Holderness Hunt holds first meet>video

Horses, hounds and hundreds of foot followers enjoyed an afternoon in the countryside at the annual Holderness Hunt.

The event at Rise Park, near Skirlaugh, on Saturday marked the first meet of the season and the fields were awash with colour as riders donned their traditional red jackets and velvet hats.

Avid countryside enthusiasts were out in force to celebrate the start of the season and watch as more than 100 riders took to their horses to follow a pre-laid synthetic scent trail through the fields and woodlands.

Tammy Mathieson, 28 of Seaton, attended the hunt with her children, Poppy, five, and three-year-old Oliver.

She said: "We usually make an effort to go to the opening meet.

"My husband and I used to take part but now we go mainly for the children.

"We followed the hunt for a bit and were out for about an hour.

"Oliver was really pleased as they jumped a log - it may have been a twig on the floor but to him it was definitely a log.

"Oliver was riding Bob, his sister's old pony, while Poppy was riding her new pony, Lily.

"Poppy has been going to the opening meet since she was 18 months old, whereas this was Oliver's first time mounted."

The Holderness Hunt is one of the oldest in Britain with a history stretching back more than 250 years.