A three-year-old stallion collapsed and died at the Appleby Fair in Cumbria, leading to widespread outrage and an investigation into what has been described as an act of “inexcusable cruelty.”
The horse, who was reportedly “covered in sores”, suffered from an extremely high temperature before it collapsed around 3 pm on Wednesday.
The RSPCA has released CCTV images with the person responsible for the horse’s death, which authorities are currently trying to identify.
“The horse’s temperature was very high, and he was covered in rubs”, Chief Inspector Rob Melloy said. “He had been worked until he dropped. This was an inexcusable act of cruelty. This person has let themselves, their family, and of course, this poor horse down, who undoubtedly suffered before he died.”
The annual Appleby Fair, which attracts around 10,000 visitors to buy and sell horses, has seen over 1,000 caravans and 3,000 horse-drawn vehicles arrive this year.
Despite its long history dating back to the 1770s and its reputation as one of Europe’s greatest horse fairs, this tragic event has cast a shadow over the festivities.
Leaders from the Traveller community Billy Welch and Bill Lloyd have expressed their deep sorrow and anger over the incident, urging anyone with information to come forward.
“”We are fully supportive of the efforts of the RSPCA and their partner charities to improve the standards of horse welfare, and this is a body blow to all our efforts”, they said. “Appleby is one of the greatest celebrations of the horse in Europe and this tragic event is a stain on the fair that will be hard to wash out.
“The standard of horsemanship among Gypsy people is usually high and they are often among the first to report abuse at the fair when they see it.
“We do not yet know the identity of the person responsible and if it was a Gypsy, we will condemn them even more strongly and loudly, but please do not leap to any conclusions until we know the facts.”
The fair is taking place from June 6 to June 12 this year. Anyone with information about the horse’s death is urged to contact the RSPCA on their appeal line at 0300 123 8018 or call the police on 101.