Everyone who has watched the film Peculiarities of the National Hunt knows: “The main thing is not the animal, but the process itself. You walk, look ... you can do nothing, just walk, move, look ... "

At the "Avanpost" stable they organize hunts, which were dreamed about in Rogozhkin's film by a Finn studying Russian customs. A real hound hunting for a hare in historical costumes and observing all traditions immerses the participants in the 19th century for one day. As a result of such a hunt, the beast is rarely caught, and sometimes they specifically give it a head start. Trophies are still a big disadvantage to a pleasant pastime.

On a hunt, horsemen move, lining up in a row at a distance of 10-15 m from each other, and greyhounds with dogs keep between them.

Hunting with dogs and hunting birds is called unarmed: no guns are used in it, and a person simply becomes a witness to the confrontation between two animals.

The dress code is quite strict: ammunition and accessories must be matched.

For women, a headdress and tied hair are required.

Not only ammunition, but also the horse itself is often selected to match the color of the suit.

Before the hunt, the participants are told about the rules of conduct and safety. For example, you cannot gallop exactly after the dogs, otherwise the horse may run over them.

Most of the participants in the hunt are regular visitors to the stable. They order their favorite horses in advance.

The rules of conduct on the hunt are as follows: if you see an animal, shout out loud "hare!" or "fox!" and show with your hand where you see it. If the greyhounds are not nearby and do not see the beast, one person who is closest to the beast rises at a gallop and shouts "HOO!" follows in the direction of the fleeing animal.

If the dogs saw the animal and began to chase, then all participants in the hunt can begin to act: ideally, you need to direct your horse between the animal and an undiscovered area of ​​the terrain - a forest, vegetable gardens, plantings.

In cold weather, it is unlikely to "raise" a hare in the field.

Contrary to tradition, women were not asked to use a saddle. This can be dangerous in deep snow.

Another of the dress code rules: The skirt should be heavy and lie beautifully on the horse, and not flutter from the slightest wind.

Hunting with greyhound dogs in Russia originated not as entertainment, but as a means of fighting the number of wolves. Greyhounds, of course, looked different then - they were huge, massive animals. Now they are much more sophisticated, they do not need to go one-on-one with the wolf.

01/31/2013 | Reconstruction: Hound hunting at the "Avanpost" stable

Everyone who has watched the film Peculiarities of the National Hunt knows: “The main thing is not the animal, but the process itself. You are walking, looking ... you can do nothing, just walk, move, search ... "

At the "Avanpost" stable they organize hunts, which were dreamed about in Rogozhkin's film by a Finn studying Russian customs. A real hound hunting for a hare in historical costumes and observing all traditions immerses the participants in the 19th century for one day. As a result of such a hunt, the beast is rarely caught, and sometimes they specifically give it a head start. Trophies are still a big disadvantage to a pleasant pastime.

On a hunt, horsemen move, lining up in a row at a distance of 10-15 m from each other, and greyhounds with dogs keep between them.

Hunting with dogs and hunting birds is called unarmed: no guns are used in it, and a person simply becomes a witness to the confrontation between two animals.

The dress code is quite strict: ammunition and accessories must be matched.

For women, a headdress and tied hair are required.

Not only ammunition, but also the horse itself is often selected to match the color of the suit.

Before the hunt, the participants are told about the rules of conduct and safety. For example, you cannot gallop exactly after the dogs, otherwise the horse may run over them.

Most of the participants in the hunt are regular visitors to the stable. They order their favorite horses in advance.

The rules of conduct on the hunt are as follows: if you see an animal, shout out loud "hare!" or "fox!" and show with your hand where you see it. If the greyhounds are not nearby and do not see the beast, one person who is closest to the beast rises at a gallop and shouts "HOO!" follows in the direction of the fleeing animal.

If the dogs saw the animal and began to chase, then all participants in the hunt can begin to act: ideally, you need to direct your horse between the animal and an undiscovered area of ​​the terrain - a forest, vegetable gardens, plantings.

In cold weather, it is unlikely to "raise" a hare in the field.

Contrary to tradition, women were not asked to use a saddle. This can be dangerous in deep snow.

Another of the dress code rules: The skirt should be heavy and lie beautifully on the horse, and not flutter from the slightest wind.

Hunting with greyhound dogs in Russia originated not as entertainment, but as a means of fighting the number of wolves. Greyhounds, of course, looked different then - they were huge, massive animals. Now they are much more sophisticated, they do not need to go one-on-one with the wolf.

The autumn fields are filled with the sound of copper hunting horns. The barking of dogs is ringing in the clear air, the hooves of fifty horses are pounding like a shot: a parfors hunt rushes along the fords through windbreaks and salt fields. Black and scarlet coat flashes, riders one after another jump over the fallen trees in pursuit of the fox raised by the hounds. And only copters instead of falcons and photographers in the bushes remind that hunting takes place in the twenty-first century, and not in the nineteenth, and the windbreak of the forests near Moscow still bears little resemblance to flat British parks. I, too, am in the saddle, and I can feel a cold day turning into a hot one with every beat of my horse's gallop.

For the second year now, under the auspices of the Avanpost ranch near Mozhaisk, a European parfors hunt has been held, more precisely, its staged analogue. Despite the fact that this is a traditional entertainment of British lords and high nobility, today everyone can take part in it. Known since the early Middle Ages, parfour hunting found its classic form in mid-nineteenth century England. According to these canons, Evgeny Matuzov, the manager of the "Avanpost" and the main organizer of the hunt, decided to hold such an event for the first time in Russia.

When we first bought this stable back in 1997, our friend, animal painter Alexei Glukharev, showed a video filmed on a European parfour hunt. It was so beautiful that I was eager to hold something similar with us. There were horses, we found dogs, the participants also gathered quickly, because hunting was popular - rich people did not know how else to have fun. And so we drove out into the fields, launched the hounds into the forest and circled in the neighboring field for three hours in the rain, waiting for the dogs to drive the beast out, in order to finally begin the pursuit race. But we did not take into account that the Russian windbreak is not the lawns of British parks, and the horse will not always pass, so we just rode and went home.

Evgeny Matuzov

In the late nineties, there was little information about parfors hunting in Russia, and therefore, for the first time, the rules were invented on the go. But with the development of communication, the outlines of a true parfour hunt became clearer. It turned out that there are several options: from the Spanish with spears for the wild boar and the British - for foxes and deer - to sports tracks where people do not even hunt a live animal, but simply overcome natural obstacles following dogs following an artificial trail, or chasing a rider with a fox tail on his arm. This type of parfors appeared when in Great Britain (just a few years ago) mass hunting with the killing of animals was canceled.

- When the traditional fox hunting was banned abroad, I thought that in Russia it would take a long time to get banned, and it would be possible to organize parfors hunting here, attracting guests from abroad. But it turned out that for the British, the parfors is more of a club than the hunt itself. A place where you can meet people of your own circle, ride, chat, discuss horses, dogs and new acquisitions. There was no need for them to go to Russia for this, and this idea came to naught.

Photo: Anastasia Vetkovskaya

Parfour hunting is the departure of several dozen riders in black (guests) and red (organizers) gear, who follow the hounds, tracking down their prey. As soon as the dogs, released into the forest or field, raise the beast, the riders rush after him, ignoring any obstacles. A hunt is considered successful when the dogs surround the beast, and one of the riders is the first to be next to him along with the hunter and receives the title of "king of the hunt." It was considered special chic to take a photo with a tired deer at the end of the hunt.

According to Evgeny Matuzov, parfore hunting in central Russia is practically impossible due to the highly rugged terrain, the abundance of remote areas and residential buildings between the fields. But such hunts would be good in the Stavropol Territory, where there are small copses, flat fields with low grass, there is where to ride on horses, and an abundance of animals. By the way, similar unskimmed hunts have already begun there, but the remoteness of the area from the center hinders their development. But new types of parfous hunting, where it is not necessary to raise the beast and attract hounds, suggested Eugene to organize modern look parfors in the "Outpost".

- By the time the idea was formed, there were a lot of people around who were ready to support it. Out of our rental, quite strong riders have grown, who themselves have already become horse owners. Most of them are not athletes, but people with excellent riding skills, for whom it has become cramped to simply ride through the fields, cramped in their arenas and rare trips.

Photo: Anastasia Vetkovskaya

Eugene admits that he himself is not a fan of hunting, but he is a fan of bringing ideas to life. Therefore, he constantly comes up with something for the public and immediately tries to implement it:

- I think this way: if someone likes the idea, then someone will begin to develop and improve it. So, for example, from the old ball organized for friends in the "Outpost" once a whole society "Ball in the Russian estate" has grown, which today conducts chic reconstructions of balls of the nineteenth century in palaces. And even our parfour hunt, which we revived only last year, will be held this fall at least in a couple more stables. This is not to say that we have created a parfour hunting club. We only superficially introduce people to the topic, but whether they like it, whether they want to develop it - it depends on them.

Photo: Anastasia Vetkovskaya

At the moment, it is already clear that the parfor hunt project will not die, because this is a good reason for meeting people who, somewhere in their clubs, are busy with their horses, but want to show themselves and communicate with others. This is the very niche of people who have not been "rolling" for a long time, but are unlikely to become professional athletes. There are many such people, and every year the popularity of everything related to horses is growing, as is the skill of riders. For almost twenty years, the very same get-together, club, atmosphere, which is so appreciated in England, and not only there, has been formed in the "Outpost".

- On my hunts, I try not to go into any one form. In the few hours that the riders spend on the road, I arrange for them a cross-country run, and a real hunt with hounds, and a parfour show jumping track in the forest, and chasing a rider in the role of a "fox", and photo sessions at a halt, and even staged meetings with deer in our eco-park. Not everything turns out to be perfect, there are force majeure. For example, this time wasps appeared on our track, which had been cleared for a month, in one day, which did not allow us to use it for its intended purpose, because they rushed at riders and horses, and we had to organize a new one in a few hours. But all these difficulties only add excitement and make each event different from others. This is already becoming a real parfous hunt, not staging it.

Photo: Anastasia Vetkovskaya

The idea that arose exactly twenty years ago, only today, has been birthed into a promising event in its scale, which unites into a large club and lovers of horseback riding, and avid hunters, and athletes, and lovers of taking pictures, and just party-goers who will not miss the chance to breathe fresh autumn air, walk your horses, dogs or costumes and enjoy a quick ride through the Russian golden fields, babbling rivers and colorful forests. As for all animal defenders, they should know that during those three Parfors hunts in the "Outpost" that have already been carried out, not a single animal has died.

The next - and the last one this year - will take place this weekend. This time the strongest riders will rush on the way in pursuit of the wild boar. And the branches will again threaten to take off the velvet horse helmet from the head, dew and dirt of the trampled soil will settle on the white leggings, and insanely joyful smiles will shine on the flushed faces, because the riders together with the horse have just experienced the beauty of flight and the risk of falling at any moment.

Photo by Maya Dinova by Alexey Grishin

"Hunting ... brings us closer to nature, teaches us to be patient, and sometimes to be cold-blooded in the face of danger ..." I. V. Turgenev

We all have repeatedly revisited the popular film "Peculiarities of the National Hunt", where the harsh Russian reality is intertwined with dreams. Riding horses, greyhounds, dogs, women in Amazons and saddles, French and tempting cups ...

Horse hunting with greyhounds is a primordially Russian pastime that perfectly reflects the scope of the Russian soul. And therefore it is especially pleasant to note that in recent years this type of leisure has been reviving and gaining momentum in modern Russia.

More and more equestrian clubs are taking up the organization of a real canine hunt for a hare and a fox, allowing participants to plunge into the past for at least one day, enjoying the spirit of the tsarist time. And although the animal is rarely hunted on such hunts, active mental pastime completely replaces the pleasure of catching prey.

So on January 24-25, in Mozhaisk, near Moscow, a horse hunt was reconstructed, organized by the Avanpost horse base under the leadership of Evgeny Matuzov, a man with inexhaustible energy and incredible organizational skills.

It is worth noting that simultaneously with horse hunting, a master class was held by the wonderful photographer Svetlana Petrova.

Milestones in history

Horse hunting with greyhound dogs has been a favorite pastime of the upper classes of Russia for many years. Already from the middle of the 18th century, many landowners began to acquire their own kennels, where they kept up to a thousand greyhounds and hounds.

Gradually, hound hunting began to displace the previously widespread persecution with hunting birds. Horsemen (by the way, there were both men and women among them) began to participate in horse hunts with greyhounds, which were gaining popularity year after year. These hunts were also important from a political point of view. Foreign ambassadors and diplomats were often invited to participate - this is how important state affairs were decided during the hunt.

In 1887, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich Romanov acquired the Pershino estate in the Aleksinsky district of the Tula province, which was the beginning of the creation of the famous Pershinsky grand ducal hunt (Pershinsky hunting hunt of His Imperial Highness Grand Duke NN Romanov). This hunt became the largest canine hunt in Russia, combining more than 300 greyhounds (mostly Russian) and hounds. The best hunters, the best greyhounds and the best horsemen took part in the Pershinsky hunt. Especially for this, more than 80 heads of horses were kept in the stables of the estate.

This hunt was famous not only in our country, but also abroad. People came from Switzerland, France, England, Belgium and even the USA to take part in it or buy the best Pershin type puppies. All hunting trips were well organized and distinguished by special pomp. The Persha Hunt staff even had its own brass band. All participants dressed in specially tailored costumes. And the main manager of the hunt was the Grand Duke himself.

The time of popularity of Russian greyhounds began to be called the "golden age" of domestic hounds. But after the abolition of serfdom in Russia, kennels with greyhounds began to gradually disappear, and they ceased to maintain the characteristics of the breed. After the 1917 revolution, many greyhounds became the property of rural hunters, who did not understand anything about dog breeding.

Our days

It's the 21st century, and horse hunting with greyhounds in Russia has begun to revive in its traditional form. People who in everyday life are far from nature, living in the fast world of new technologies, suddenly began to feel the need to break free, catch the wind in the endless field, feel the excitement of the chase and, wearing a beautiful historical costume, plunge into the past for a day or two.

In the photo - Alla Mikheeva, who made a "sharp report" for the Evening Urgant.

Modern hunting provides a number of requirements for participants, the most important of which is excellent riding skills. The rider should not only sit firmly in the saddle at any gait, but also confidently steer the horse, keep the general pace and follow the commands. The action of the hunt most often takes place in the fields, where both horses and greyhounds can suddenly change their trajectory during the chase. The rider's job is to be ready for any maneuver at any moment. Each potential participant in the hunt must objectively assess their physical capabilities and experience.

Another important requirement is a historical costume. To fully recreate the hunting of the past centuries, you need to try in everything to correspond to the spirit of that time. Therefore, a hunting suit, as an important attribute of hound hunting on horses, must be thought out to the smallest detail.

And the third requirement is the desire to hunt. Participants must understand that they are going to participate in the hunt, and not in aimless races over rough terrain.

In addition, there are many more important sub-clauses in the rules that each participant must take into account.

Here is some of them:
Drinking alcoholic beverages before and during hunting is prohibited. The exception is the stirrups (a glass of vodka, 25 grams. It is offered to each participant in horse hunting and is one of the traditional rituals of such events).

During the hunt, it is necessary to strictly follow the commands of the hunt distributor and not engage in freestyle riding. A successful hunt is possible only with well-coordinated actions of the team. A free jump can scare the beast away.

Do not drive closer to greyhounds and animals than 30 meters. The pack and prey behave unpredictably, and due to inattention of the rider, they can fall under the hooves of horses.

How is it going?

During the hunt, riders and greyhounds line up and walk in equal terms across the field in order to raise the animal lurking in the grass. As soon as he appears, the greyhounds let the dogs down, and the riders begin to chase. The horse hunter's role is very important for several reasons. First, a trained greyhound, on command, can jump on a horse and continue to move with the rider.

This is important if there is thick grass on the field and the dog does not see its prey from the height of its growth.

Second, some of the riders always move along the edge of the field in order to prevent the beast from escaping the chase into the forest, where the greyhound loses its advantage - speed. And the third - the equestrian hunter can recall the dogs in time in case of catching the prey. Otherwise, inexperienced greyhounds can simply tear the animal to pieces, leaving the hunter without a trophy.

What to wear when hunting?

Expert - Elena Potapova, master of historical costume:

A historical costume is beautiful and unusual. Correctly selected clothing allows the participants to travel back in time, as it were, to feel like a hero of that time. Putting on a dress or uniform, we notice how our posture and manners involuntarily change.

Almost all hunts have the same dress code - these are historical costumes of the 18th-19th centuries. At the discretion of the organizers, one specific period can be selected, for example, the beginning of the 19th century. This puts the participants in a pretty tight box, but the fact that everyone is dressed in the same style leaves an unforgettable experience.

The main clothing of the hunter is wide trousers, a short sheepskin coat, boots and sometimes a raincoat.

Very often, men prefer to wear hussar uniforms, consisting of chakchirs, dolman and mentik, worn one on top of the other.
As outerwear, depending on the season, short jackets (spencers) and short fur coats are used. Hats are also varied. In the Empire era, small-brimmed hats and berets were popular. Top hat is characteristic of the romantic period. In the middle of the 18th century, hats were added to cylinders, and a little later - cocked hats. By the end of the 19th century, bowlers had already appeared.

As for women, the preference is mainly given to the Amazons - dresses and wide skirts that fit beautifully on the horse's rump and do not hinder the movement of the rider. Amazons are different depending on the period to which they belong. For example, in 1812-1817, Empire-style Amazon dresses were in fashion, and already in 1830-1835, Amazons in the romantic style became popular.

All of them are distinguished by their cut: different waist heights and different sleeves. The Amazons have always been dark unmarked tones: blue, green, black, brown, red. Until the middle of the 19th century, dyes were mostly natural, fabrics had "natural" colors. There were also women of fashion who wore light-colored suits that required a thorough cleaning after each hunt.

Women pay particular attention to hair styling. A costume hunting hairstyle should not get in the way while riding. “It is advisable to remove the hair and carefully prick it up, otherwise, when jumping, they can get into the eyes, and they get tangled up a lot. The simplest hairstyle is a bun, you can wind up the temporal part and pin the ends, this will allow the hairstyle not to get disheveled and will persist until the end of the event. Hanging curls on the sides are not recommended, as they will simply develop during the hunt, ”Elena Potapova shares her experience.

The perfect look for a lady

A calm outfit made from natural materials (wool or cloth) of dull colors. Hair is neatly tucked away or styled into a hairstyle. On the head is a hat, top hat or any other suitable headdress. Shoes - elegant and as close to the historical as possible, classic riding boots are allowed. Gloves made of light leather or matching the color of the suit would be a good touch. Overuse of cosmetics is discouraged.

Tired together - horses, people ...

On the bivouac, horse hunters are offered not only "striving" ones, but also all kinds of traditional treats!

Hunting in the snow is harder for horses than for humans ...

Today, many horse farms in Russia are interested in the development and promotion of horse hunting with greyhounds. This process allows you not only to plunge into the past, but also to feel all the delights of entertainment, so popular for several centuries. For some, such a hunt is an adrenaline rush. Someone enjoys active riding in open areas. Others see horse hunting as a fashionable trend and want to try themselves as hussars, counts and noble ladies, dressing in historical outfits and adopting the refined manners of the past. In parallel with this, there is an active revival of the Russian hound, which is an integral companion of almost any such hunt.

Photos - Zanoska Valery.
Organizer - Horse Base "Avanpost", Mozhaisk
Master class by Svetlana Petrova, 2015.

Andrey Shalygin: In fact, there are several types of outfitters, which can be conditionally divided into the following types, which I will lay out out of order, and since they are looming at me:

In principle, in fact, this all applies to any industry of clothing and services.... But today I would like to stop at Horse Hunting AVANPOST, which belongs (today) to category 4 with full right.

The fact is that many declare this, but nothing like the incisions in the film The Peculiarities of the National Hunt show nothing, except for miserable delirium with photo sessions of 10,000 rubles in an entourage of worn dogs, dead nags and clown costumes. And only in the performance of the Outpost, this service is more or less real, at least in terms of external surroundings and entertainment.

Of course, there is no hunting there, and none of the riders controls the greyhounds, and they do not hunt by definition, but just jumping back and forth is quite possible for relaxation. The horses are working, the costumes are nice, the company is cheerful, there are a lot of people, the trips are regular, the party is well-known.

The outpost has another important feature - the enormous popularity and activity of its participants. The fact is that if someone has a lot of money and he wants to have something like that, then nothing will come of him absolutely. Moreover, just NEVER, and for no money.

Well, first of all, because only a fool thinks that enthusiasm can be bought for money, but what kind of organizer can make a fool. Secondly, for money, he will begin to demand what the participants are not interested in at all, since The "get-together" is based only on the collective interest, and not on the pocket of the investor.

The outpost recently changed its location and immediately showed what it is worth - literally the first meeting in an open field, where there was nothing at all, gathered more than 10,000 participants and spectators. Huge numbers that clearly show that this is such a club of interests, which you cannot enter with your own rules.

No, if there is no mind, then you might want to do everything a cut above, collect a bunch of parasites in fake stars and medals, invest a lot of money in vain and ... koshkin bzdeh. And because no one needs it. People go for communication, go to where they can communicate with equals, where they are not expected at all for money, and no matter where.

What kind of ezdun-horse is there from the VIP, this is, as a rule, a wineskin with servants - what kind of horse-hunting he wants. And the guards are even overweight, not that they themselves are no longer good for anything - just look from the outside. There is no need to talk about communication, for the sake of which people gather, and without dividing into VIP zones. And the horses are there - only for speculation with documents are suitable.

If the hucksters get down to business, then there is also no time for a party - they are trying to weld on everything, from dyed sugar for horses, to renting costumes for the cost of those costumes, from horse carts to stalls, from hay to washing. The people are not stupid either - once they hit them, they won't come a second time. The shopkeepers always have a walk-through yard - scrawny savras, half-hour streaming pokatushki in a circle.

Therefore, mass horse hunting among the 1st and 3rd categories of outfitters is generally impossible as a fact. The first (inflated) if they do, then for one person once and that will be - release the hare, the boar drives up. Still others (traders), if they organize anything, then only with the involvement of others, but 30% of the minimum will be thrown from above.

The second (Fists) - they all have it for themselves from the very beginning, and grew out of their personal economy, therefore, the work there, of course, is being done, but there is very often no excess in this particular issue. The object of the hunt has been gone for a long time. Even if the Outpost was originally in the category of "fists", now you want it or not, but the segment had to be changed.

If there is anywhere else horse hunting with greyhounds with dogs, it’s only where there is at least a bunny or a chanterelle for it, what can we say about a wolf. And where the money is invested - what kind of hunting is around, there you have to drive up on the asphalt on the SUV. It means that even the last chanterelle there was killed many years ago.

What can we say about the greyhounds, who in themselves are like that sect. And few of them actually ride horses. Therefore, combining a horse and greyhounds is almost unheard of. This is if only from a young age he was engaged in both, then it will work out.

Only "shtuchniki" and "taiga workers" can form a professional basis for such services, but taiga people don't dress up in a show, they generally don't like a get-together, and they hate VIPs fiercely and will never let them in, since the owners and the bar themselves do not welcome. So if the "shtuchniks" gather a selective society somewhere in order to carry out something like that behind the scenes, then no one will be promoting this business - and dressing up with role-playing games is not welcome there, tea is not clowns.

So only at the junction of the Enthusiast-Torgash-Kulak can a costume show of horse hunting (or falconry, if you like) be born, but only if there is the most Enthusiast in this bow, a long-time practicing Kulak sits at the base, and a merchant came running to them with costumes.

Of course, this process is not fixed, and gradually the Enthusiast can retrain into Torgash, like Kulak, but if the organizer-organizer himself leaves, then only Torgash will immediately remain there. But since this is still a hunt, then Without the object of the hunt, there’s absolutely nothing, otherwise it’s all a theatrical performance in the scenery. Then it will become just a clown.

And this barely noticeable process balancing on the brink is such a fickle thing that for filming it is still leveled, but for the participants it may soon get bored. Not infrequently - there is only one name. Where can we find the old kulaks now, who did this for themselves. Certainly not in the suburbs.

What kind of Pershinsky hunts are there - myths and legends. There is no hunt here, if there are massive rides, role-playing games without a special script and an entertainment photo session in front of a mirror on an iPhone. But with enthusiasm, fun, in a youthful way, and therefore this is a positive fact. It's like Zarnitsa - it makes no sense, but it teaches you to think correctly.

A rich master will never have horse hunting if it is a master. Neither real dog lovers will go to him, nor horsemen - they are fighting for the Idea, and not running away to run errands. He can organize a fist himself. But if he got into fists on horseback, earning on his own land from the plow, from the land, and not selling a shaverm near the metro.

But the Enthusiasts, if they get together, they can really carry out a real hunt, but for this they need to attract dog lovers no less than horsemen, and even rangers to find an appropriate place. And we, alas, unfortunately have not seen this yet and will hardly see it soon. Because it's easy to ride a horse and a fool can, as in a crinoline. Here's who will hunt - perhaps the sent Cossack.

We have a lot of boarders, competitions are held constantly, but few of them travel, and they have notion of horse hunting. It's one thing to chase rabbits with greyhounds, it's another thing to go after a wolf. And the places in our immediate environment are not suitable for this, you need to go to the south for such a hunt.

So before horse hunting with greyhounds is still fantastic, but a costume show is welcome. it is held at the Outpost regularly for everyone, and there is no end to them. Drive, enjoy, have fun ...

Although, of course, I would like, of course, that the Equestrian enthusiasts met with professional greyhounds, and they invited a good organizer who at least once was able to stage it all professionally, even with graduation foxes and hares ... then we at least talked seriously about the concept of Pershinskaya hunting ...

The fact that this is not within the power of any puffed-up gentleman with money, is not necessary for a huckster, that neither a kulak nor a taiga man is interested - that is understandable. But if the Enthusiast and the Shtuchnik get together, the first for the Idea, and the second for the piece work - and conduct such a hunt ... then we will know who it really is. In the meantime, all the traders.

A reconstruction of Russian hunting of the 19th century took place in the Moscow region

Participants did not use any weapons, instead, by tradition, there were only greyhounds and hounds.

Lovers of historical reconstruction have recreated Russian hunting in the Moscow region. About 200 participants, over 150 horses and several packs of greyhounds. Everything is like in the 19th century.

They begin to prepare for the hunt in the early morning. First, prepare the horses to clean and feed. Then put on costumes - without them, you cannot participate in the reconstruction. By tradition, before the start, everyone is offered a stirrup. Then you can start. Participants reconstruct the Russian hound hunting. No weapons, only greyhounds and hounds. By the way, for our ancestors, hunting was often first and foremost a necessity, and only then entertainment.

Evgeny Matuzov, hunting manager: “It was initially inevitable, because there were a lot of wolves that caused significant damage to agriculture. Therefore, initially hunting, they are forced. Each landowner kept countless dogs not for fun, but because it was the only way to somehow protect livestock from invasions of gray predators. "

Evgeny Matuzov has been involved in equestrian sports since he was 12 years old. At 16 he got into the military history club. And when in 1996 he bought a destroyed calf barn, he decided to make a stable out of it and recreate the Russian hunting.

“I suddenly realized that I have greyhounds, we have uniforms. I know everything about hunting, because I have been fond of it since childhood, ”says Matuzov.

The most important attribute of the hunt is a suit. And, of course, the horse. You can come on your own, you can rent it. All together it will cost about 5 thousand rubles.

Many of those who came to take part in the reconstruction work in reputable companies in leadership positions. Horse riding is a hobby for them, and hunting is a source of strong emotions.

Nadezhda, participant of the hunt: “I have been coming here for the third year already, and I come with my horse. Eugene is doing it all wonderfully well. Cool, great, wonderful team. And the weather was even lucky for us today. "

Unlike their ancestors who hunted wolves, modern hunters mainly chase hares. But this time the hunting luck did not smile at the participants. They went home without prey.

One of the most famous Russian hunts is Pershinskaya. The name comes from the estate in the Tula province. It was organized on a grand scale, people came here to hunt even from abroad.