HUNDREDS of people came out to pay their respects to the eight million horses killed during World War One.

On a weekend of reflection and remembrance families young and olf turned out in Thornton Hough to pay their respects to the animals that lost their lives in the conflict.

Organised by Kerry Gibbons – who runs Demby Farm with her mum Janet Green just outside Thornton Hough – the ‘Remembrance Cavalcade’ saw more than 40 horses and their riders make their way to the village’s war memorial on Saturday, November 11, while around 50 people lined the streets to watch.

Kerry told the Globe: "In 2015 we were not prepared for how many people would support us, all of our own horses and ponies came with us, those that were too small or elderly to be ridden were led, and people joined us to walk alongside us.

"People lined the streets and greeted us into the village - a total of 40 horses from local yards joined us at the memorial.

"Andrew Prescott was kind enough to organise a large group of riders to meet us there, and we were lucky enough to be led by two horses wearing full WWI attire from ‘Noble Steeds’ thanks to Annie Shankland.

"It was very touching to see how many horses turned up.

"Thanks to the Globe's coverage the ride gained momentum, so when we decided a few weeks ago that would do it again we were inundated by people wishing to join us- riding, leading, walking, stewarding, taking photos, or waiting for us on foot at the memorial.

"People came from all over the Wirral and some even further afield.

"They spent weeks making beautiful wreaths, hand crafted crochet purple poppies, and on the day they dressed themselves and their horses from head to toe in purple.

"We left Demby Farm with myself and the two war horses at the front of the ride, closely followed by our Pony Tales children then our guests behind.

"The walk from our yard took almost an hour, people stopped us to acknowledge what we were doing, and some older generations stood respectfully and saluted our horses.

"We were joined at the back of the ride by other yards as we went.

"It wasn’t until we arrived at the memorial and I turned around to see how may we had that I realised just how big the cavalcade was, there were crowds of people lining the street to watch our arrival.

"During the minutes silence I glanced and I swear I saw in the eyes of the horses that they understood why they were there, it was as though they were paying their own respect to their ancestors."

During the day, children from Pony Tales dismounted their horses and stood in front of the war memorial, led by Janet Green, Nigel Armitage and Laura Carman they gathered together and read the poem ‘Don’t cry for the horses’.

They then observed a minutes silence and laid their wreaths, with the memorial awash with purple flowers.

Kerry added: "I am incredibly proud of the children, they have created something which I feel will become a tradition in the village for many years to come.

"We were extremely touched by the kind words and the attendance of everybody who came along, whether they were with horses, or on foot, and I’d like to thank each and every person for their support.

"Because of them I have been contacted by people all over the country who wish to do the same thing next year at their local memorial."