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Horse and Cart - Standing


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From the NRM's photo of Reading - Vastern Yard 1904 - a modelling detail for those who have a horse & Cart stood in their Goods yard.

So often I see a scene on a layout where the horse is ready for the off, rather than relaxing, awaiting a load.

 

post-6979-0-63974900-1455192844.jpg

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From the NRM's photo of Reading - Vastern Yard 1904 - a modelling detail for those who have a Horse & Cart stood in their Goods Yard.

So often I see a scene on a layout where the horse is ready for the off, rather than relaxing, awaiting a load.
Sorry about the quality, but it's a scan from a book, not a real photo.

 

post-6979-0-63974900-1455192844.jpg

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I can't see the photo, but part of the problem, at least in 4mm, is that the people producing model horses have, so far, preferred to model them in frozen action, making them look very uncomfortable.  Fortunately Dart Castings seem to have grasped the issue, as their latest offerings are more static.  I have suggested to the proprietor, on a number of occasions that horses posed with their heads down in their nose-bags would also be a good idea, but so far to no avail.

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Yes, so far as my modelling is concerned, horses where attached to vehicles will most often be standing in a station forecourt or a goods yard.  This is an area in which manufacturers could well take note of what I tend to think of as "Rice's First Law of Movement", which states "never depict frozen movement".

 

Static figures have been the prevailing taste for some years now, but ranges still include cast accessories I recall from boyhood, so catching up cannot be an overnight thing.  I would support the idea of introducing more head down horses with nose-bags.

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More likely to be by a water trough. The Clydesdales I used to look after were capable of processing vast quantities of water especially when pulling the dray. They were also terrible,'leaners' they leaned on each other and agaist the shafts if close to a wall, oh and me between the yard and the loosebox.

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The Clydesdales I used to look after were capable of processing vast quantities of water especially when pulling the dray. They were also terrible,'leaners' they leaned on each other and agaist the shafts if close to a wall, oh and me between the yard and the loosebox.

I can vouch for that!  My daughter has a horse which is a 17 hands half Clydesdale and if you stand beside her (the horse that is, not my daughter!) you suddenly become aware of the weight of a massive head resting on your shoulder!

BTW, the Clydesdale breed originated at Lochlyoch Farm in the shadow of Tinto Hill, some 8 miles from where I sit at the moment.

 

Jim

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Acquaintance of mine has a Clydesdale gelding. She stands about 5'3"; her horse is not far off 18 hands, and is easily the biggest horse on the yard, towering over my 16hh Irish Draught.

 

I've never asked why the apparent mismatch between horse and rider, but I guess she likes 'em big. And, God Almighty, Glenn is as big as they come:

 

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His shoes are, well, not within the standard size range. I'm told that they cost £130 per set, which is double the cost of a normal-sized horse's shoes. And that set has to be replaced every four to six weeks.....

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...........And, God Almighty, Glenn is as big as they come. His shoes are, well, not within the standard size range.

Our previous house was built by a retired farmer and he had kept a Clydesdale in the 1 acre field which went with the house.  I found a Clydesdale shoe in the garden once.  It was over 12" across!  One great attribute of Clydesdales is that they have a very laid-back and gentle temperament, for all their size (which is more than can be said for my daughter's first horse which was a thoroughbred and would have kicked you into the next field given half a chance!).

 

Jim

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Yes, I had a Thoroughbred briefly. She was a 5-year-old at the time, and had come out of a racing yard. She was absurdly quick compared to anything else I'd ridden before. Here she is:

 

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Quite wilful, though, and - for a while - asking her to walk up a particular hill involved lengthy negotiations. At one point it looked as though we would only go up that hill sideways.

 

I'd have another one, though. Even if they don't race under Rules, they still make useful point-to-pointers.

 

Speaking of racing, I see that one or two racecourses have had an occasional tendency in the last couple of years to send Clydesdales and Shires over a distance of two furlongs, ridden by professional jockeys, for demonstration purposes. The resultant vibrations probably register on the Richter Scale:

 

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I once had the choice of a barbed wire fence / thorn hedge or my head meeting a rapidly approachin 11" Clydesdale 'boot'. Some cretin had disturbed mum while I was checking on her foal.

My mate finished up in the old duck pond in a similar close encounter. When the horses first came out of their looseboxes it wasn't unusual to be lifted clear of the ground on the halter ropes. The sight of an 18 stone man, rugby prop forward at that, being swung, both feet off the ground up a 1 in 3 hill is a sight to see and not a little terrifying to a skinny kid like I was.

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Horse wow, that's incredible. I've only ever ridden a Shire or Clydesdale bareback. I cannot begin to tell you how painful that was at a trot or a canter. Gallop? No thanks, I like to be able to sit down later. Having a Shire approaching at a gallop because it knows you have a bottle of Guinness for it - scary.

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Horse wow, that's incredible. I've only ever ridden a Shire or Clydesdale bareback. I cannot begin to tell you how painful that was at a trot or a canter. Gallop? No thanks, I like to be able to sit down later. Having a Shire approaching at a gallop because it knows you have a bottle of Guinness for it - scary.

I'll ride pretty much anything bareback, large or small:

 

post-6879-0-18968200-1455399592_thumb.jpg

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...I found a Clydesdale shoe in the garden once.  It was over 12" across!  One great attribute of Clydesdales is that they have a very laid-back and gentle temperament, for all their size....

Glenn learnt to say "please" by lifting a foreleg whenever he wanted something. Trouble is, we can't stop him doing it....

 

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Just compare the size of his legs and feet with those of Jelly the Thoroughbred above. He's a bit like Irn-Bru - built from Girders, and about as heavy as the Forth Bridge.

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