Dating back centuries, the Poor Old Hoss is a hobby horse with a real equine skull fixed on a pole as his head.
Mummers in huntsman's costume take the Hoss through the Town of Richmond, North Yorkshire and sing as his special song and bring him back to life with a blast on a hunting horn when he 'dies'.
The custom is believed to have pagan origins, with known records dating back to the Seventeenth Century.
1. The Poor Old Hoss of Richmond
The Poor Old Hoss of Richmond, parades around the town as men dressed as huntsmen sing folk songs on Christmas Eve Photo: Tom Maddick / SWNS
2. The Poor Old Hoss of Richmond
The Poor Old Hoss of Richmond, parades around the town as men dressed as huntsmen sing folk songs on Christmas Eve Photo: Tom Maddick / SWNS
3. The Poor Old Hoss of Richmond
The Poor Old Hoss of Richmond, parades around the town as men dressed as huntsmen sing folk songs on Christmas Eve Photo: Tom Maddick / SWNS
4. The Poor Old Hoss of Richmond
The Poor Old Hoss of Richmond is a hobby horse with a real horse-skull on a pole as his head. Photo: Tom Maddick / SWNS