The fox hunt was initially a civilian endeavour that began when a pair of English foxhounds were imported to Gibraltar.

The huntsmen who started the pack formed a club, the Civil Hunt, whose members wore blue uniforms with silver buttons.

At the end of 1814, the hunt was limited by the quarantine that was placed on Gibraltar due to the reappearance of a yellow fever epidemic.

The hounds were transferred from San Roque, and a kennel was built at the North Front with the support of the Governor of Gibraltar, Sir George Don.

Later, new kennels were constructed at the North Front in 1884, with the foundation stone laid by the wife of then Governor, Sir John Miller Adye.

[11] In the mid nineteenth century, meetings of the Royal Calpe Hunt were held at what is now known as Gibraltar City Hall in John Mackintosh Square.

[12][13] In 1875, the building was sold to Pablo Antonio Larios (1819 – 1879), a wealthy businessman and banker, Gibraltarian-born but member of a Spanish family, who restored it.

It was also to the financial benefit of the Hunt, as Larios was only partially reimbursed for the expenses he incurred in purchasing the best dogs and maintaining the kennels.

[6][7][18] One of the main landowners in the Campo de Gibraltar area, he built a sumptuous mansion in Gualdacorte, hosting also the kennels of the Royal Calpe Hunt.

[20] Larios was eventually forced to resign on 20 July 1932:[7]As far as the technical side of hunting hounds is concerned I am frankly of the opinion that the natural advantages which I possess over any young British officer, by reason of my knowledge of fox-hunting, my experience of this country, and nationality, outweigh whatever disadvantages may be alleged to have accrued from my advancing years.

While the Hunt still had permission to cross the border into Spain, the loyalty of the Spanish farmers to Larios was such that most of them did not allow access to their land.

Word reached the aristocrats in Britain, particularly after The Field, a magazine devoted to hunting, published an article detailing the reasons for the resignation of Larios.

[20] The next governor, Sir Charles Harington began his term in 1933 with instructions from King George V to resolve the discord surrounding the Hunt.

After the death of Pablo Larios, the Committee of the Royal Calpe Hunt appointed his son Pepito Larios, who at the time was a fighter pilot for the Nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War, and Governor of Gibraltar General Sir Edmund Ironside as joint Masters of the Hunt.

In 1906, Alfonso XIII of Spain married Princess Ena of England, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and the niece of Edward VII.

Given the alliances that were forged between England and Spain, the Governor of Gibraltar sent a request to Edward VII asking him to consider a joint sponsorship of the Hunt with Alfonso XIII.

Pablo Larios broke protocol: given the friendship that he had with both kings, he obtained the sponsorship of Alfonso XIII without the Calpe going through the process of formal application.

[24] There had been concerns that the exhibit would provoke the demonstrations of animal rights activists who had staged protests at the Instituto Cervantes the previous month due to lectures that had been held on the topic of bullfighting.