Join the Hunt! - History of the Hounds

One of the most exciting aspects I found about the fox hunt was the interaction between the riders (specificially the Master of the Hounds and Whippers-in "Whips") and the hunt itself. Commonwealth Fox Hounds maintains a pack of Crossbred hounds, and have recently revitalized their breeding program and by infusing some additional PennmaryDel bloodlines into the pack.

Breeding a pack of hounds that measures up to the Association standards is no easy task. The MFHA Foxhound Kennel Stud Book has been in existence since 1907 and keeps track of all hounds bred by member hunts in the United States and Canada. There are three hound classifications: English, American and Crossbred. The English hound is a hound whose ancestors are in the English Foxhound Studbook. American and English hounds must have less than one sixteenth outcross blood in their pedigree to be considered pure. Some of the best known varieties of American hounds are the Bywater hound, the Walker hound and the July hound. Crossbred hounds are a cross between English and American hounds. Crossbred hounds are the most popular in the United States. (from MFSA)