Trail Hunting Policy

Knepp Estate owes the retention of hedges and much of its woodland and copses to the tradition of fox-hunting. Charlie Burrell’s grandparents, Sir Walter and Lady Burrell, were Masters of the Crawley and Horsham Hunt. Throughout the farming revolution, when 75,000 miles of hedges were being pulled up, they refused to grub theirs out. The average farm field size on Knepp remained a little under 10 acres (tiny by modern standards), all bordered by hedges to provide challenging jumps for the Hunt. This certainly benefited wildlife at the time and has contributed to the success of our rewilding project (set up in 2000) by providing a refuge for birds, flora and invertebrates which were then easily able to colonise the wider landscape.

Since the 2004 Hunting Act, which banned the pursuit of foxes with hounds, the Crawley and Horsham Hunt adopted trail hunting instead. Knepp continued to support this activity, with the Opening Meet held at the castle.

Knepp Estate would like to make categorically clear that it has never allowed illegal fox hunting to take place on its land. Indeed, we no longer control foxes ourselves by shooting them, as we did when we were farming. Foxes at Knepp are now free to live out their lives and protect their territories without hindrance. We aim to demonstrate that having a sedentary, secure fox population within the rewilding project keeps the numbers in balance. Vixens mature later and have fewer cubs, and dog foxes prevent other challengers from entering their territory. This has a positive effect on prey species such as small mammals, ground-nesting birds and water-fowl. Our foxes are as precious to us as all the other wildlife at Knepp.

However, since rewilding, much of the land at Knepp is no longer open, traditional country where the hunt can clearly be seen but dense scrub punctuated by pockets of bog and deep water. We have large herds of free-roaming deer and livestock and hidden obstacles such as fallen trees. Our terrain, particularly in the Southern Block, is now hazardous for galloping horses and presents potential dangers to the public on the footpaths should our free-roaming animals hiding up in dense cover get spooked. We have therefore decided to suspend access to the Crawley & Horsham Hunt in the name of public safety.

The Crawley & Horsham Hunt, itself, is undergoing transition from a trail hunt to a drag hunt. Since 2020, under new leadership, it has dramatically improved safety for riders and put measures in place to ensure no accidental pursuit of foxes. We hope it is able to continue providing an enjoyable sport for the local community while demonstrating exemplary leadership and public responsibility.