Havering-atte-Bower Conservation Society (HABCOS) held its 17th annual Horseman Sunday on 27th September on the Village Green.
It was a lovely afternoon, with around 35 horses and their riders, well turned out, from the village and surrounding area taking part. The service was specifically created for the occasion including relevant prayers and hymms which was conducted by Rev. Geoff Clarke in front of the beautiful Church of St John the Evangelist. A special part of the service was a reading of the poem Ode to the Horse, beautifully recited by Sharon Johnson, who lives, works and has horses in the village.
Following the service, and a blessing for the dogs, rosettes were presented to all the participating horses and riders, as well as to the dogs who joined us for the occasion. The Church also kindly provided refreshments to everyone.
We were also delighted to welcome a special visitor this year, Winnie Murphy representing British Equestrian, who are promoting horse riding schools, which are in decline, in an effort to keep horse riding developing as a sport.
It was wonderful to see so many horses, riders, dogs and local residents coming together for this much-loved village tradition. A big thank you to everyone who took part and helped make the day such a success.