Fishing on horseback

Community of enthusiasts keep the flame going in this coastal town.

- Oostduinkerke

Anniers strapped to their haunches, a team of horses waded collar-deep through North Sea waters - hauling wide nets along the Belgian coast as cawing seagulls swirl all around.

In the saddle, clad head to toe in yellow oilskins, riders steered them parallel with the beach in Oostduinkerke - the last place on earth, they say, where the tradition of shrimp-fishing on horseback lives on.

Once practiced throughout Europe, the custom has all but died out - but a community of enthusiasts has kept the flame going in this coastal town, earning a spot on Unesco's intangible heritage list.

They do not fish for profit, but the rare spectacle they offer has become a tourist draw for the small town, situated half an hour from the French border.

Back in the day, historians explain, poor farmers used to ride to the coast to fish as a way to supplement their diet.