Appleby
Horse Fair.
A limited Edition Print by Leslie Stones.
The
oil painting 'Appleby Horse Fair was painted
after a visit to sketch and gather information for a series of
paintings based on one of the largest horse fairs in Europe.
Appleby Horse
Fair dates back to 1685, and has been held at the present site,
Fair Hill, previously known as Gallows Hill, overlooking the
village of
Appleby since around 1750. Held each year in early June, the
fair was originally for the trading of all livestock, horses,
cattle,
and sheep, but now it is the horses, especially the colourful
black and white or brown and white ‘gypsy Cobs’ that
draw visitors from all over the country. Each day during the
fair,
the travelers’s
horses are led down from Fair Hill to be washed in the River
Eden.
One of the
best places to witness this colourful and exciting event is just near
to the bridge in Appleby, where it seems as if hundreds of riders and
horses are gathered. Watched by onlookers crowded over the length of
the bridge and along both banks of the river, young rider’s line
up to take turns crossing the deeper part of the river just below.
This was the inspiration for the painting, and will no doubt be the
subject of many more.
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Here,
where the river gets deeper, each horse in turn is ridden
along the shallow side of the river to suddenly plunge
into and across the deeper centre, with often just the
horses head
being held clear of the splashing foaming water. Each
horse quickly crosses the river, some, after being given
a short
rest may be taken across again by an energetic and excited
rider, but there are many ‘old hands’ around
keeping an eye on the riders, and will quickly stop a
tired horse from
being forced to make another crossing. In the shallow
parts of the river, the horses are washed, usually with
washing
up liquid, and then given a rinse with a bucket of water
prior
to grooming.
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'Crossing
the River' - pencil sketch |
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The horses that are to be traded have to look their best,
and after washing, are ridden up and down the closed
main road from Appleby to Brampton, to
display to potential buyers. The horses can sometimes be ridden at speed,
and the hectic, and to the first time visitor, seemingly chaotic event,
adds greatly to the atmosphere and memories of the day. The travelers
also have ‘road racers’ - specially bred trotting horses.
These can be seen at the fair pulling a sulky, light weight, single seat
vehicles
which are shown off at high speed.
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'Staying Close' - pencil sketch |
'The Horse Traders' - pencil sketch |
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During
the fair, horses are everywhere, in the river,
on the river bank, along the roads, tethered to posts along
footpaths
and outside shops and hotels. All breeds of
horses can be seen at the fair, from Shetland ponies to
heavy horses, even
the occasional thoroughbred. Among the hundreds
of caravans on Fair Hill, some of them being traditional
horse drawn,
there are stalls selling food, drink, and crafts,
and you can even have your fortune told! Over the centuries,
the
Appleby Horse Fair has become a part of the
heritage of Cumbria, and is visited by thousands of people
every year.
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Artwork
Copyright Leslie Stones
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