Borders Bloodhounds Day at Bloodhound Festival
 
Pictures by Sue Wheeler
  

Robert and Susan McDonald welcomed an excellent turnout of over 30 riders to their meet at Kelloe Mains. McDonald hospitality is renowned in the area and it is no good asking for a small one when being offered a drink by Robert.

Quarry Captain Les Turnbull can be seen studying the map. He only does this to fool the Master into thinking that he is actually going to stick to the agreed route!
You only have to look at the hounds faces to see them saying "come on stop drinking, we want to get going". Eventually the Master blew to move off and hounds were taken to Kelloe's march with Whitemire where hounds soon settled to the line over stubble running back onto the grass by the farm. Going into the wood by the Smithy hounds ran in the wood alongside the road to go by Edrom Station and then west down the old railway to check at Edrom Newton in the sheep. Back west again on the railway hounds left south through the wood and out onto winter wheat before coming back onto the grass at Brieryhill.
Running due south through the Kennel Copse, over the stubble east of Turtleton and over the concrete road onto stubble before crossing the Whitelaw road onto winter rape. Swinging south again down to the Blackadder where they turned east over the grass at Reedy Loch and then Kelloe rape to catch their quarry at Kelloe Bridge. A good hunt of about four and a half miles. John Burroughs claimed to jump every fence, but the Master has called for photographic evidence!
The Quarry cross the plough at Ashfield
   
And so do the hounds some 10 minutes later
This was the first time the Borders Bloodhounds have been hunted in front of experienced followers of bloodhounds. The Borders Bloodhounds owe their existence in the main to the generosity of The Coakham Hunt, so Joint Master and Huntsman Jeremy Whaley was delighted that his hounds decided to show off on this particular day. We enjoyed three excellent hunts in what is technically quite a difficult part of our country to hunt over. However there is plenty of jumping to be enjoyed and as with all of our country, the farmers and landowners are very helpful.