I thought coursing just meant chasing—racecourse etc.

Not quite:

Mariam-Webster:

Quote:

: the pursuit of running game with dogs that follow by sight instead of by scent

wiki:

Quote:

Coursing by humans is the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs—chiefly greyhounds and other sighthounds—catching their prey by speed, running by sight, but not by scent. Coursing was a common hunting technique, practised by the nobility, the landed and wealthy, as well as by commoners with sighthounds and lurchers. In its oldest recorded form in the Western world, as described by Arrian—it was a sport practised by all levels of society, and it remained the case until Carolingian period forest law appropriated hunting grounds, or commons, for the king, the nobility, and other landowners. It then became a formalised competition, specifically on hare in Britain, practised under rules, the Laws of the Leash'.[1] As a zoological term, it refers to predation by running down prey over long distances, as opposed to stalking, in which a stealthy approach is followed by a short burst of sprinting.

Greyhounds are amazingly fast but have skinny legs.

The staghound, which is what Socks mainly is, is a cross between a greyhound and a Scottish deer hound. The aim of the breed—sturdier legs—was achieved.

So coursing is mainly hunting hares using dogs. In these civilised—or effete—days coursing is done with artificial lures, white plastic shopping bags do the jobs.

Socks is a very, very good sight coursing hound.

Read a little bit further:


Quote:

In Australia, dogs may be used to hunt feral animals such as foxes, deer, goats, rabbits, and pigs.[4]

So if Socks gets away from me, chases, catches and kills a rabbit that is OK! Good to know.

I had seen YouTubes of staghounds being used to hunt feral pigs.