The Great Horse; or, The War Horse: from the time of the Roman Invasion till its development into the Shire Horse.Gilbey, Walter, Sir
History
The Great Horse; or, The War Horse: from the time of the Roman Invasion till its development into the Shire Horse.
Gilbey, Walter, Sir
Horses; Horses -- Great Britain -- History; Shire horse
“On the Wash, near Newbury, in Berkshire, on Friday, the 22nd of
September, 1739, will be run for, a set of Cart Harness with Bells,
for five Horses (given by the Most Honourable the Marquess of
Carnarvon), by any Horse, Mare, or Gelding that shall be 15 hands
high at the least, and has been train’d to the Cart only, and in
that way continued to be used. None but Carters to ride, and to
ride with Bell Halters, long Cart Whips, in Straw Boots and
Carter’s Frocks, and without saddles; and all Riders to change
their Horses, &c. (mares or geldings), before starting at the
Starting-Post, and no Man to ride his own Horse (mare or gelding),
&c., the Horse (mare or gelding) &c., that comes in last to win the
Prize. And if any Dispute shall arise about the Change of Horses,
starting, running, &c., the same to be determined by the said
Marquis, his deputy, or deputies, and 2s. 6d. will be given by the
said Marquiss to each Rider.”
Marshall in his _Rural Economy of Norfolk_, published 1795, describes
the road races in which “the lead was the goal contended for:” in his
time this dangerous amusement, as he justly considered it, had been “a
good deal laid aside though not entirely left off.” The gist of
Marshall’s account has been given in a former little work.[B]
From _Heavy Horses_ (No. 3 of Messrs. Vinton’s Live Stock Handbooks
Series), we take the following interesting passage which shows the value
set upon good Shires, by their owners in the middle of the eighteenth
century:
“Only within the last year or so there went over to the great
majority ... an old stud groom, whose grandfather in his day was at
the head of a famous stud owned by people of the name of Gallemore,
who for generations had a celebrated Shire stud within two miles of
Calwich Abbey. At the time when Prince Charlie marched on Derby in
the famous ’45 this old retainer was forced to take refuge from the
invaders and place the stallions of this stud in a place of safety.
This he successfully did.”
The fear lest these animals should be appropriated by the invader
reminds us of the similar state of affairs three hundred years
previously, when the Wars of the Roses created a demand for horses which
private owners took extreme measures to avoid satisfying at their own
expense (pages 19-20).
This excerpt also furnishes us with a link between past and present; for
volume i. of the Shire Horse Stud Book contains mention of several of
the original Derbyshire stallions named Gallemore, which were no doubt
called after their owners. The stud referred to was stabled at Croxden
Abbey--“and from its courtyard the horses went forth into hiding. Though
it cannot be stated as an absolute fact, all the evidence points to the
famous Packington Blind Horse having been begotten at this same place”
(_Ibid._, p. 16).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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