Passenger Horseboat at Hebden Bridge again

After an absence of 6 years, horse-drawn passenger boat operation has returned to Hebden Bridge!

As part of the celebrations of 500 years of Hebden Bridge, the horsedrawn passenger boat Vixen has been brought to the town and is providing passenger trips this year as a trial to see if horse-drawn trips can be viable once again.

Horseboat Vixen about to pass Horseboat Elland. Photo: Ken Catford

First horsedrawn boat at Stubbins Wharf for 6 years. Photo: Ken Catford

Bonny the Boathorse

Bonny the Boathorse gave birth to her third and last foal on Sunday August 1st. A charming bay filly. Mother and daughter doing well. No name yet.

Photo: Ken Catford

Photo: Ken Catford

Photo: Ken Catford

Rochdale Canal Journey

In conjunction with the Rochdale Canal Festival, the Horseboating Society are travelling the length of the canal from Castlefield to Sowerby Bridge.

Boathorse Bilbo is towing the historic narrowboat Elland. Because Elland is only 60 ft in length, when the journey to Sowerby Bridge has been completed, it is intended to continue around the South Pennine Ring to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.

A selection of photographs taken on the journey so far can be seen here in our Photo Gallery.

Travelling up the Littleborough flight. Photo: Peter Whitehead

Rochdale Canal Journey

On 21st July, Elland set off from Castlefield on a journey over the Rochdale Canal, the first stage of which included the section of canal running alongside Canal Street in Manchester.

The Waterways Trust supported the Horseboating Society in getting Manchester City Council to remove all tables and chairs off the towpath in Canal Street, Manchester so Bilbo could have a free passage to pull Elland up the Rochdale Nine during the Rochdale Canal Festival 2010.

However, note the posts which the council are refusing to remove which interfere with towline use. The posts have tiny notices at the top, warning people not to climb the new high railings!

This was probably the first time in ten years that a horse-drawn boat has had unblocked passage on the towpath of Canal Street, usually totally taken over by cafe and bar furniture. Thank you, TWT, for your support.

Canal Street Photo: Keith Hallam

Canal Street Photo: Keith Hallam

Lock 86 Photo: Keith Hallam

Piccadilly Lock Photo: Keith Hallam

A selection of photographs taken on the journey so far can be seen here in our Photo Gallery.

Horses at Work event

The Horseboating Society joined the Boat Museum Society and the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port to put on the first Horses at Work event there.

Bonny the Boathorse was pleased to be back in harness for two demonstrations on the day - a harnessing demo followed by the short pull to the winding hole and back to the museum.

Bonny has done little boating since 2008 due to having two foals. With a third foal due in August, the short journey was just right "to keep her hand (hoof) in". The third foal will be Bonny's last foal, so she will return to horseboating more fully in 2011. The photos show Bonny's rotund appearance as she proudly carries her foal. Nothing like getting her foals started early - horseboating while in the womb!

Note the period clothing worn with crew of Gifford. The boat was built in 1926 so Victorian clothing is inappropriate. Women wore a floral dress and a pinny.

Other work horses in attendance were a grey Shire mare with a dray of full sacks ready for unloading to a warehouse or boat, and a cob with a bread van . In addition there were horses and ponies from the Parkgate Horse Rescue Centre, reminding people that horses require much love, care and attention.

The event brought in visitors who came especially to see horses at work and to learn about the activity of horseboating, now so seldom seen. A coach party came from the North Counties Heavy Horse Society. Those able to walk the distance followed the horse-drawn boat to the winding hole and back. A great many photos were taken.

The General Manager of the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port is interested in repeating a similar type of event in the future. The HBS received the following thanks from organiser, Ken Catford, who is an HBS member and former BMS chairman.

"Thank you very much for participating in the Horses at Work event. We were very pleased with the day, with a good number of visitors over and above a normal Sunday. I think it met the objective of illustrating the importance of horses in the history of the canals, the docks and the local community."

Demonstrating traditional boathorse harnessing. Photo: Ken Catford

Demonstrating horseboating - Bonny sets off with Gifford. Photo: Ken Catford

Bonny the boathorse takes Gifford along the canal. Photo: Ken Catford

Period clothing for 1926. Bonny due to foal in August.. Photo: Ken Catford

Really Sad News - Obituary by Sue Day

Jayne Bradley's horse PRINCE, a Clydesdale at 16.3hh, had to be put to sleep on the morning of Sunday May 16th. Prince will be sorely missed by all who knew this gentle giant.

Prince was well known at the Black Country Living Museum where Jayne had been head horse-keeper for 8 years, and she worked Prince there in many ways, pulling a cart, dray, omnibus, or the ice-boat Ross. He gave the horseboating demo with Ross at the first Horseboating Society AGM at the BCLM in 2002.

Out of the museum, he had pulled both steamboat President and horseboat Kildare to a local yard for repairs.

He attended the Parkhead Festival every two years where he worked on the top lock, demonstrating the use of a pulley wheel to send a boat out of the lock in the opposite direction to the way the horse was walking.

Prince worked under the HBS banner in September 2009 when he pulled a loaded boat of the Coombeswood Trust to the Windmill Festival. Loaded with about 17 tons, Prince travelled 3 miles in a charity pull, comparing times with a bow-hauled boat (manpower) and a motorboat (motor power). The boat was legged through Gosty Tunnel en route. To Jayne's delight, Prince put in a winning time.

The report came to HBS:
"Prince had been out in the field with Shire horses Toby, Polly and also Barney but had been unable to get up in the morning of Sunday May 16th. We got the JCB and lifting ropes and the vet and seven people but he just could not put any weight on his legs once hoisted up. We all tried and tried but in the end the vet said that there was nothing more that could be done."

Polly Booth, of the Waterways Action Squad (ages 16-25) wrote -

I signed up to help the Horseboating Society because I was very interested to see this old style of boating in practice. I wasn't sure what to expect before I arrived but I did imagine it to be very arduous for the horse. I was surprised that the boat glided effortlessly and Bilbo (the boat horse) didn't seem to struggle at all. There was a gentle silence to the boat, which is not possible with a motored barge, and when we weren't preoccupied with the locks it was relaxing to walk alongside it. I'd never operated a lock before so that was an experience in itself, some of them were quite easy but others were rusty and they posed a bit of a challenge.

When the narrowboat, horse and crew in (mostly) full Victorian dress passed through more urban areas the difference between old and new was striking and it made a nice image.

It was exciting to ride in the boat through a long, dark tunnel in Huddersfield, which had been especially built beneath a development to accommodate passing boats. There was no room for Bilbo who had to be taken along another route to meet us at the other side. Without the horse towing us members of the crew used poles against the side of the walls to push us along. I appreciated seeing this technique but I was quite glad we didn't need to 'leg' the boat through. 'Legging' involves lying on the narrowboat and pushing it along a tunnel with your feet using the walls or ceiling. I wasn't sure I was quite ready for the indignity of that!

It was an interesting day and I'd encourage anyone to have a look at horseboating in action if you get the chance.

On 22nd April 2010 the Horseboating Society set off from Guide Bridge on the Ashton Canal to make a return trip to Huddersfield by way of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and Standedge Tunnel.

Maria was legged through Standedge Tunnel on April 25th in a record time for the Horseboating Society of 2 hours 20 minutes. The return through Standedge Tunnel will be on Bank Holiday Monday, 3rd May. (See "Events")

See Gallery section for more photographs.

On 30th October and 1st November 2009 demonstrations of horseboating took place on the Cromford Canal in Derbyshire. Shire horse William pulled the boat Duchess along a mile of canal between Cromford Wharf and Leawood Pumping Station.

See Gallery section for more photographs.

Iona on the River Wey

The horsedrawn passenger boat business with narrowboat Iona might be desribed as 40 years old this year, as it started out in 1969 at Norbury on the Shropshire Union Canal. A second boat came into use, and was given the same name of Iona as the first boat. The business was then sold with horse and boat and, without missing a season, set up at Godalming on the River Wey, where it still operates.

This season boathorses Rosie age 24, Ben age 16, and Denzell age 8 have shared the workload of carrying the many passengers enjoying a 2 hour trip on the River Wey.

Horse drawn boats were a part of the Kirkintilloch Canal Festival, on the Forth and Clyde Canal on Sunday August 30th, 2009.

The Clydesdale horse Ben had attended a horseboating training day with his owner George Robertson held on June 17th in preparation for the festival. The training day involved 3 HBS members Sue Day (HBS chairperson), Tim Lucey (HBS Scottish rep) and Richard Davies (festival co-ordinator). On this occasion the local motorboat Janet Telford was pulled by Ben, using a bridle at the bow to help the crew control the steering of the boat in the absence of a large rudder. It rained constantly!

At the Kirkintilloch Festival, Ben pulled three different boats, one at a time, each with the mast lowered. These were White Wing, the 1919 vintage fishing boat, Wee Spark, a one-third scale Clyde Puffer and a steel yacht based on the design of a Dutch inshore fishing boat - complete with lee-board. Again the bridle system was in use to help steerage. Ththe fishing craft would have been horsedrawn when on the canal in the past. A crowd of interested onlookers can be seen watching from the bridge. The sun shone down (well, at least the rain stayed off until mid-afternoon)!

Tim Lucey, HBS's Scottish representative, went along to keep an eye on things!

See Gallery section for more photographs.

Maria was horseboated along the Rochdale and Ashton Canals on her return journey, after taking part in the Rochdale Canal Festival.

See Gallery section for more photographs.

Maria travelled along the whole length of the Rochdale Canal, including the "Rochdale Nine" down to Castlefield, On Sunday 9th August she returned via the "Rochdale Nine" and the Ashton Canal to her base at Guide Bridge.

BBC North West Tonight filmed the arrival of Bilbo and Maria through the final lock of the Rochdale Canal outside Dukes 92 pub. They then filmed an interview with Sue Day and returned in the evening to broadcast the weather forecast from Maria. All this was shown that evening, Friday 7th August.

Maria was moored in Castlefield Basin alongside the only grass area for Bilbo. This small grass haven has only survived due to the Castlefield Residents putting up opposition to planned development on it. Power to the People! Save our Boathorse Grass! Castlefield was the first urban heritage park set up in the UK.

Saturday was spent talking to passers-by and visitors, and the Museum of Science and Industry, (in Castlefield) sent people across to Maria as an extension to their Transport Festival.

Sue Day on board Maria at Castlefield. Photo: Elizabeth Hogg

See Gallery section for more photographs.

Sunday was the long haul home. Up the Rochdale Nine. Up the Ashton 18. How quick and simple the Ashton seemed after 184 broad lock passages on the Rochdale! But the Rochdale is magnificent as it strides from Manchester city across the Pennines into Yorkshire market towns.

A short video taken by Lucy Rogers of The Waterways Trust, showing Maria being horseboated on the "Rochdale Nine", can be seen by clicking the arrow below (or following this link).

A selection of photos of the highlights of the Rochdale Canal Festival can be viewed here.

If you have taken any photographs of Maria's return trip from Sowerby Bridge or of her jourey on the Rochdale Nine, please contact us!

Bilbo and Maria left Manchester city centre from Dale Street, climbing the Rochdale 18 to Failsworth. Many lamp-posts and railings hindered use of a towing line but the crew cheerfully met the challenge of city horseboating.

Maria, Bilbo and the team successfully reached Sowerby Bridge on schedule on 16th July, still as part of the Rochdale Canal Festival.

The return horsedrawn journey along the Rochdale and Ashton canals starts on Monday 27th July. Crew members are needed. Details of dates are now on the Events page.

Two barrels of beer were loaded onto Maria from a horse-drawn brewer's dray, to be transported down the locks.

The 2009 rally had a record turnout of 84 historic narrowboats. It was the first time that a horsedrawn narrowboat had attended the Rally which is established as the premier event for a historic boat gathering.

Elland was horsedrawn by Bilbo from Stoke Bruerne, where she and Bilbo had attended the Gala Weekend of the Canal Museum.

On the Saturday of the Braunston Rally, the HBS crew legged Elland through Braunston Tunnel while Bilbo was taken over the tunnel-top. Legging time, just under one hour for two pairs of leggers. Elland was then horseboated down the Braunston locks as a demo and photo opportunity, and this was much appreciated by the many observers with eyes, cameras, and video cameras.

Over the weekend, harnessing demos were held at the BW Stop House garden with Bilbo and Toy Bonny.

Bonny the Boathorse gave birth to her second foal on Friday, June 5th at about 10.00 am. The foal is a full brother to last year's foal Mayfair Lady. Name undecided so far. Bonny and foal are doing well despite the foal only having 6 hours dry weather before experiencing 36 hours of unseasonal cold and wet weather.

The Horseboating Society had a good presence at Crick Boat Show. Two boats were horseboated to the show and there were WoW activities with Toy Bonny and live boathorse harnessing demos with Bilbo Baggins.

A video taken at Watford Locks for the Rugby Advertiser can be seen on this page, featuring an interview with Sue and some shots of Elland being horseboated.

A video slideshow of images from Crick Boat Show can be seen on this page, including Toy Bonny, Bilbo Baggins and Sue.

An interview with Sue was broadcast on BBC Radio Leicester. It can be heard by following the link on this page.

BW's Chris Stanley wrote:

I wanted to thank you for all your help and support in achieving some fantastic media coverage for the Show (not forgetting The Horseboating Society).

We had a clean sweep of all media outlets and there is no doubt in my mind that this had a major positive impact on visitor numbers to the Show. They always say in the media never work with animals but on this occasion it was an absolute pleasure to work with Bilbo and you.

Please pass on my thanks to the volunteers and I look forward to working with you again in the future.