Wednesday, April 9, 2014

The A to Z Challenge: H is for Horses


Today I'll take a break from my human characters (sorry, Harry!) and write in praise of their horsey companions.

In  1911 there were over 400,000 horses in New Zealand—this at a time when the human population was only around one million.

Horses were absolutely vital to the running of farms during the years my books are set. They provided the main means of transportation between farm and town for both people and goods, whether that was on horseback or by buggy, gig or cart. On the farms themselves, in those pre-tractor days the horses hauled ploughs; mowers to cut hay and wagons to cart it to the stacks; logs from the bush; wagon loads of harvested crops. The heavy horses used in this work were mostly Clydesdales, while lighter breeds were used for riding and for pulling lighter loads.

Looking after the horses took a great deal of time,with feeding, grooming and harnessing. They also needed to be shod regularly; blacksmiths and farriers were kept busy.

Only a small number of New Zealand farms use horses today. Tractors take a good deal less looking after—though it's hard to see them providing the same sort of companionship.



A man clearing the land using a horse drawn plough. Hargreaves, Frederick Ashby, 1854-1946 :Collection of photographic prints and negatives. Ref: 1/1-023290-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23143279

6 comments:

  1. Thankfully I have a horse expert in the family. It helps make for more accurate portrayals of horses in fantasy. Glad to learn more about New Zealand! :)

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    1. That's a great resource! Diana Wynne Jones referred to some writers "treating a horse like a bicycle", which can be very off-putting to read.

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  2. So interesting. Horses are great. So are Jerseys by the way (your next blog!) I learned lots about the beautiful NZ Kaimanawa's from my neighbour in Paperoa, who's a bit of a horse whisperer. Came here from AtoZ

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    1. Hi there! Yes, horses are great. I've recently taken up riding again after quite a few years, and am really enjoying it.

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  3. Okay Mrs. Parkinson, I will forgive you for not writing about Harry, but he is one of my favorites. I love this A-Z thing, you make me want to visit NZ! The NZ department of Tourism needs to know...

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    1. Harry does have his own select group of fans. :)

      Thank you! I'm enjoying the challenge.

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