F ARRIERS across the Westcountry gathered at a celebrated hunt meet at the weekend which drew record crowds.

Saturday marked the 10th anniversary of the Farriers' Hunt held in and around Constantine, near Falmouth, Cornwall.

Supporters said the day went "extremely well" and the number of people attending showed the resistance to the hunting ban.

Ian Hampton, chairman of the Farriers' Hunt supporters' club, said: "This is a day that gives farriers something back for all the hard work they do to keep us going. Without the farriers, we would not be able to operate."

Farriers from Devon and Cornwall came to take part in Saturday's meet and were joined by other local riders and an estimated 200 people following on foot.

The day began with a solid cooked breakfast at Tucoys Farm before riders followed the previously laid trail.

Mr Hampton said: "We had a very enjoyable day's trail hunting with a fantastic turnout."

The ban on fox hunting was introduced in February 2005 and has seen considerable opposition in the Westcountry.

Mr Hampton felt the hunt had attracted more supporters since the hunting ban was introduced.

He said: "If anything, we have got bigger since the ban was brought in because people realise that another tradition is under threat. It's vitally important to keep the tradition alive until we get the law repealed."

Meanwhile, James Barrington, former director of the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS), has joined the Countryside Alliance as an animal welfare consultant on the fourth anniversary of the Hunting Act.

Mr Barrington has been consultant to the Parliamentary Middle Way Group, a cross-party body that campaigned for a workable compromise on hunting, and will continue in that role while also working for the alliance.

Three other directors of LACS and numerous staff members and volunteers have also changed their minds on the abolition of hunting with dogs.