29 dramatic photos from the earlier Wickham Horse Fair

The event itself was cancelled again in 2021 due to coronavirus restrictions.

However a large crowd and a number of horse boxes gathered in the village this morning to mark the horse fair.

Wickham has been home to the event since the 13th century.

Earlier a spokeswoman for Hampshire Constabulary said: ‘The Wickham Horse Fair was cancelled earlier this year due to Covid-19 restrictions.

MORE: Video captures scale of police response to 'symbolic' Wickham Horse Fair gathering

‘Together with our partners we are facilitating a symbolic event that can be safely managed within the space available, and in accordance with the current Health Protection Regulations.

‘We are aware that a number of people, along with vehicles and horses, have arrived outside of the pre-arranged symbolic event. Our officers are on scene and working with our partners to manage this.’

There were no arrests.

RSPCA inspector Paul Williams and World Horse Welfare Officer Penny Baker have attended today’s event to check on the welfare of the animals.

Paul said: ‘Obviously with the event being cancelled, we stood down our usual deployment. Usually we have a vet here. This year we have not seen anything that has caused us any concern.’

Here are our pictures from the ‘symbolic’ gathering in Wickham today.

See all the updates from the scene in our live blog.

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