young as four out on horseback to kill foxes this week.

About 20 youngsters are expected to attend a children's hunt on Thursday near Highworth.

The hunt has been condemned by animal rights campaigners as barbaric.

But the parents of children taking part say that it is just a bit of fun.

The child hunters are planning to set off from Eastrop Farm near Highworth at 11am and cover miles of Wiltshire countryside. Anyone with a horse and riding experience is invited to take part.

There are three children's hunts a year, all timed to coincide with school holidays. The previous one, during the Christmas vacation, attracted up to 100 children to Cirencester Park.

One of the hunt's organisers, Caroline Hill, of Ewen near Kemble, said that the children started as young as four and were often better riders than the adults.

"They can start whenever they like," she said.

"When they're four they'll be on a rein with their parents on foot, and when they get more confident they'll be allowed to do their own thing."

Mrs Hill said that it was unlikely the children would see any foxes being killed, although it was possible.

"I don't think they would worry too much if they did see it many of them are country children used to the fox catching the rabbit and the rabbit eating the grass.

"It's just like you would see on the Discovery channel or a nature documentary."

Heidi Ponting, of Purton Stoke, said her six-year-old daughter Chloe would be joining Thursday's hunt.

"She's been hunting since she was four and she's often seen fox hunting before," said Mrs Ponting.

"It's something she has grown up with and seeing a fox being killed wouldn't horrify her. The hunt improves their riding enormously and gives them a sense of responsibility," she said.

"I would rather my daughter was out hunting than sitting in front of a Playstation."

The Rev Bert Jones, of the League Against Cruel Sports in Swindon, who lives in Wroughton said: "It's absolutely barbaric. They're teaching children to kill something purely for fun. It's irresponsible of their parents because hunting is cruel. We have to become more civilised and they should be setting an example."

Mary Ratcliffe, of Swindon Animal Concern, who lives in Old Town, said that he was horrified by the idea of children going hunting.

"They say hunting is all about tradition but those things can change and they should change.

"There is a fine line between being cruel to animals and being cruel to children and their parents should know better." At the weekend it was reported that ministers are planning to introduce a new bill proposing a total ban on hunting with dogs within the next few weeks.

Their previous attempt to ban the bloodsport, which was overwhelmingly backed by MPs last July, ran out of time after meeting opposition in the House of Lords.

Andy Tate