A Brief History…
Overview
Many different horse and pony breeds were used in coal mines, including: Highland, Galloway, Shetland, Fell, Dartmoor, New Forest, Dales, Welsh Cob, Exmoor and Dartmoor. Larger breeds such as Clydesdale and Shires provided bigger horses for work on the surface. In times of shortage, such as after World War I, ponies were imported from Iceland, Russia and even the U.S.A.
Some collieries bred their own stock so that they could breed ponies with characteristics most suited to that particular colliery’s underground conditions. For further information on the size and use of ponies, read the pdf. below provided by the National Coal Mining Museum for England.
Horses have been used for many years in different industries to help provide power or transportation. Coal mining was no exception, with horses used to transport coal from the pit site to local users.
Horse-powered engines (gins) were commonly used both in agriculture and in mining. They were used in some cases to replace manual winding up and down shafts, the horses being able to lift heavier loads and for longer periods. For the full history of horses in the industry, please follow the pdf below, provided by the National Coal Mining Museum for England.
Myths and Misconceptions
Pit ponies went blind working in the dark for so long
Blindness in pit ponies is not recorded as being any higher than amongst other working horses, and the pit was not allowed to use blind ponies. Perhaps this idea came about from people watching how the ponies behaved when first brought up from underground. Perhaps at first they appeared to behave as though they were blind because it would take them a while to get used to daylight after living in the low light levels of a mine. To read more strange myths and misconceptions, follow the pdf. provided by the National Coal Mining Museum for England below.
Caring
The man in charge of the ponies underground was known as an ostler or horse keeper. Horse keepers had a good knowledge of both horses and mining. They would be responsible for the ponies’ welfare around the clock. In recent years, the law required one horse keeper to every fifteen ponies, but usually there was one man to eight horses. Read more about how to care for a pit pony in the pdf. below, which was provided by the National Coal Mining Museum for England.
Working Life
Horses used for riding or other work have to be broken-in, and pit ponies also needed to become used to being handled and harnessed. The horse keeper might spend a few days preparing them for the type of work and conditions underground. The pony was trained to wear a harness and pull tubs along rails. The horse keeper might also try to get the pony used to noise and darkness, but this type of training was not common. To learn more about the training and preparation for the pit ponies, follow the pdf. provided by the National Coal Mining Museum for England below.