Skip to main content



   
Eglinton Caledon Hounds
ADD ME TO YOUR MAILING LIST

HomeThe Hounds

The ECH Hounds




History

 
 
  • The Eglinton and Caledon Hounds have had an interesting history that has involved a number of changes. The original hounds were culled from the Toronto Hunt pack located in Aurora, Canada in 1919. The ECH hounds were formed as a drag pack to hunt the newly purchased property at Avenue Road and Eglinton Avenue in Toronto, Canada. This was a convenience for the local business men who could ride to the hounds in the morning and still have time to go to work in the afternoon.

  • By 1929 this this establishment had become known as the Eglinton Hunt. The early Eglinton pack consisted of  what is currently referred to as 'old English foxhounds'...wide chested with an upright shoulder and knuckled over feet. In the 1950's the English hound, for many packs, became much more streamlined, with a swan neck, a sloping shoulder, well let down hocks and good feet. These hounds were able to travel over the countryside at a much faster pace.

  • Through his connections in England Maj. Kindersley was able to obtain both stallion hounds and bitches in whelp as the Eglinton pack began to change over to this more modern English hound. Further blood was obtained through the courtesy of sharing hounds brought from England to U.S. packs. The Eglinton pack remained totally English until the 1980's by which time the kennel had been moved to the Caledon hills and the name of the pack changed to Eglinton and Caledon Hunt .

  • Large swamps in this country meant that huntsmen had a harder time staying with hounds, and therefore good cry was a necessity. At the same time coyotes, which traveled longer distances at speed, invaded the countryside. In the 1990's Legend from The Curre in Wales provided a line that had both toughness and voice. You can still pick out his descendants by their rough coats.

  • The addition of the Penn-Marydel Hound blood developed a rich deep toned voice into the pack. Using Fell hounds from that steep and rugged country in England, where hounds are often left to hunt the line on their own, introduced a more tough type which also proved to be biddable, a trait they passed on to their progeny.

  • ECH Diplomat, a first cross with these hounds, has descendants in a good number of packs. Records of hound breeding or acquisitions in the 1930's were lost due to a fire. Terry Morton kept the Eglinton pack alive during the World War II years with a minimal number of hounds which he hunted in the area north of Toronto. When he suffered a badly broken leg, Charles Kindersley took over the job of hunting hounds.
 

Training

 
 
 
  • Training starts before a hound is 1 year old. A young hound is sometimes coupled with an older hound until it learns to stay with the others. They are then introduced to horses. As hounds hunt over private farmland, they must ignore all farm animals and pursue only the chosen quarry.

  • Hounds begin to hunt at 12 to 18 months of age. The goal is to establish a pack of hounds that will run uniformly, give great voice, show stamina, develop a keen nose, and be obedient to the huntsman.

  • Over the years, the Huntsman has developed an excellent pack which is a good balance of English and crossbred hounds of medium height having the nose, stamina, heart and voice to hunt both coyotes and foxes in this varied countryside.

  • The hounds are presently kenneled on the property of the Caledon Riding and Hunt Club located on the Niagara Escarpment north of Cheltenham.

Puppy Walking

 
 
 
  • A Puppy is defined as a young hound who has not yet been 'entered'. The term 'entered' refers to hounds that have officially commenced hunting with the pack.

  • Puppy Walking is when a club member takes a young puppy (or 2) to raise for the summer to civilize it until it's returned to the kennels for pack training. Year by year, much is owed to the faithful puppy walkers who give so much of their time to introducing these youngsters to the outside world as they are given individual attention, learn their names and continue to develop before joining the pack.
       
   
       
 
        CLUB SPONSORS  
           Stewart's Equipment  Greenhawk Equestrian  Karin McDonald Photography  
  MEMBERSHIP LEARN MORE SUPPORT    
     
 

 Trial

 What to Expect  Contact Us    
   Social  History  FAQ    ASSOCIATIONS  
   Riding  Etiquette  Terminology    Caledon Riding Club  Ontario Equestrian  Masters of Fox Hounds  
   Waiver  The Hounds  Coaches