Cob Culture

'Cob Culture' is a photographic reportage by Grania Howard. Explore as Grania travels the British Isles, capturing the life of a particular community of Travellers that have a long and deep-rooted connection to horses.

The idea behind the photography series ‘Cob Culture’ came about years ago when I used to go to Appleby fair as a kid. It’s just the most beautiful part of the country, the town stops still and it becomes wild! Being a horse rider myself, I have always had a great interest in the way some of the Traveller community live and breathe horses; the horses are their income, their trade, their transport and their companions. There is such a deep relationship that goes back centuries between the Traveller and the horse. Each year when Appleby is on, many of the gypsies cross hundreds of miles by horse and wagon to attend the fair – I mean what a way to see the country!

In the last couple of years I have been making cider, founding the company Cob Cider. The name of the company – and also the photography series – was inspired by my regular visits to the fairs, taking photographs of everything I saw; the life of the fair, the drives up, and the beautiful horses as well. I use the photographs as my artwork for the cider company.

Work by Grania Howard