Another Jack Hargreaves video on Lurchers and Rabbiting.

[FrenchieBoy]

Here's one more video of Jack Hargreaves talking about Lurchers, coursing and Rabbiting. This one is of particular interest to me (And no doubt other members of The Stalking Directory) as I was very "into" lurchers, coursing and lamping in my younger days - One incident I was involved in while coursing cost me a broken jaw, but that's another story.
Enjoy lads!

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Just as an "add on" to the original post here is a photo of me taken way back in the late 70's (In those days I had all my own hair and teeth) with my two "prize" dogs ("Gemma" the lurcher and "Tiny" the terrier). Gemma was worked "on the lamp" around 4 nights a week through the winter and if she didn't manage at least 20 rabbits in a night she hadn't needed to break into a sweat, she was also a brilliant coursing dog that won me quite a few quid (That's how I got my jaw broken when a Gypsy boy welched on a bet so I gave him a good slap, unfortunately his big brother took offence at that, but there's a lot mort to that story - Maybe another time!)
Other days we would go out ratting with the terriers or foxing with the lurchers and terriers working together but if Gemma was let loose on a fox she would go "hard mouthed" for a couple of days so it wasn't worth lamping her as the butchers would not take bruised rabbits.
God I miss those days!

 

[patrickt]

FB, brilliant photo........but which is you!!!!!!, sorry I couldn't resist

Patrick

 

[Milk no sugar please]

Just as an "add on" to the original post here is a photo of me taken way back in the late 70's (In those days I had all my own hair and teeth) with my two "prize" dogs ("Gemma" the lurcher and "Tiny" the terrier). Gemma was worked "on the lamp" around 4 nights a week through the winter and if she didn't manage at least 20 rabbits in a night she hadn't needed to break into a sweat, she was also a brilliant coursing dog that won me quite a few quid (That's how I got my jaw broken when a Gypsy boy welched on a bet so I gave him a good slap, unfortunately his big brother took offence at that, but there's a lot mort to that story - Maybe another time!)
Other days we would go out ratting with the terriers or foxing with the lurchers and terriers working together but if Gemma was let loose on a fox she would go "hard mouthed" for a couple of days so it wasn't worth lamping her as the butchers would not take bruised rabbits.
God I miss those days!

Thank you for posting that video

Lovely looking dogs you had there, do you have any now?

I have a beddy whippet and two little Norfolk lurchers one of whom is a pup. Mia on the floor, Dolly the beddy and Nell all currently slugging in front of the fire

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Thank you for posting that video

Lovely looking dogs you had there, do you have any now?

I have a beddy whippet and two little Norfolk lurchers one of whom is a pup. Mia on the floor, Dolly the beddy and Nell all currently slugging in front of the fire

View attachment 223939

Gemma (The lurcher in the photo) was a Beddy/Whippet x Collie/Greyhound, and one of the finest working lurchers I ever owned.
I have a bull whippet now, he is just a house dog and not been worked even though i did have him out one day when a fox got up and Harley ran it like a good un. Even though he didn't catch it he showed a lot of potential. I have to admit that if I were a little younger and fitter I would like to try him on the lamp!

FB, brilliant photo........but which is you!!!!!!, sorry I couldn't resist

Patrick

I'm the one with the fag in it's mouth you silly billy, dogs don't smoke!

 

[willie_gunn]

Oh my! Thank you so much for posting this.

We lived in Lambourn for 10 years, and took part in the Lambourn show, but never made the connection with lurchers. Recognise the gallops, and a few of the attendees look familiar

Can you possibly imagine a series like this being shown today?

 

[willie_gunn]

And it ends with Jack complaining about importing rabbits from China…..the good Lord alone knows what Jack would make of the world today

 

[John Gryphon]

We know lurchers as "staghounds" here and I have had my share of them too....catching foxes was awesome. I would like to say that they caught a 1000 roo`s but I cant as it didnt happen.
Seeing a 'stag' blowing wind up a foxes freckle in a stubble paddock was truly wonderful.

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Oh my! Thank you so much for posting this.

We lived in Lambourn for 10 years, and took part in the Lambourn show, but never made the connection with lurchers. Recognise the gallops, and a few of the attendees look familiar

Can you possibly imagine a series like this being shown today?

I ran Gemma (The bitch in the photo) at Lambourn Lurcher Trials the last year it was held there (The year there was a gypsy bare knuckle fight) and she ran well making it to the finals of the under 23 inch class. It's such a shame shows like that have all but faded into the mist of time!

 

[FrenchieBoy]

We know lurchers as "staghounds" here and I have had my share of them too....catching foxes was awesome. I would like to say that they caught a 1000 roo`s but I cant as it didnt happen.
Seeing a 'stag' blowing wind up a foxes freckle in a stubble paddock was truly wonderful.

We used to have a breed of dog in the UK known as the Staghound - (I suspect that this is where The Deerhound breed originated from, but I am not certain on that.) Unfortunately many large rough coated lurchers in the 60's and 70's that stood anywhere near 28 inches at the shoulder that were claimed to be Staghound or Deerhound crosses but their breeding was often a little questionable. The name "Lurcher" in the UK is often used to describe anything that looks like it might have the slightest bit of sighthound or "longdog" in it which is a shame as you can end up paying a small fortune for what is basically nothing more than a "Street Cur" that would turn tail and run from a fox and wouldn't have a chance against a well bred lurcher of something like Greyhound x Collie or Bedlington x Whippet breeding! (A Bedlington x Whippet would always be my first choice for a "lamping dog" for rabbiting)
I would imagine that it would take a good, well bred and trained dog to take "Roos" without getting injured - It would certainly make for some interesting sport to watch!
This link will give you a little insight into what the Brits originally knew as a Staghound: Staghound - Wikipedia

 

[FrenchieBoy]

And it ends with Jack complaining about importing rabbits from China…..the good Lord alone knows what Jack would make of the world today

I suspect that Jack would be turning in his grave if he could see what was happening to the countryside and country sports today!

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Oh my! Thank you so much for posting this.

We lived in Lambourn for 10 years, and took part in the Lambourn show, but never made the connection with lurchers. Recognise the gallops, and a few of the attendees look familiar

Can you possibly imagine a series like this being shown today?

Hopefully this will bring back a few memories but it has changed a heck of a lot since i used to go there in the 70's.

 

[User00053]

thanks for posting brilliant!

 

[User00053]

depending which way bread some have fantastic noses and will mark foxes too, great dogs love the way they can turn a fox inside out in seconds. Don’t expect anyone else to agree it’s just meee! Tin hat on let’s here it from the girls ha ha

 

[User00025]

Takes me back Frenchie, I had a lot of terriers at one time and one of my boys ran a nice little lurcher I bought for him off Georgie Smith from Worc's. I did the terrier work for the Hunt when I keepered in Somerset early to mid 70's.

 

[FrenchieBoy]

depending which way bread some have fantastic noses and will mark foxes too, great dogs love the way they can turn a fox inside out in seconds. Don’t expect anyone else to agree it’s just meee! Tin hat on let’s here it from the girls ha ha

No tin hat needed from me mate. I am always happy to see working dogs do what they were bred to do. I've seen some really good dogs working foxes in my time and enjoyed every minute of it!

 

[User00053]

me too!

 

[willie_gunn]

Hopefully this will bring back a few memories but it has changed a heck of a lot since i used to go there in the 70's.

Will you look at that!

At around 7:15 into the video he’s holding a copy of The Amateur Poacher by Richard Jefferies, when he’s shopping at the Coch-Y-Bonddu stand. The book that got me into reading Richard Jefferies, one of the greatest of England’s natural history writers.

Thoroughly enjoyed the video

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Will you look at that!

At around 7:15 into the video he’s holding a copy of The Amateur Poacher by Richard Jefferies, when he’s shopping at the Coch-Y-Bonddu stand. The book that got me into reading Richard Jefferies, one of the greatest of England’s natural history writers.

Thoroughly enjoyed the video

One of my favourites was "Rogues and Running Dogs" (At least I think that is what the title was) by Brian Plumber. I have not seen mine for years but you can't imagine what I would give to read it through again!

 

[willie_gunn]

One of my favourites was "Rogues and Running Dogs" (At least I think that is what the title was) by Brian Plumber. I have not seen mine for years but you can't imagine what I would give to read it through again!

D Brian Plummer - I confess I mostly remember him from adverts in the Shooting Times years ago. Always figured he was the first - and probably greatest - historian for the terrier and long dog men.