Hound Sponsorship 2021/22

The Wilton Hunt has a wonderful pack of Hounds.  They are looked after all year by the team at the kennels. Supported by a good team of excellent helpers on hunting days and in the week.

The hunt staff ensure the hounds are well fed, they are micro chipped and vaccinated and the staff are trained to meet their day to day needs. Each hound has its own personality and character and the Huntsman considers this when choosing which hounds to bring to which meet.

Each season for £20 per hound you can choose a hound to follow all season and this raises funds to help towards the costs of caring for our hounds.  Each sponsor has a colour photo (with the breeding) of your hound. The hound is yours to take an interest in, for the coming season. It can be quite a challenge to recognise your hound when in the pack with all the others! 

There is a fabulous silver cup for the supporter who takes a keen interest in their hound through the season and this will be presented at the Puppy Show in the summer. 

We also award a rosette at the first Saturday meet of each month (from October) for the best dog, best bitch, best new entry hound and for the most improved hound.

Our hounds have an amazing history which is recorded in our Hunt Stud Book.  Every year we have a litter of puppies from 2 or 3 of our best bitches and often using one of our Stallion Dogs. At about 10 weeks old hound puppies will go out to supporters, to spend the summer in a family where they learn all about life before returning to kennels. They are at least a year old when they start coming out hunting. 

Hounds are counted in couples and at kennels there are up to 45 couple of hounds. On a hunting day about half will be out. The others may be puppies being walked, bitches in season and hounds that are resting or recovering from an injury.