New Year’s Day hunts ‘attract more support’ (From York Press)

New Year’s Day hunts ‘attract more support’

7:44am Friday 2nd January 2009 in News By Richard Harris

The Derwent Hunt gathers at The Hall, Thornton-le-Dale, for the New Year’s Day meet

HORSES, hounds, riders and followers gathered across the county yesterday for the traditional New Year’s Day hunting meets.

For the Derwent Hunt, which meets at The Hall, in Thornton-le-Dale, it was a particularly special occasion, as it was the 200th time it had met at the venue.

Hunt supporters were out in force to watch the horses and hounds gather at The Hall, with staff on hand to serve hot toddies, Christmas cake and sausage rolls to the riders.

Shelly Hornby, bar manager at The Hall, said: “It was a really good morning. There was a good crowd and it was a really nice spectacle to see all the riders in their pink jackets.”

Another local hunt meeting yesterday was the Saltersgate Farmers’ Hunt, which met at the White Swan Inn, at Newton-on-Rawcliffe, near Pickering, where the landlord and landlady treated them to mulled wine and “copious amounts of food”.

Ruth Russell, the social secretary of the hunt, said it had been a very successful morning.

She said: “There were 26 horses out and about 150 followers, so it was a really good meet. We had a really good social get-together and they had a good day following the trail. We always get a good turn-out at the New Year’s Day meet and it’s surprising how many folks are still supporting us.”

Hunting animals with hounds became a criminal offence in February 2005, but hunts have survived as exercising hounds, chasing a scent trail laid earlier and flushing foxes out for them to be shot are still legal.

Hunts say that since the ban the popularity of the sport has increased, with more and more people turning out to see them, particularly on big occasions like Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.