A horse fair is a (typically annual) fair where people buy and sell

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...

s. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

there are many fairs which are traditionally attended by

Romani people The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sig ...

and travellers who converge at the fairs to buy and sell horses, meet with friends and relations and to celebrate their music, history and folklore. Many horse fairs are centuries old, dating back to the 16th century, such as the

Appleby Horse Fair The Appleby Horse Fair, also known as Appleby New Fair, is "an annual gathering of Gypsies and Travellers in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland in Cumbria, England." The horse fair is held each year in early June, attracting roughly 10,000 Gy ...

and The Great October Fair at Ballinasloe.

List of important horse fairs in the United Kingdom

, Appleby-in-Westmorland,

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. ...

* Ballyclare May Fair,

Ballyclare Ballyclare () is a small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 9,953 according to the 2011 census, and is located within the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area. It sits on the river Six Mile Water. The tow ...

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

Barnet Fair Barnet Fair is an annual horse and pleasure fair held near Mays Lane, Barnet, England, on the first Monday in September. The Fair takes place over three days starting on 4 September. It still operates under its royal Charter which is issued ...

, Barnet,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

* Brigg Fair, Brigg,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershir ...

*Dartmoor Drift,

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

*Horncastle Horse Fair, Lincolnshire *Lee Gap,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

*Stow Fair, Stow-on-the-Wold,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

*Wickham Horse Fair, Wickham,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

* Widecombe Fair, Widecombe-in-the-Moor,

Gallery

File:Adriaen Pietersz. van de Venne 002.jpg, Valkenburg horse fair, 1618 File:Paul Sandby - Horse Fair on Bruntsfield Links, Edinburgh - Google Art Project.jpg, 'Horse Fair on Bruntsfield Links, Edinburgh' by Paul Sandby, 1750 File:Stow Horse Fair - geograph.org.uk - 1576364.jpg, Stow Horse Fair, 1978 File:Appleby Horse Fair 2007 Gypsy Caravans and Horses - geograph.org.uk - 713928.jpg,

, 2007 File:Ballinasloe Horse and Handler Sculpture by James McCarthy 2010 09 15.jpg, Bronze sculpture in reference to the Ballinasloe Horse Fair, 2003

References

{{horse-stub

List of important horse fairs in the United Kingdom

Gallery

See also

References