The first Best at Appleby Awards for horse health, happiness and horsemanship

The first Best at Appleby awards for horse health, happiness and horsemanship have been given at this year’s Fair.

The annual gathering of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, which is the biggest in the UK, is taking place in the Cumbrian town.

The Best at Appleby Awards, led by Redwings Horse Sanctuary with support from all the animal welfare charities who make up the Appleby Horse Project, have been running for 10 years this year, and the rosettes being awarded to winners are the biggest yet. 

Pictures of some of this year’s winners so far are available to download here. 

The first Best at Appleby winner was awarded to Rag Lady, a three-year-old half bred Gypsy Cob, and her owner Michael. Michael said that he loves her kind eyes and gentle nature, although she can be a mischief sometimes too!

Six-year-old part bred Pandora was awarded the second Best at Appleby Award of the Fair. Her joint owner Mark said: “Pandora is a lovely all round family horse. She’s very sweet and loving with the grandchildren, who ride her, and she really loves children.

“I’m really pleased with the win! The Best at Appleby Awards have improved owner and vet relationships at the Fair and it’s really nice to be recognised because we try our best to look after our horses as best we can.”

Taylor Swift, a three-year-old Trotter, and her handler Johnny were awarded a Rising Star for young people under 16. Johnny won with pony Heartbreaker a few years ago. His grandfather said that as soon as he got Taylor all he could think about was winning an award with her and worked hard all year to get her into lovely condition.

The awards are sponsored by the Traditional Gypsy Cob Association. They are given by the Appleby Horse Project vet team, made up of vets who work for the animal welfare partner charities and private practice, with specialist awards Best Hoof Health and Best in Harness chosen by experts who give up their time for free.

Head judge Nicola Berryman, a vet at Redwings, said: “We awarded some wonderful winners on Thursday and Friday, who it was a real pleasure to meet along with their owners. 

“Our specialist award judges, farrier and educator Dean Bland and Master Saddler and Harness Makers Chris Taylor and Laurence Pearman, made their selections yesterday for Best Hoof Health and Best in Harness.

“There are lot of beautiful horses here this year and myself and the other vets will be watching out for others who catch our eye for all the right reasons throughout Saturday.” 

A Vet’s Champion will be selected from the winners, and social media users will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite to be awarded People’s Choice Champion on the Best at Appleby TikTok, Instagram and Facebook pages. Votes will close at 10pm on Saturday night and will be announced on Sunday.