Horse 'worked to death' at Appleby Horse Fair

A horse has been "worked to death" in an "inexcusable act of cruelty" at Appleby Horse Fair, the RSPCA has said.

The three-year-old stallion collapsed after having a "very high temperature" and was "covered in rub sores" at Jubilee Bridge at about 15:00 BST on Wednesday.

The RSPCA has released CCTV images of a person it wanted to identify in connection with the incident.

Gypsy and traveller community leaders Billy Welch and Bill Lloyd said they were "sickened and saddened" by the death and "condemned it in the strongest possible terms".

They urged anyone with information to come forward "for the sake of justice and the future of the fair".

"We are fully supportive of the efforts of the RSPCA and their partner charities to improve the standards of horse welfare, and this is a body blow to all our efforts," Mr Welch and Mr Lloyd explained.

Appleby is unique in Europe, attracting some 10,000 Gypsies and travellers to the gathering in Westmorland, Cumbria, as well as more than 30,000 other visitors.

This year's event runs from 6 to 12 June.

Mr Welch and Mr Lloyd continued: "Appleby is one of the greatest celebrations of the horse in Europe and this tragic event is a stain on the fair that will be hard to wash out.

"The standard of horsemanship among Gypsy people is usually high and they are often among the first to report abuse at the fair when they see it.

"We do not yet know the identity of the person responsible and if it was a Gypsy, we will condemn them even more strongly and loudly, but please do not leap to any conclusions until we know the facts," they asked.

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