Around 10,000 travellers flocked to Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, yesterday to buy and sell steeds.
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They brought with them more than 1,000 caravans and 3,000 horse-drawn vehicles to the event, which dates back to the 1770s.
The annual meet-up sees animals to be traded tethered to railings outside pubs and shops on the market town’s main street.
However a landlord has revealed every pub in the neighbouring town of Kirkby Stephen closed their doors yesterday as they are so scared of the bedlam.
“You go through the town and it’s like a ghost town as nothing is open,” he told Express.co.uk.
“The three main pubs are all closed – they shut on Friday and won’t be open. Even the cheese and sandwich bar is closed.
“The coffee shops are closed and the only other place that is open is the Costa.”
Locals have reported all manner of crimes in the past including urine being squirted into car windows.
Photos taken yesterday showed travellers wading through the River Eden on horseback – braving the overcast weather and drizzle.
Others led cobs through the streets pulling traditional caravans as hundreds of people arrived for the first day of the centuries-old fair.
Aerial pictures of the area show huge numbers of caravans already parked up in fields either side of the A685.
The centuries-old event is considered the biggest event in Europe for the travelling community.
It has only ever been cancelled twice – one in 2001 amid a foot and mouth disease breakout and again in 2020 due to coronavirus.
The fair originated in the 1770s on Gallows Hill where sheep, cattle and horse dealers went to sell their stock.
Appleby Horse Fair
The Appleby Horse Fair in Appleby-in-Westmoreland, Cumbria, attracts about 10,000 travellers every year to buy and sell horses.
More than 1,000 caravans and 3,000 horse-drawn vehicles house them, while the number of visitors also hits the tens of thousands.
The fair plays host to members of travelling communities.
They flock to the remote town to celebrate the 250-year-old event.
It has only been cancelled twice, in 2001 due to foot-and-mouth disease and in 2020 due to Covid restrictions.
The fair originated in the 1770s on Gallows Hill where sheep, cattle and horse dealers went to sell their stock.
By the 1900s it had evolved into an event for travellers.
By the 1900s it had evolved into an event for travellers.
Horse riders typically take the animals for a dip in the nearby River Eden.
Last year’s event saw piles of rubbish left strewn across a field, including filthy used mattresses, dozens of plastic crates and empty food containers.
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