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Cowper Day in Kirkby Stephen |
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Written by Ann Sandell
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Friday, 05 October 2007 |
It’s 9.30am on Saturday 22nd September 2007, a glorious autumn morning in Kirkby Stephen - in fact, it's Cowper Day.
Market Street is quiet like any other Saturday morning at this time and there is only one clue to this being a special day in Kirkby Stephen’s calendar, most of the parking spaces are taken up already and predominately by 4 x 4 vehicles.
Venture through one of the allies leading to Back Lane (Faraday Road) and you will not believe the hustle and bustle that is taking place behind our quiet town as cues of horse boxes are waiting to enter the auction mart. I see two teenagers sat bareback on large ponies watching and one takes a call on his mobile phone, quite surreal.
The Cowper Day auction is supposed to start at 10 am prompt, a sale of 440 horses and ponies. There are still many animals to be unloaded, checked off the catalogue list, numbered with a sticker on their backs and despatched to the stalls for viewing. From tiny pretty Shetland foals to magnificent Clydesdales and even some sad looking donkeys. Some a little frightened by the event, many neighing at their new neighbours in an atmosphere of excitement mingled with the smell of straw and horse.
At the back of the auction mart, in the car park, there is a sales area where you can buy tack, carrots and wood shavings for your equine or videos, car accessories and ice cream for the family. People greet each other, generation after generation, that meet at the Kirkby Stephen sales from Scotland, Wales and Ireland, this sale is famous nationwide.
Traditionally, the Cowper Day horse sale was held on 29th September, the day before the renowned Brough Hill Fair which is one of the oldest fairs of England, 8 weeks after Appleby Fair, a two day event on the last day of September and first of October, things have changed a little over the years.
‘Cowper’ means to ‘barter’ and once the haggling was over the deal was finalised by a slap of the hand between buyer and seller. Originally ‘Fell Ponies’ were driven off the nearby fells and into Market Street where they were sold. As our street became busier with motor vehicles it was moved to the mart.
In 1932 Penrith, Farmers and Kidd took over the mart and found the Cowper Day sales to be unprofitable as gypsies would remove their horses from the sale ring if they did not like the sale price.
They would then run them up and down Back Lane and sell privately. The gypsy skill of showing your horse to the best advantage is called ‘feague’ from the German ‘fegan’, to polish.
The following year the auctioneers retaliated and locked horses into the mart, charging 2/6 to remove unsold animals. In 1930 a heavy work horse fetched £20 and a small riding pony £4 to £10.
To mark the closure of the sales in 1965, Walter Tuer, who supplied many ponies bred on Birkett Fell, rode into town through the streets mounted on a magnificent spotted stallion.
In 1991 the sale was revived and dealers from all over the country arrived, 1992 saw 160 lots fetching up to 1,000 guineas each.
Today’s sale is run by auction mart owners Harrison and Hetherington. There are three horse sales a year in December, April and September with coloured ponies and horses being the most popular.
They are Gypsy Venners, the large coloured Shire and Clydesdale horses that pull caravans and the smaller Fell and Dales crosses that pull lighter carts and for riding.
Last April’s sale saw a two-year-old Piebald filly sold for 2,450 guineas.
Our native Fell Ponies, bred on the local fells, were 13-14 hands high, of stocky build, and brown.
“Them broon ’uns are bad t’kill on t’fell.”
Today’s breed is predominately black with bay, brown or grey and slightly larger but still hairy and tough. They “stay fat on thin air”, and they‘re “good doers”.
As the Blackpool Illuminations traffic eases, fish n’chip wrappers are discarded and the pubs are full. Back at the sale, horses are shown in Faraday Road. “Cum on,get up.”
A new beautiful honey coloured gypsy caravan arrives on the back of a lorry, quickly gathering a large envious crowd. About 2.30 and only lot 200 and something … still, it’s a fine day and good “crack”,
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Last Updated ( Monday, 12 November 2007 )
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