Pack horses never know glamour – aside from the famous Staff Sergeant Reckless, they seldom have names that go down in history, and yet they have been essential not just in times of war, but also times of peace. Anyway, here are some British Army packhorses (and their keepers) having fun in the snows of …
Continue reading “Packhorses Pack Up Their Troubles for a Roll”
Snowshoes. Not just for humans, according to this 1565 woodcut from Olaus Magnus’ Historia delle Genti. Alternatively, this is an early version of Subbuteo. Courtesy of the US Library of Congress.
Thank you to Andy Smerdon for getting in touch with me about his project to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of hostilities in 1914. Andy’s an amateur historian with a special interest in the use of equines – hosses and mules – in World War One. With his Tennessee Walking Horse Mack and …
Thanks to Jane Badger for the link to America Blog and a video of the US Army’s latest combat buddy (seen in action below). I think Kate Beaton should have a cut of the royalties. If you’re curious about Kate’s inspiration for Fat Pony, take a look here.
From Anthony Dent’s Donkey: The Story of the Ass From East to West. Dent was born in 1915 in North Yorkshire, just to orient you. ‘When I was a child in a small coastal resort in the North-east the most senior employees of our local council were two old men and a donkey, who between …
Continue reading “Save Money on Rubbish Collection – with Horses”
The Manchurian and Siberian ponies which accompanied Robert Scott’s failed expedition to the South Pole are being commemorated. Jimmy Pigg, Snippets, Jehu, Nobby and Bones will have navigation waypoints on aeronautical maps of Antarctica named in their honour. Scott’s team ate the ponies before dying en route to the Pole in 1912. Read (much more) …
