Staff from eight animal welfare charities are gearing up for Appleby Horse Fair.
The event, which starts on Thursday, is the UK’s biggest annual gathering of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities and sees hundreds of horses are bought and sold.
Animal welfare charities RSPCA; Redwings Horse Sanctuary; Blue Cross; World Horse Welfare; Bransby Horses; The British Horse Society; The Donkey Sanctuary and The Mare and Foal Sanctuary, come together for the Appleby Horse Project each year.
The animal welfare charity partnership has been supporting the protection and wellbeing of horses at the fair for over 20 years, with most individuals working at the Fair year on year.
The RSPCA is sending 39 staff and volunteers to this year’s Fair; Redwings Horse Sanctuary is sending nine; Blue Cross is sending seven; World Horse Welfare is sending seven; Bransby Horses is sending five; The Mare and Foal Sanctuary is sending four; The British Horse Society is sending two; The Donkey Sanctuary is sending two. There will also be three vets from private practices attending, a farrier, a master saddler and harness maker.
There will be a vet station at Salt Tip Corner where assistance can be sought for any animal that needs it between 10am and 4pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
An engagement team, based at the red NEWC tent on Salt Tip Corner, will highlight the importance of horses always having access to water and owners offering their horses water immediately after exercise.
A limited number of free reusable water bottles with My horse drank first written on them will be given away to those taking part in an interactive game, and the message will be promoted through posters and online.
Redwings’ vet Nicola Berryman said: “There is a hard-to-bust myth within the horse community that watering horses straight after exercise can lead to colic, but, as a vet, I can tell you that the risk of this is negligible compared to the risk of not watering a horse who needs it.
“Dehydration poses a huge danger to horses, and we have seen changes in other environments where horses are worked – for example in sport – as the science has moved on.
“The issue of dehydration is one of the biggest to arise at the Fair almost every year, particularly if the weather is warm, along with horses being worked too hard or too young.”
Watering troughs will be available at the flashing lane and opposite Salt Tip Corner. There is also access to the river ramp on The Sands and at Jubilee Bridge.
It is an owner’s responsibility to ensure that they can provide for their animals’ needs.
The operational team, led by the RSPCA, will be putting on extra evening patrols after reports that horses were being overworked at that time of day last year.
RSPCA chief inspector for Cumbria Rob Melloy oversees the operational team and said: “Overworking is a key focus for us this year after it proved to be an issue at last year’s Fair.
“We had a lot of reports from fairgoers and the settled community that horses were being worked hard at night, so we’ll be putting on extra patrols in the evening.
“We’ll also be watching out for people using anything other than a whip meant for use on a horse, so tubing, or piping, or sticks. These are not appropriate for use on horses, and we will be intervening if this is seen.”
“There are so many amazing horse people within the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities and we are looking to them to lead the way for those who are less knowledgeable or experienced and help keep the focus on the great examples of horse health, happiness and horsemanship at the fair.”
This year is the 10th anniversary of the Best at Appleby Awards, led by Redwings Horse Sanctuary with support from the rest of the animal welfare charity partnership, all members of the National Equine Welfare Council and sponsored by the Traditional Gypsy Cob Association.
The awards recognise the best horse health, happiness and horsemanship at the Fair, with categories including Best Hoof Health and Best in Harness chosen by experts who give up their time for free.
Over 150 rosettes have been awarded to horses, and their owners or handlers, over the past decade.
Nicola is head judge of this year’s competition and said: “I’ve been working at Appleby since 2012 and have been helping to judge these awards since their inception 10 years ago.
“The response to the awards has changed so much over the years. We now have so many people bringing their horse to our golden tent on Salt Tip Corner, that we’re reverting to how we used to run them this year, where one of our vets must spot and approach you.
“The awards have become an incredible tool for building relationships, as we always hoped they would over time, and we can’t wait to meet this year’s winners and their owners.”
The vet team, made up of vets who work for the partner charities and in private practice, will choose a Vet’s Champion from the winners, and social media users will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite to be awarded People’s Choice Champion on the Best at Appleby social media pages.
Anyone who is worried about an animal at the fair should approach an RSPCA officer or police officer or call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 or police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.
