A BOXING Day tradition was alive and well as hundreds ignored the driving rain to witness the spectacle of a horseback hunt. 

The Vale of Lune Harriers meeting at Longlands attracted a bumper crowd on Saturday, as spectators gathered to watch hounds follow a scent over a 15-mile course. 

Alan Richards, one of the joint masters, described it as a "massive turnout from the public" and proof the pursuit has clearly retained its popularity. 

He said: "I'm led to believe that there are more people hunting now than before the Hunting Ban (introduced 11 years ago), because it's now politically correct. 

"So numbers are up, which is always a good thing that people are still interested in hunting. 

"And if you see the amount of people that turned out today, they still want to see the local hunt turning out on Boxing Day, and it's a fantastic spectacle."

There were more than 30 people involved on horseback in conditions described as "heavy going", while a team of three runners from the Kendal area led the trail with the scent on a rag. 

Mr Richards, who lives near Settle, Yorkshire, said the event attracted people from Cumbria, Lancashire and north Yorkshire. 

He added: "Three of the runners ran for us pulling the trail, which is basically a rag with some scent on it, on the end of a string, and they pull it round a pre-determined course which has been set out with the huntsmen. 

"And the hounds follow that scent. 

"The runners every now and then, when getting close to any major roads, will pick it up and put it down again to make the hounds still work with their nose to try and find the scent."

Research undertaken by the Countryside Alliance shows hunting is in good shape, despite 11 years under the Hunting Act, with 83 per cent of hunts having the same number, or more, subscribers. 

Asked about the merits of repealing the Act, Mr Richards said: "Politicians can talk all day long, but it's all down to what the public think. 

"We, as a hunt, are very lucky that we have adapted to the new rules and regulations. If they get changed, obviously we'll re-adapt to that.

"The one thing we've got to do is be above the law, because we don't want to be one of the first hunts to get prosecuted."