THE Portman Hunt threw open its doors to the public on Sunday July 18 during a free Open Day.

The event, held on fields at the Kennels in Bryanston, included terrier, Lurcher and small dog shows, a gun dog scurry, junior pony showing and county stalls.

Between three and four hundred people including families and children visited from all across the South.

The youngest winner of the day was three-and-a-half-year-old Annabel Vickery from Evershot who took a first rosette in her pony class.

Other entertainment included an adult tug-of-war contest on the Sunday afternoon and a bouncy castle for youngsters.

Jocelyn Walters, an organiser, said: "It's gone really well and we've had lots of people.

"The weather has been good although it has been a little bit cloudy. We have had more people coming this year than last.

"It is not a fund-raising day but to give people a chance to see what goes on in a hunt's kennels.

"They can find out what's involved in hunting and its role with the environment and we show kids how we keep the hounds."

First published: July 21