Cumbria fair most animal-friendly ever, charity claims.

From the North West Evening Mail

AN annual Cumbria fair has been the most successful ever as far as animal welfare is concerned, according to the RSPCA.

The RSPCA says the 2013 Appleby Horse Fair saw fewer incidents and warnings than any other year.

It comes as the annual Gypsy and Traveller event, which started on Thursday, winds down for another year.

RSPCA chief inspector, Rob Melloy, said: “We’ve seen a different fair this year, it has to be said.

"The atmosphere has been positive throughout, with a lot of people coming to speak to us for advice and it was great to have that interaction.

"There did seem to be fewer horses at the fair but even with that in mind the figures are still really, really pleasing. We dealt with 142 incidents relating to animal welfare and issued just 10 warnings compared to 192 incidents last year and 38 warnings.”

In 2011, the number of incidents was 346 and the number of warnings 17. In 2010, the figures were 311 and 23 and in 2009 they were 180 and 25.

The RSPCA had 32 officers and a vet at the fair during peak times, including 15 specialist equine officers from all over the country. The organisation works with four other animal welfare organisations at the event. Four vets and a specialist field officer/professional driver attended from Redwings; four field officers and a vet from World Horse Welfare; two welfare officers and one vet from the Donkey Sanctuary and a logistics co-ordinator and two drivers from Blue Cross.

Mr Melloy said: “We work hand-in-hand with our colleagues from the other animal welfare organisations and couldn’t do this without them. A huge thanks must go to the other partners too 'though, in particular Cumbria Constabulary, with whom we have a very close working relationship at the fair."

However, the fair wasn’t without serious incident. A German Shepherd type dog was removed from a hot car by police on Saturday and placed in RSPCA care. The owner has been interviewed with a view to the RSPCA bringing a private prosecution. A horse with a broken leg was discovered on Saturday morning and had to be put to sleep.

Seven horses and a goat are in the care of the animal welfare organisations involved, some of which are subject to on-going investigations. One horse was found with a hole in his face and another was exhausted from being overworked. A bay mare had an injured leg and a grey mare had suffered a tethering injury.

Vets carried out 61 treatments, mostly as a result of minor injuries sustained at the fair.

Mr Melloy said: “It is unfortunate that there are some who don’t look after their animals as well as they should but most of the horses that were at the fair were good looking horses, presumably because of the economic climate and the nature of the market.

"Where there was cause for them to be seen by a vet, they were.

“What does concern me is the number of puppies at the event, seemingly for sale, and that’s something that we will be looking to work with the MASCG colleagues to counteract ahead of next year’s event.”