When is the Appleby Horse Fair 2019, where is it held and how many people usually go?
TRAVELLERS from across the UK and further afield will gather tomorrow in the town of Appleby for the annual horse fair, one of the biggest of its kind in the world.
The fair, in the Westmorland area of Cumbria, attracts around 10,000 travellers every year.
When is the Appleby Horse Fair 2019?
The annual fair runs this year from June 7 to June 10.
Around 30,000 visitors are expected to make their way to the market town.
The fair is primarily about buying and selling horses but it is also an opportunity for travellers to swap tales and let their hair down, enjoying the socialising and friendly atmosphere.
The earliest record of the fair is in a charter from Henry II, dating from the 12th century, but it is believed to have an even longer tradition than that.
Where is it held?
The fair is held in the market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland, in Cumbria, north west England.
The town has a population of just over 3,000 people.
It is situated on a loop of the River Eden.
What happens at the fair?
The event is primarily about buying and selling horses.
Sellers race and ride their horses up and down a main road to allow prospective buyers to assess their form and fitness.
The washing of the horses in the river Eden in preparation for their sale is a tradition that dates back to the 17th century.
Buying and selling of horses at the fair is done by cash-in-hand transactions and do not take place at an official auction.
What did it used to be like?
A collection of snaps from fairs in the 1960s show revellers riding horses in the river, socialising and looking for horses to buy.
The black and white pictures show travellers enjoying a dip in the cold river on horseback, just as many have enjoyed doing in recent fairs.
The washing of the horses in the river Eden in preparation for their sale is a tradition that dates back to the 17th century.
Sellers race and ride their horses up and down a main road to allow prospective buyers to assess their form and fitness.
Huge crowds gathering to watch and cheer along as the horses are tested can be seen in several old images.
Back in the sixties many of the attendees arrived in traditional vardo wagons, which are highly decorated horsedrawn caravans.
In one old snap a group of toddlers are seen by their mother’s side as a horse wanders the festival freely.
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