Lambourn's traditional Boxing Day hunt meeting

SUPPORTERS of the hunt in Lambourn cracked open the port on Monday morning at the annual Boxing Day drag hunt meet.

The clatter of hooves, sound of the horn and the sight of hunting pinks created an atmosphere unchanged over centuries. Later, villagers lined the streets to watch riders from The Vine and Craven Hunt set off from the field off Crowle Road.

There was also a collection for the local foodbank charity.

The Hunting Act 2004 banned hunting wild mammals, including foxes, with dogs and since then, participants have had to follow a scent laid out for the hounds, rather than a fox, which is known as drag hunting.

For more pictures, see next week’s Newbury Weekly News.