AS THE sun rose over the plain, the city sheriff rode out on horseback to round up cattle.

Not a scene from a John Ford western, but what happened on Oxford’s Port Meadow earlier this week when the Sheriff of Oxford held the annual inspection to check no-one is illegally grazing livestock.

And current sheriff, councillor Jean Fooks restored tradition by leading the party on horseback.

“It was terrific and the meadow looked lovely,” she said. “The wild horses came galloping up to see what was going on. It’s a tremendous tradition."”

The meadow, which is mentioned in the Doomsday Book, is owned by the city council and only freeman of Oxford and Wolvercote Commoners have the right to graze livestock on it.

The sheriff’s inspection party, including animal welfare officers from trading standards, started out from the Walton Well Road gate at 6am on Monday and drove livestock to a pound at the northern end of the meadow.

Some 300 cattle were rounded up and a further 30 or 40 horses. “As far as we can tell they all had the right tags and well looked after,” Mrs Fooks said.

Mrs Fooks said the inspection had fulfilled a Wild West ambition.

“It was great, and brought out my cowboy instincts,” she added.