Jump to content

I’m not going to put my horses through it anymore


Bewildered

Featured Posts

42 minutes ago, Jerra said:

There is a strong chance I would make you tense then.  I wear a lot of blue and being an old fart who realises my chances of survival are greater if I fall in a lock when wearing a life jacket, I wear one.

Jeff bought a new waterproof jacket recently. Only afterwards did he realise it was CRT blue and it makes him look like a volockie?. I kid you not, he has sent it back and changed it for a black one!

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Machpoint005 said:

Shame - a missed opportunity for any number of amusing misunderstandings.

I am frequently mistaken for CRT staff, however that has happened when I was wearing yellow waterproofs as well.   I think it is the life jacket which triggers the response.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the last couple of days many of the tabloids (Sun, Mirror etc) and Yahoo have all picked up the story 
 

https://sports.yahoo.com/historic-horsedrawn-carriage-business-forced-to-close-over-cruelty-and-safety-concerns-155028775.html?

Tony Tyler, head of UK welfare at World Horse Welfare told Yahoo News: “Pulling a size-appropriate boat through water is well within a working horse’s capabilities and, provided the animals are well looked after, fit for the job and given plenty of time to rest and socialise with other horses, then this traditional method of transport has no concerns for us.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8681421/Oldest-horse-drawn-barge-forced-stop-river-trips-clashes-snowflake-canal-users.html

The owner of one of the country's oldest working horse-drawn barges has been forced to stopped her river trips after clashes with 'snowflake' canal users.

Jenny Roberts, who owns Iona, has closed the Godalming Packetboat Company after 35 years, citing criticism from people using the towpath.

Her horses, Buddy, Alizee, and Espoir have been retired and the Iona, which was built in 1935, loaned to the Tiverton Canal Company on the Grand Western Canal in Devon. 

There are now only three locations in Britain running horse drawn barge trips - Llangollen, Newbury and Tiverton, and apart from Iona all the boats are later built replicas.

But Jenny says that 'snowflakes' who do not understand the nature of the business have accused her of animal cruelty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

There are now only three locations in Britain running horse drawn barge trips - Llangollen, Newbury and Tiverton, and apart from Iona all the boats are later built replicas.

 

 

Is the one on the Montgomery Canal not still going, then?   Their website certainly is:    http://www.bywatercruises.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Jeff bought a new waterproof jacket recently. Only afterwards did he realise it was CRT blue and it makes him look like a volockie?. I kid you not, he has sent it back and changed it for a black one!

Diana has that problem with a blue sweatshirt she wears sometimes

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Arthur Bray told me that when he was young his father did some horse dealing and was always changing them. He had a large horse for a trip down to Oxford that was a bit big for some of the bridge arches and he found that if he pulled its tail it ducked its head. He was seen by a lady looking over a bridge who reported him to the police. He was charged with cruelty but luckily the magistrate believed his story and understanding horses pronounced that this was not cruelty.

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those alleging cruelty must be unaware of how little force is required to get and maintain a lightly-loaded barge in motion. We used to take regular canal holidays when the kids were growing up, and on one occasion I did get them to tow our boat a short distance, pointing out that they were shifting several tons all by themselves. It was to illustrate the great impact that canals had on transportation, as a horse that might only be capable of pulling a ton or so in a cart, could pull 60 or 70 tons in barges, and with no exhausting hills to slog up either.   My late mother used to recall seeing horses foaming at the mouth as they hauled loaded carts up a hill in the part of North London she lived in when a young child in the early 1920's. A world apart from the effort required of a canal horse.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.