THE annual Boxing Day Hunt at Matching Green has become more popular since the hunting ban was introduced, it has been claimed.
Roberto Zeolla, who owns The Chequers pub and restaurant, said turnout for the post-Christmas event has risen in the years since the Hunting Act became law in 2005.
Mr Zeolla, 42, who has owned the pub since 2001, said: "This time there were probably about 1,000 people and something like 40 horses.
"It is popular and since they have banned hunting [foxes] I've definitely had a bigger turnout."
Founded in 1785, the Essex Hunt has met regularly in Matching Green since the early 19th century, although since 2005 it has not been allowed to use dogs to chase and kill foxes.
Nowadays, hunts use techniques such as drag hunting, where dogs set off on the trail of a scent laid in advance by a runner or rider dragging a lure.
When the coalition Government came to power in 2010, it pledged to give MPs a free vote on whether to lift the ban, which countryside campaigners claim is damaging the rural economy.
However, speaking on Boxing Day, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said such a vote might not happen in 2013 as the Government would likely be defeated.
Robert Halfon, Tory MP for Harlow, whose constituency includes Matching Green, said: "I would vote for repeal if the issue comes before the House of Commons because I believe in liberty and livelihood.
"Across the country, many farmers argue that it is the best way to get rid of vermin and who am I to argue with them?
"It is a tradition that has been going on for 500 years and I don't have a problem with it.
"It isn't something that I get worked up about."
The RSPCA and the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) have carried out research which suggests that only 15 per cent of people want to scrap the ban.
However, the Countryside Alliance insists that it has seen no drop in support for hunting in recent years.
Joe Duckworth, chief executive of LACS, said: "Hunting is a barbaric and sickening blood sport belonging to the past.
"The coalition Government has said it will debate repeal of the Hunting Act. They should listen to the majority of decent people in the country, support the act and not waste valuable parliamentary time."
Barney White-Spunner, executive chairman of the Countryside Alliance, hailed Boxing Day as an "extraordinary display of support for hunting right the way across the country".
He added: "Hundreds of thousands of people have turned out to support their local hunts and reject the pointless, prejudiced and wasteful Hunting Act."
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