The Middleton Hunt are fucking arseholes. Before we go any further, I would like to make that very clear. And I found this out on Saturday 17, January 2026 when I dragged my carcass out of bed on a freezing and wet morning and made my way to Leeds. I was off to join the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) for my first-ever sab, and I was wildly excited:
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What I found on the ground was a fast-paced and violent environment. The hunt was suited and booted in their prissy uniforms, same silver spoon jammed up their arses as usual and atop their immaculate horses. The HSA on the other hand were kitted out in all black, each and every face masked up and ready to go. This was a joint hit on the hunt this time, a mixture of six groups: Leeds, York, East Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Calder Valley, Manchester and Lincoln. This was because the Middleton Hunt had become really violent recently, and the week before, a female sab had her cheek fractured by one of them. But despite that, there she was with us, determined to save the lives of wildlife.
These riders are fucking dickheads. They ride absolutely beautiful horses, but they don’t see these animals as sentient. To these inbred arseholes they are nothing but tools. A 450kg weapon they use to intimidate and run through sabs, just so they can watch a fox get fucking ripped apart by hounds.
The police have abandoned the countryside to the hunt
At one point, when the hunt had effectively kettled our van, one of the inbred wankers backed his horse into the vehicle, scaring the shit out of it. Of course the poor creature kicked backwards, damaging the bumper. Simon Russell, chair of the HSA, called the police but they genuinely didn’t give a shit. They wouldn’t even record it as a crime:
The authorities have abandoned their duties. This leaves sabs to do the work of the police. Whilst the hunt claims to lay trails, the pouring rain and petrol fumes from quadbikes made this an impossibility. At one point, one of the jumped up pricks approached Simon and myself, and we asked him if he had bothered to lay trails. The nasally arsehole fumbled over his words, demanding to know why the sabs were wearing masks. He quickly left when he realised that Russell knew way more than him. I mean, I wouldn’t argue with a man who has spent four decades learning about and actively opposing hunting in every way he can. They called us peasants in retaliation. I called them inbred.
The police don’t give a fuck when the hunt damage property or hurt people. Sabs fight a constant battle for a voice. This lack of police action is a systematic failure. Data from 2025 shows that only 59 convictions have been secured under the Hunting Act since 2004. And I can tell you now, had the police been arsed to be there that day, there was around 100 more they could have added to that figure. These successful cases only make it to court due the huge efforts of these sabs on the ground.
A stunning masterclass in grassroots organisation
Whilst the hunt fumbled for excuses, the sabs worked as a well-oiled machine and it was fucking stunning to see. They were all laughs and jokes in the van, yet as soon as they stepped out onto the field, it all changed. They became the most disciplined and focused people I have ever seen. Why? Because their one goal is to save lives, and that’s all they work towards.
Although there are vans all over the site, they communicate constantly through radios. They’re so fucking efficient, that these radio systems were even updated on site to ensure their communication was the best it could be. Each team had radios. Every single sab had a mapping app on their phone to communicate the hunt’s movements in real time.
They are so fucking efficient, it blew my mind. And I noticed something else. There have no drama, no politics, no bickering. It was so unlike so many other grassroots organisations I have been a part of and we would do well to learn from them. They don’t squabble over petty bullshit, they focus on their one goal. They laugh and share food in the black out vans. Then they run for fucking miles in the freezing cold, over dangerously uneven ground, deploying in seconds to save foxes from being ripped to shreds.
The HSA has actually done it. They have created a living and thriving community who have each others backs. They constantly check on each other and never leave anyone behind. If someone is confronted by one of the hunt, they swoop in to defend one another.
The camaraderie they found in this one common goal was fucking stunning, and the rest of the left could learn so much from them.
The Middleton Hunt is a violent relic
The Middleton Hunt has a long-ass history of documented thuggery. In March 2017, riders from the hunt assaulted hunt sabs in Uncleby. One female sab ended up with cracked ribs when she was crushed between two horse. Other sabs suffered serious head injuries and broken fingers. And they stole a video camera and two body cams during the attack.
This group has even been implicated in the rearing of wild fox cubs to be illegally hunted. How the fuck can you raise a tiny fox, just to ruthlessly chase it over the fields and rip it to shreds? This is fucking inhuman behaviour, yet I’m not shocked when it comes to these rich wankers.
In 2017, Middleton Hunt hounds were killed on a road during an illegal hunt. And when I tell you these dogs are stunning, they really are. But the hunt don’t give a shit about them. They don’t see them as living creatures. They see them as tools to satiate their bloodlust. Worst bit? Hunters slaughter hounds at age five or six once they deem them past their prime.
The hunt are nothing but a group of criminals who think they own the countryside.
The government has promised to ban trail hunting in 2026. But the sabs refuse to wait for the law because right now, they’re the only ones who can save the lives of our wildlife.
The sabs need our help
It’s knackering, doing all of this in the freezing cold. But these sabs run for fucking miles. The hunt sabs are putting their bodies on the line, they do it every time they go out. They’re the guardians of the countryside.
But they need help. The more people they can get on the ground, the more lives can be saved. The HSA needs funding to help replace damaged equipment and to keep their vehicles on the ground.
If you want to sign up or donate, please do.
I know for a fucking fact, that wasn’t going to be my last trip out with the sabs:
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Featured image via the Canary
By Antifabot
This post was originally published on Canary.