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There are few sounds more stirring than the call of a huntsman’s horn, and the baying of a pack of hounds in full flight.

The Midland Game Fair is a true celebration of country sports, and the Hunt and Hound Parade is a perennial crowd favourite. Hunting has become somewhat of an icon for the country sports community, attracting widespread support since the Hunting Act was passed in 2005.

The breeding of our hounds goes back to the mid eighteenth century and the foxhound is the oldest documented pedigree of any domestic animal. Today there are packs of Foxhounds, Fellhounds, Harners, Bassets, Beagles, Staghounds, and Minkhounds. Traditionally the Foxhounds, Fellhounds and West Country Harriers hunted foxes. The stud book Harriers, Bassets and Beagles would have hunted hare.

Hunting is a very public activity and is open to anyone who wants to watch, be it on foot, in a car or on the back of a horse. However the Midland Game Fair offers a great opportunity to get up close and personal with these magnificent working dogs.

There are over three hundred packs of hounds operating in England and Wales today. Despite the ban introduced in February 2005 hunting is growing in popularity. The 2009 Boxing Day Hunts attracted a level of mass participation not seen for decades. The imagery associated with hunting are recognisable the world over, and have become synonymous with the fight to keep our most precious country sports. The Hunt and Hound Parade will take place twice a day in the Midland Game Fair Main Arena.