urgh, Appleby coming to town....

belle31 said:
A word of warning for people living near Appleby, we live in Co-Durham and there are a lot of travellers nearby living and passing to the fair, and some of them have Strangles. We are contained to our yard at the moment so we don't catch it, so be on your guard.
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FFS! :mad:

Thanks for letting us know.

Do you know if the ponies are under veterinary care?
 
shysmum said:
it's so sad that we have to "hide" our horses. When I lived in Cumbria I was totally paranoid with my last coloured boy, probably a bit OTT tbh !

I think the worst bit is the fast, heavy trotting on the road outside - feel like running out and shouting like a madwoman sometimes - but then I am mad ....I would buy the whole lot, but then it'd only mean even more get bred. *sigh* A very difficult time. sm x
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I found this very upsetting when they came to the Watton horse sales. They hammer those ponies so damn fast, they have sparks coming off their hooves. I have never ever seen such sorry, under noursished, badly kept and ridden horses. Nor have I ever seen so many tarty, slutty girls and mean, abusive men. I hate them and all that they stand for.
 
I'm in co durham - please keep us posted about the strangles. have to say I'm not surprised *sigh*.

How's it going with everyone out there ? Things are starting to hot up here now. The police and council are going all guns, blocking off the main roads with huge water barriers to stop them parking anywhere, and there is a big mobile police incident station in place just round the corner - how much is that costing ??? I feel sorry for all the residents who've lost their parking, must be at least 50 cars that have to find alternative parking in a place very difficult to get parked. But it'll be better for them than last year I'm sure (read into that what you will !! :D)

We are off to look at a house with some fields attached to rent this avo - well out of town, lol...sending good vibes to us Appleby Sufferers xxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
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hessy12 said:
Nor have I ever seen so many tarty, slutty girls and mean, abusive men. I hate them and all that they stand for.
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You need to take a look in just about any housing estate in any town or city in the country. You'll see benefit dodgers, drug addicts, underage pregnancies, single parents, thieves, child molesters, violent criminals, and lots of people who don't give a toss about anyone but themselves.

Gypsies have a code of conduct among their own kind. They look after their own. It's considered very bad if a girl has sex before marriage, and all of them have a sense of family and self respect.

They have their faults alright, but their girls are not tarts or sluts.

They will, no doubt, hate you too, and all that you stand for. They have suffered centuries of oppression and abuse from the Nazis and governments, police forces and local authorities, and are constantly moved on and despised. Can you imagine what it would be like to live like that. It's no wonder they have no respect.

If Muslims were treated like that, or any other ethnic minority, there would be wars fought.

And all you people who complain about the use of tax payers money on policing the fairs...what about the cost of policing football matches every week during the season, or public protests, or festivals and concerts, or town centres and binge drinkers?

Racism, it seems, is alive and kicking in England's green and pleasant land.
 
Just come to Appleby SM and see how many true old fashioned Romany types are there. Not many, in the main they are cruel animal abusers. Life is cheap to them they treat each other by the fist, they also treat their horses in the same way. They have no rules or any code of conduct. The police in Appleby have to be armed and the RSPCA are there for decoration. If anyone has an oppinion on fair week for the plus sides of it, please stay until the end and watch the knackerman take all the dead horses away from Clickham Farm, they die from colic, abuse, exhaustion, dehydration and broken bones. I have to live here and know the reality from the inside. I also know the knackerman.
 
I'm stunned, shocked and in awe at the blind stupidity on this thread. Everyone claims to have lost tack, dogs, horses and trailers to the Appleby Gypsies, yet NONE of you went to the fair to reclaim your belongings! NONE of you ACTUALLY saw you items stolen by gypsie

ACTUALLY i did!!!!!and i found my 2 dogs on a travellers site that was heading to appleby.i went in and asked for them back and got run off with a knife.it took me 3 hrs of begging to get the police there by which time they had gone and i never saw my dogs again.i ended up in hospital having a heart attack after this incident so dont wave this off lightly with statements like that
 
My coloured baby in my sig came from travellers i thank the lord every day that i have him and he will never ever be one of those babies run ragged up and down the roads, it makes me so upset to see them, mind you i am not sure he would even be alive if i didnt have him he was so thin and riddled with worms.
 
Cuffey said:
IrishDraught
Think you may have forgotten Hettie stolen during Fair last year but due to honesty of buyer at a Kent Horse Fair is now home again
Sadly due to lack of Horsewatch--getting this theft into the system ie onto Stolen Horse Register took quite a while--I had to email Fell Pony Society with paperwork for them to pass to owner.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/387/295322.html
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Sorry, I don't recall Hettie. Was this a Cumbrian horse?
If so, one horse in the recent history of the fair unfortunately still insufficient.

The fair is run based on some ancient Royal Charter and it will take, to my knowledge, parliament to have it abolished.
 
Here's an interesting read from the travellers view point ...

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Apple...!/group.php?gid=120018084687126&v=wall&ref=ss

Reading all the posts above, I'm glad I don't live anywhere near Appleby! We were actually driving through oxfordshire two weeks ago on our motorbike and saw quite a few travellers pitched on verges etc - but didn't put two and two together.

Its a shame that some people in every community create such a bad image / reputation for others. We have good and bad travellers around us - we actually live 5 mins walk from a permanent site and touch wood have never had any problems at all (And my old trailer is parked on my drive along with my 4x4 - really hope I'm not jinxing myself here lol!!)

We also have lots of travellers that come to our local big show to do youngstock classes - and their ponies / horses always look fantastic, and they often win! We also have our problems with yard break-ins / tack thefts etc which many people automatically feel is down to travellers. (Although I'm not always convinced - its often rugs that go, but I have never seen a horse on any of the local travellers sites wearing one!)

I assume literally thousands of travellers attend the fair - its a shame that some are creating such problems for locals and for towns / villages on route. Its also a shame that the whole community don't recognise this and try to do something about it, rather than feel the whole world is against them.

Also - just to be a teeny bit controversial, I am no way condoning what goes on, and have never seen it for myself (or would want to!) - but I've seen things just as bad at local yards / shows just in a different context; over rugging / over feeding; overuse of spurs / gags etc etc. I've also been to the races a few times and watched 2yr olds galloped over huge hurdles! I suppose we just all have different ways of doing things. (And I'm not making light of any of the comments people have made - some of the things that go on sound horrendous and I wouldn't go anywhere near the place as I'm sure it would just upset me too much)

I was also looking at the Appleby official site, and it sounds hopeful that things are being put in place to try and overcome some of the issues... http://www.applebyfair.org/index.html

I hope everyone living nearby / on-route manages to cope ok. I think if it were me I'd go on a long holiday and take my pony with me!
 
pastie2 - I totally understand what you're saying - the whole thing has been taken over by the peeps I have outside my house. The way these horses are being flogged, I would be amazed that the knackerman wasn't busy *sigh*. There is only so much those legs can stand, and by the time they get to the fair, they're worn out. Like I say, there is a very dark side to Appleby.

The posts just above are very sad. Huge good vibes to you. sm x
 
Well we are in the thick of things now - had to get past eight wagons on the way home from the boy tonight. It's quite hard for me to have just left a pampered pet, and then see his doubles being driven so hard, with still so much mileage to go. Brought a lump to the throat - I know, I'm too damned soft.

The whole town is affected now - wagons, white vans, trailers, police everywhere, roads closed. I read that in Cumbria they are using quite draconian powers to block of usual stops - isn't that a double-edged sword tho ? Don't the horses need to rest ? Maybe it's just changed the route thru to here (Co Durham) which is why it's so full here.

Sorry rambling.....the good side is that despite how they are being worked, pretty much all the horses are in good nick .

How's it going in other parts ? sm x
 
SM there has been an accident already on the A66, a wagon has driven into a bowtop caravan. Horse is ok. A police horse has also been stolen, god knows how, but there has been some sort of confrontation. Its just the start. Harness Racing this afternoon, god know what has happened.
 
It wouldn't be so bad if the horses were looked after and not made to run up and down all day, the law needs to change but it never will.

Wickham Fair is just as bad, I'm not saying gypsy/travelers are bad its just they need to be more awear of the dangers.
 
one of the real issues I have is the age of the kids driving these bow tops - seems to be an average of about 10 ? And they have full rights to go onto the A66, where traffic cruises at 70/80 mph, and these kids are showing off. Surely there should be a law as to the age of a driver of a wagon if they are using public roads ?

Just have to keep everything crossed for the next few weeks - from what I saw today, it is likely there'll be more accidents. sm x
 
shysmum said:
one of the real issues I have is the age of the kids driving these bow tops - seems to be an average of about 10 ? And they have full rights to go onto the A66, where traffic cruises at 70/80 mph, and these kids are showing off. Surely there should be a law as to the age of a driver of a wagon if they are using public roads ?

Just have to keep everything crossed for the next few weeks - from what I saw today, it is likely there'll be more accidents. sm x
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Jesus thats madness!
 
Yup, but legal madness *sigh*. Not one of the bow tops I saw today was driven by anyone approaching an adult. And many of them were driving a pair too. The world has gone bonkers, all the H and S that drivers have to go thru to pass a test, and then these kids are just loose amongst them.

I sincerely hope there are no more accidents - I feel terrible for admitting that the first thing I think of is the horses - but it just is. I told hubs about the post above, and then said just that to him, the fact that I said "oh but the horse was ok ".....but it could be an innocent driver too. Hmmmmmmmmph.
 
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theres not too many down at us yet, *sigh*sigh*sigh* just want it to be over. im only 5 mins away we have to block our road off with tractors and the likes so they cant get near the horses. just want it to be over.

theres a lot about 20 mins away but don't seem to have made their way that close to Appleby yet. they're not aloud on the hill until Thursday anyway I don't think.
 
shysmum said:
And many of them were driving a pair too. .
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They don't actually drive a pair of horses to a waggon. What you'll find is a single horse between the shafts, and a 'sider', which is often a youngster in training (sometimes a mare in draught and her offspring as the sider). The sider wears a collar and is 'attached' by traces to the same hooks as the horse between the shafts.

The sider may be an experienced horse put there temporarily to help on hills.

A pair of horses are yoked to a central pole in such a way as to have them both in constant draught, sharing the load equally, and both having to be actively driven by the driver (whip). So, although there are two horses, they are not technically a pair.

Whether the waggon arrangement could be considered more or less safe than a true pair is open to debate.
 
AengusOg said:
The sider wears a collar and is 'attached' by traces to the same hooks as the horse between the shafts..
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Just to clarify...the sider's outside trace is usually attached seperately from the shaft horse, to a hook on the offside of the waggon.

Incidently, I agree that any arrangement being driven by minors on main roads is madness.
 
shysmum said:
Sorry rambling.....the good side is that despite how they are being worked, pretty much all the horses are in good nick .

How's it going in other parts ? sm x
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A proper gypsys horse will be in good condition as that is their lively hood. Another thing is that a travelling horse will be tethered on new grass almost every 48hours which I think adds to their condition. The problem is that you can get some proper gypsys who respect their horse, and you are now finding the younger generations have not got this respect their elders had and I feel that it is mainly this generation that is giving such a bad reputation. But that is just my opinion
 
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