Appleby fairgoers are to be asked what changes, if any, they’d like to see to improve the event for horses.

The annual Gypsy Roma and Traveller gathering, which is the biggest in the UK, takes place next week in the Cumbrian town of Appleby-in-Westmorland.

Welfare charities, who have been supporting the protection and wellbeing of horses at the Fair for over 20 years, are seeking input from as many fairgoers as possible this year to help them develop their work further.

Staff from the collaboration - all members of the National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC) - will be identifiable by armbands reading ‘Everyone has a voice’.

They will be having conversations with as broad a range of people as possible to understand what they would like to see over the next five years. 

Andie McPherson, Campaigns Manager at Redwings and Co-ordinator of the Appleby Horse Fair Equine Welfare Project this year, said: “Over the years welfare improvements have been made with some support from the wider community but the charity-led effort has increasingly received interest from fairgoers offering help and support. c

"We want our work to be informed by the interests and preferences of diverse fairgoers, and this is the next step in our efforts to do this.”

Appleby Horse Fair is centred around the trading of horses and has been in existence for at least 300 years. It is very important to the Gypsy Roma and Traveller community who love them. Around 10,000 people of GRT heritage attend the Fair, as well as around 30,000 other visitors.

Bill Lloyd, Gypsy and Traveller representative to the Multi Agency Strategic Coordination Group (MASCG), which brings together all the relevant organisations to make the Fair safe and enjoyable, said: “Horse welfare is a concern to all parties involved and interested in the Fair, which is above all a celebration of the horse.

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“The animal welfare charities are at the forefront of improving horse welfare standards, and they are our strongest allies in shaping the public perception of the Fair, by encouraging what is good and discouraging what is bad. 

A recent detailed survey shows that, while the great majority (81%) of horses owned by Gypsies and Travellers are in prime condition, confirming that the wholesale negative stereotyping of this group is untrue and unjustified, there remains a significant number of horses with welfare problems (mostly hoof care) and a small minority of cases which justify intervention by animal welfare professionals. 

"Please support what the animal welfare charities are trying to achieve by listening to what they have to say, and by sharing with them your opinions about the work they are doing.”