Being ambivalent about hunting the thing I find annoying is the distinct class division with reference toi "Toffs" and "Landed Gentry" without reference to the office workers, shop assistants, and the labourers who hunt. Several labour M.P.'s have openly stated that "it was a class thing".
In answer to some of the questions above:
LTS: A relation of mine hunts, my brother-in-law follows a Premier Divisioon football team. It costs him more to watch football than my relative needs to spend on her horses!
RAEDWULF: In the late 60's/early 70@s there was an outbreak of rabies near Camberley in Surrey. ALL wildlife, including stray cats, was shot and incinerated by a group of Ministry-appointed Guns. Not a thing was left alive for several miles around the outbreak. Do we really want that again?
GNU: Small-calibre rifles are NOT permitted unless the requisite firearms certificate has ben obtained from the police - not an easy thing to obtain as requirements are very strict. As you no doubt appreciate, a shotgun, unless at close range and with heavy shot, is useless against foxes.
Manner of dess of any person riding to hounds is covered by convention, in the same way as the dress for golf, football, rock-climbing or subaqua sports.
Clothing is developed for each and every occasion, social or sport, and to deride someone for their mode of dress shows only the ignorance of the derider.
Regarding statistics, remember that it is safer to cross the road while not wearing shoes than when wearing them, as statistics show that the incidence of people injured while not wearing shoes when crossing the road is very small.
Can we now call for a ban on footbaLL, a sport where the participants try to injure each other and the supporters cause havoc in town centres and injure and kill each other.
This is not a class thing, but after all, football is played mainly only by the working classes!

Colyn