Boxing Day hunt meet draws large crowds in Essex.
Image by Knelstrom Media
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Large crowds gathered at Matching Green in Essex on Boxing Day for the annual meet of the Puckeridge and Essex Hunt, a traditional fixture of the rural festive calendar.
Around 86 riders on horseback assembled with a pack of hounds on the village green, watched by an estimated 500 spectators who lined surrounding roads and open areas. Members of the public photographed the riders and hounds as they gathered before moving off.
The Boxing Day meet is one of the busiest dates in the hunting calendar and regularly attracts significant public interest, with many attending for the spectacle and seasonal atmosphere. Families, residents and visitors were among those present at Matching Green.
Riders wore traditional hunt dress as hounds were brought together under the supervision of hunt staff. The event took place without a reported incident and formed part of a series of Boxing Day hunt meets held across England.