A sport that has come down through the ages, one in which a man and his horse and his hounds can find pleasure in being together, is enjoyed throughout Maryland and neighboring states in the form of foxhunting.

The earliest pack kept exclusively for hunting the fox was in England in 1690. Although the first pack was not organized in America until 1776, hounds were brought to Maryland in 1650 by Robert Brooke.

Foxhunting is divided into three categories:

First are the farmer-hunters, who use a single, slow, deep-voiced hound--their object being to shoot the fox in its runway.

Second are the groups that hunt their hounds in small combined packs. Better known as "night hunters," their pleasure is found in the speed and good "cry" (yelp) of the individual hounds. From this division of hunters come the Fox Hound Trial Associations.

Third are the groups that hunt for the sport of the chase, patterned after the English style of foxhunting. Here, the customs of management and dress add to the color and enjoyment of a day's hunting.