Disclaimer: I've had several negative experiences with horses. Including being thrown off one when I was two and being assigned a horse named Ruff when I was 20 and decided to give it a second chance. Let's just say he lived up to his name and also enjoyed biting other horses' bums.
That said when I first moved to Smithfield a few years ago I was so not thrilled to hear that there was a monthly horse fair. I awoke one morning to the sound of hoofs, at first I thought it was just a disturbing nightmare, but when I went out on my balcony I saw two boys riding what can only be described as ponies down North King Street and into the square.
The horse fair is definitely something you should check out once, but I can't suggest it as a regular event. For me the experience was all together and unpleasant and I normally hid in my apartment all day until it was over. The smell of manure and hay was enough to turn my stomach. However, that wasn't really the worst part. Despite my earlier disclaimer that I don't like horses, I actually for the first time in my life, felt bad for the horses. Some of the horses were well kept and nicely treated, but for the most part the ponies were being hit by groups of small boys with riding crops, and not in the manner they should be used.
Like I said if you're interested horses or just some local culture it's definitely worth a look, but don't go expecting anything too exciting. read more