There are two organizations that sanction coursing trials, the AKC and the ASFA. We owe the existence of coursing to a man named Lyle Gillette and a group of California sighthound fanciers from the early 1970's. These sighthound enthusiasts hunted jackrabbits in the open field, but this carried with it some dangers from obstacles such as barbed wire fencing. They wanted a safer, more controlled sport that would recreate the physical requirements of open field coursing, but still allow them to test the functional abilities of their sighthounds. They decided that chasing plastic bags on a course laid out to simulate escaping game was just the solution. In 1972, they started the American Sighthound Field Association (ASFA) and invited other sighthound fanciers from across the nation to join the organization. The sport of lure coursing was born. The ASFA is still in existence today, sanctions nearly 300 trial per year, and is composed of member clubs that vote on amendments to their coursing rules and regulations at the Annual Convention of Delegates.

The AKC voted to offer and sanction lure coursing trials in July of 1991 and ran their first trial in September of 1992. Rhodesian Ridgebacks gained provisional status with ASFA in April of 1991 and were accepted to the AKC coursing program in August of 1992. The ASFA and AKC coursing programs are similar, with subtle differences in scoring and running rules, but the basic concept is the same. Hounds earn points towards a Field Championship title (FCh in ASFA and FC in AKC), as well as towards more advanced titles such as Lure Courser of Merit (LCM in ASFA) or Lure Courser Excellent (LCX in AKC). Both organizations also track points towards national rankings.

Most, but not all, coursing clubs hold both ASFA and AKC events and many judges are also licensed by both organizations. As far as your hound is concerned, there is no difference between the two coursing programs. Your hound gets to get out and run, have fun, and chase those elusive plastic bags. So whatever your preference, AKC or ASFA, check out the two sites below for more information on how to get started in coursing and for events in your area:

American Sighthound Field Association (ASFA)

American Kennel Club Lure Coursing (AKC)