On 14 February 2023, police arrested Cottesmore huntsman Sam Jones after he trampled a hunt saboteur with his horse.
The incident took place on 11 February. Both Hertfordshire and Northants Hunt Saboteurs were on the ground, trying to prevent the hunt from making a kill that day. They witnessed foxes being chased, hares bolting, a hound on the railway line, and the pack running out of control.
Hertfordshire Sabs then reported:
“Sabs were keeping eyes on from a locked gate. Jones came up to the gate and sabs told him he’d have to go round. With one sab still sat on the gate and another moving away from it, Jones recklessly jumped his horse over the gate colliding with one sab, knocking them to the ground.
The sabs caught the whole incident on video. The footage clearly shows Jones on his horse, stopping at the gate and talking to one sab. He then turns his horse away from the gate, briefly moving out of the footage, before making a calculated decision to turn his horse around, gallop at the gate, jump over it and trample another sab. The pack of hounds then follows him over the gate as the sab is still on the ground.
Hertfordshire Sabs continued:
“Jones rode off with the hounds, followed shortly by [William] Bell, who at least had the decency to inform the sab their hat was on the ground. Police and an ambulance were called and both responded in a timely manner.”
Lack of control
The Cottesmore Hunt released its own statement, saying:
“An experienced horseman, on a very capable horse, Sam assessed the situation, verbally warned of his intentions to jump the gate and requested they keep clear, he viewed his line over the gate and jumped. As his horse took off, it is clear to see that the previously stationary person moved, deliberately putting themselves in the path of the jumping horse, potentially causing injury to themselves, the horse and Sam.”
But the video clearly shows the sab with their back to Jones. It’s a stretch of the imagination for the Cottesmore to claim that the sab deliberately put themself in the path of Jones. The huntsman, on the other hand, had clear vision, and knew full well that jumping the gate would risk the sabs’ lives, and yet he chose to do it anyway.
The sabs said:
“Cottesmore huntsman Sam Jones showed a complete lack of control, both of the hounds and his own behaviour, with total disregard for the safety of others and his own horse.”
Indeed, Jones endangered the sab’s lives because he couldn’t bear ‘antis’ preventing him from illegal hunting.
“Most violent fox hunt in the country”
It’s welcome news that Leicestershire police have decided to arrest Jones. Northants Sabs said:
“At last Leicestershire police are taking the Criminal Cottesmore seriously. We have said it before and we will say it again…We believe the Cottesmore are the most violent fox hunt in the country and have shown themselves to be just that once again.”
This attack on hunt saboteurs by the Cottesmore certainly isn’t the first, and likely won’t be the last. Protect The Wild has previously reported on the violence that occurs at Cottesmore meets, saying:
“Although quick to distance itself from any specific instance, there appears to be a clear pattern of aggressive attacks on hunt saboteurs at Cottesmore Hunt meets.”
On 25 October 2022 Northants Hunt Saboteurs shared footage, showing a speeding car hitting a sab during a Cottesmore Hunt meet. Leicestershire police went on to arrest a woman on suspicion of attempted wounding with intent. The hunt insisted that “the incident did not involve any member of the Cottesmore Hunt.”
Protect The Wild reported at the time:
“Even the high-profile car incident, which made national news, didn’t give people associated with the hunt pause for thought. Later the same day, sabs faced further attacks. “I got put in a choke hold,” a spokesperson for Northants Hunt Saboteurs told Protect the Wild. “I ended up on the floor, the terrierman was on top of me and he punched me straight in the side of the head and smashed the camera.”
Support the sabs
As hunt sabs on the ground continue to risk their lives to save foxes, we must all show our support for them.
You can donate to Hertfordshire Hunt Sabs here, and to Northants Hunt Sabs here.
Featured image via Hertfordshire Hunt Sabs/screenshot