Overworking of horses was a significant animal welfare issue at this years Appleby Horse Fair according to the RSPCA.The charity is appealing for information after a horse was worked to death on Wednesday afternoon (5 June), the day before the Fair officially began.The stallion a three-year-old 14hh skewbald trotter collapsed at Jubilee Bridge. CCTV images of the man wanted in connection with the incident have been released (see below) and anyone with any information is urged to contact the RSPCA on 0300 123 8018 or police on 101.There are a lot of wonderful people and animals at the Fair, who its really enjoyable to meet and get to know, said RSPCA Chief Inspector Rob Melloy. You only need look at the Appleby Horse Projects Best at Appleby Awards, which celebrate horse health, happiness and horsemanship.The man wanted in connection with the incidentUnfortunately, there is also an element of people who think its okay to drive horses to the point of exhaustion, and disappointingly weve seen the most serious results of that this week.Everyone knows about the horse who died at Jubilee Bridge on Wednesday, but we had a Shetland pony who died in the residential section at the back of the Trade Field on Saturday too, which showed all the signs of exhaustion.We believe a lot of overworking was happening at night, though it was not being reported, and we had to deal with the consequences the day after. In the case of the Shetland, we were called to the stallion early in the morning, and suspect he was overworked in the evening.The man wanted in connection with the incidentA lot of our warnings and interactions were about exhaustion and if the weather had been a little bit hotter we may have been talking about more than these two deaths.The RSPCA recorded 438 interventions by their officers during the event; five investigations are ongoing, and nine warnings were issued connected with the Fair. Six equines, one dog, one puppy, one kitten, one canary cross bird, one wild caught goldfinch and one wild rabbit are in charitys care.Staff from eight other animal welfare charities attend the Fair each year, alongside the RSPCA. The team of charity and private practice vets, logistics experts, enforcement and education officers have been supporting the protection and wellbeing of horses at the Fair for over 20 years. They provide a vet station at Salt Tip Corner where assistance can be sought for any animal that needs it and run the Best at Appleby Awards.Further readingCharities highlight importance of watering horses ahead of major eventThe post Overworking a significant issue at this years Appleby Horse Fair appeared first on Your Horse.