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Saturday, August 31, 2024

Horse


Horses and ponies have been used in mines for centuries, so I had to include this beautiful horse.  
The expression on the horse's face is quite uncanny, like he's proud to be part of a team.

 

7 comments:

  1. Definite work horse with its sturdy legs and stocky body, looks like a Percheron….:)

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  2. The mines in Belgium had not used horses for a long time (before I was born), but do you know that these poor animals went down to the bottom and only came back up when they were exhausted by age to be slaughtered or they died at the bottom. The descent to the mine was for them their death sentence no matter what.

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    1. Other countries had regulations protecting equine mine workers, so it wasn't always so terrible everywhere. It was not, however, the best life for a horse or mule, even under the best conditions.

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  3. The coal mines near where I live had horses and mules. They lived in the mines in excellent conditions and worked for only 7 years. They were then retired to live out their lives with the miners they had worked with. The only stipulations the mine owners had was that the animals were treated well and could not be sold or given away. The mines closed in the mid 1950’s.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! It's good to hear about humane treatment of these fine animals.

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