25 years since the last pit pony left the final deep coal mine in the North East

[@sicks6six]

dash-littlest) barney-best worker) dixie-grumpiest) Barney, and Star, they were the 5 Gallowa's I flonked with at Ellington, 3rd North stables, Barney was the nicest natured and easy going Gallowa by miles, he was also funny, one time I had him tethered to a prop that had my donkey jacket hanging on it, when I came back he had gone in my pocket and ate my bait (jam sarnies) the newspaper was torn up lying on the ground, Barney pretended he knew nothing about it, he turned his back on the evidence and when I asked him why did he not leave me some he just stared at me as if to say, you'll get plenty later on bank. Dixie would squash you up against props coal sides if he wanted a break from flonking but he was the strongest of them all, I did feel sorry for them but they liked the work (usually) loved the attention and friendship but when you had washed them down and took off their limmers and fed them and put down clean straw and gave them some nuts they did look at you as if to say "am I not going home with you "as you left to get the BoBo to the shaft bottom, the truth is they were kept underground all year except the 3 week summer break because when they were brought to the surface after a year underground they didn't want to go back down and they fought not to, kicking and squashing, sometimes biting, now times that by 90 (that how many worked at Ellington) when I worked there and you got a big problem. 90 Gallowas in a field looking at the pit winding gear and thinking "yea you keep that, I'm staying here in the Fresh air and sun. TRANSLATION GUIDE FROM GEORDIE TO ENGLISH. . . . . . GALLOWA = HORSE FLONKING = PULLING PROPS AND GIRDERS LIMMERS = HARNESS AND CHAINS FOR FLONKING BANK - SURFACE BAIT = LUNCH as for the loads they pulled I would flonk 3-5 props at a time, 1 -2 girders at a time, depending on the distance and conditions, deep mud being hard to pull through, dry ground easy. these loads were nothing for the Gallowas to pull some people put more on but I found if you did less on each load the Gallowa would work better, it was easy for them and they didn't complain by "acting up" or going on Strike (they would stand still refusing to move if tired or overloaded) if you made it easy for them they made it easy for you, for anyone who thinks it was cruel having them underground, I agree but a lot of things are cruel in this world, they were looked after very well , the farrier and Vet was underground just about every day checking on their welfare, the stable keepers loved them and most people who worked them respected them, the alternative is a machine to carry props and girders that is very expensive and gets bogged down in mud and it breaks down all the time, (no props and girders no coal production, so no pay) it's called a Shwartz transporter and was made at Hollywell engineering Backworth, hope this allays anyone's fears about the welfare of the pit ponies. I did hear a young female visitor to the pit saying "its cruel sending them horses down the dark cold damp pit" I thought to myself she is right and its the same for the men, it was cruel sending them down as well. . . still best job I've ever had. . . I have a certain sympathy for today's teenagers they will never experience to comradeship that coal miners had, a job where your life depends on your work mates creates bonds you don't get while working at Sports Direct or McDonalds, not ever PC world or Halfords can create that (that last bit is meant to be humour)

[@VickiEllen]

Great write up, thanks for sharing this it’s really insightful

[@menya00045]

So cruel they used animals for this torture..😭

[@mammadingo9165]

And before that woman and children

[@xiiBuzzinx]

My grandfather, who cared for the pit ponies at ellington colliery, died last week. I was looking through an old photo album with varies photos of him with the ponies. He cared alot about them.

[@karenroberton3290]

Remember them from my childhood. My Great Grandfather looked after them. Loveky to see this.

[@gunterbartsch9284]

Unfortunately, there is no international commemoration day for Pit Ponies and Pit Horses. I think that has to change. All the best from an ex-coal miner from Germany.

[@christhompson9486]

Saw a Disney movie about the pit ponies. The littlest horse thieves. It was so sad that the pony that saves the miners died in the mine.

[@alisaappelhof546]

I watched it last night.Good movie, but cried when I saw the conditions thoes ponies were subjected to all their lives.

[@Dusty357]

Hahaha you can't go off a Walt Disney film as the truth 🤣 that's the trouble folk watch movies and believe the exaggerated stories 😄 absolute sponges

[@iplayloud2]

Disney is all about cheap drama, always someone dying.

[@mkvenner2]

They didn’t stop using pit ponies until the 1990s? 🤬

[@mammadingo9165]

@@Dusty357 many docos report last two were 1999 possibly was still occurring in 2015

[@ExploringCabinsandMines]

​@@Dusty357They told u in the beginning were you not listening?

[@mhwp3286]

Poor pony. Humans are vile.

[@dolsopolar]

Coal miners are so evil!!

[@gerrycoleman7290]

The pit ponies did not have a choice. To use them was abuse for selfish greed.

[@naturazpolski9213]

DID YOU HEAR THAT RED PILLERS?! WOMEN AND CHILDREN WERE WORKING IN THE MINES, so stop saying how feminism ends when physical hard job starts.

[@TheMidnadarkness]

Is there a movie about them ? Because I’m curious about pit ponies

[@jayveebloggs9057]

Love Beamish so much. Volunteered picking litter and directing traffic age 9!

[@scottbusby4916]

An actual fact flash to put the pony was white the reason I knew this is because they made a movie about flash the pet pony and my grandfather Matthew Busby was standing at the top of the main shaft get your facts right!!

[@optimisticdragon9008]

I was here on Thursday. ..just a few days early hehe

[@hilmonstigler5665]

Thinks

[@Jeff250lbc]

Ok but can we get English subtitles?

[@PunkRockOilOi]

Remember going in the drift at Beamish in the 1090s on a School trip from Scotland brilliant museum