The Creation of The ABBA is a Move in the Right Direction
By Larry Lee, BraceBeagling Editor
January 17, 2006

There is no question that our sport of brace beagling is hurting. I cannot speak conclusively for other parts of the country but that is very apparent here in my home state of Michigan. Clubs have consolidated or are in the process of consolidating. Membership in existing clubs is down. Those remaining members who are still active are getting up in age. Existence of breeders is becoming almost non-existent.

That is why I believe the creation of the organization called the American Brace Beagling Association to promote the sport is a much needed step in the right direction. Whether the organization can be of help is still to be determined. But granted it cannot do any harm. It is great to see a concerned group of beaglers try to do something positive to grow our sport. We should all do everything we can to aid and support this group.

In the past not much has been accomplished in the field of promoting our great sport. During the beginning of the hay day of brace beagling in the 1950's I lived about nine miles from Great Lakes Beagle Club in Otisville, Michigan. I never had any idea that such a sport as brace beagling existed. t I was not aware of the fact that an a beagle club with an 80 acre fenced enclosure where you could compete with beagles was available. I found out about the sport by accident. I didn't read about the sport in the paper or see any ads posted by beagle clubs seeking new members. I learned of brace beagling through a man who I served with on the local volunteer fire department.

The sport must be advertised to as many people as possible. This was not adequately accomplished in the past. Most of the brace beaglers came from the rabbit hunting ranks. When I consider the fact that over 600 clubs were established in different parts of the country I am amazed. Members were pulled together, land was purchased, rules were established and the sport strived without much of a publicity effort. That is not the case today. Rabbit hunters are now almost non existent. Other activities have replaced the love of the gun. However, the more people that learn of the sport the greater chance we have of gaining additional members. Advertising and other promotional ideas are now more than ever essential to the future of our sport.

I believe that the love of watching close, accurate hounds is an ingrained desire instilled in those of us who love the sport by our creator. Not everyone who learns of our sport is going to become a beagler. For example both of my sons were raised with a kennel of hounds in the backyard but neither care anything for the sport. Great hound work does not turn them on in the least. For example I was running Gillum's Courtyard Katie out at my son's place near Red Ceder Beagle Club. She was doing a spectacular job of accurately tracking a rabbit underneath a stand of 100 year old pine trees. He was working in the yard when do to my enthusiasm I called him over to witness Katie's perfection. After watching her for a few minutes he said to me, "You know Dad watching her does not do one thing for me. Writing music and working with computers is his game. The point of this discussion is to point out that we must contact many people before we gain adherents to our sport. Not everyone will like the sport. However, the more people that learn of our sport the better the chance we have of gaining some that will become participants.

We here at bracebeagling.com fully support the effort of the American Brace Beagle Association and recommend that all concerned beaglers join in the group's effort to promote our sport.