Mixed up in a bunch of horses, people: what thousands of gypsies are doing at the Appleby Horse Fair

The largest horse fair in Europe is held annually in the town of Appleby in Cumbria, where about 30 thousand Gypsies gather. The event is more than 200 years old. The guests live in their modern or traditional vans, placed all over the city. Horses are bathed in the Eden River and are cheerfully trotted along the main road, harnessing them to special sleds or simply saddled.

During the fair there is always an opportunity to sell or buy a horse, although all these transactions take place informally, without registration of any documents. The fair does not have any official status at all and therefore is often considered simply the most massive gathering of Gypsies in Europe, where they come to spend a few days together in a family atmosphere.

(16 photos in total)

Source: dailymail.co.uk

The event will last until June 8, and an impressive number of guests are expected to arrive, eager to take part in classic fair fun. For most of the participants, this grandiose event is a great reason to have fun, but on the other side of the scales, the less unpleasant sides of the fair are insidiously lurking.

In recent years, in connection with this event, there have been many complaints about animal cruelty and a huge amount of garbage that revelers leave behind. Residents of Appleby, which has a population of about 3 thousand people, were extremely disappointed that last year after the fair there were piles of garbage and horse excrement on the streets. Among other things, the participants did not bother to clean up a lot of cubicles with toilets.

One of the residents, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "It is simply impossible to imagine how people can live in such conditions! After the fair, there are piles of garbage: old mattresses, all these toilets, in the end, horse droppings and candy wrappers. I hope that soon we will be able to bring the city into human form."

There are also frequent cases in Appleby when, due to the heyday of antisocial behavior and violence, the police have to carry out detentions. For example, in 2013, 20 people were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm, and in 2011 a series of violent fist fights took place during the fair.

We invite you to take a look at how the largest gathering of Gypsies in Europe takes place.

A young man rides a horse down the main street of Appleby, two girls in a gig follow him.

A horse rears up while swimming in the Eden River.

Old school: although the cart is pleasing to the eye, you have to drive very carefully along a busy street.

Men relax and bask in the sun.

Tens of thousands of people come to the fair and arrange modern vans or old caravans around the city.

The blacksmith is shoeing a horse, for him the Appleby Fair is a lucrative event.

Employees of the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals arrived at the fair in order to make sure that the horses are being treated normally.

The men in the gig are dragging a small horse behind them.

Hard work: a man leads a horse to the camp.

What gypsy doesn't like fast driving?

In many other cities around the world, a similar accumulation of horses on the roadway would cause surprise, but during the fair, the streets of Appleby look exactly like this.

Not only neighing and snoring: although the fair is mostly dedicated to horses, there is also a place for uncomplicated fun. Many people come here to hang out or even see relatives from other cities.

Helping hand: A man pays attention to his horse while the others are just riding on the river.

A man with children rides on Appleby.

A teenager is trying to hold a horse that has played out.