Hi all,
Wow, this is a subject I had not thought to see on this forum, one that brings back fond memories.
As a child in London, my first paid job in life was to brush down my Uncles two Shire horses on the way to school. Shires are the British heavy horse [& most 'old 'countries have their own breed.] My next paid job was to lead barge horses over a humpback bridge, then harness the horse to an endless rope to haul the barge under the bridge. These were mainly Clydesdale horses [the Scots heavy horse] I was about 8yo then. Then came a long break from horses till my final business before retirement which was conducting horse drawn carriage tours around Raymond Island. An island in the Gippsland Lakes area of Victoria Au. which was inhabited by a large colony of Koalas, which attracted a lot of overseas tourists. A great occupation & one I would hardly call work.
So, to correct a few misconceptions.....
Warhorse . The horse featured in the film was, I think, a Waler [or similar]. Not a heavy [ or drought] horse at all; but quite stocky.
The term HP was derived from a CLYDESDALE horse raising a given weight vertically over a given distance & time.These figures have been mentioned elsewhere.
My interest in horses these days is minimal - I have an interest in a stud breeding Percherons, a French breed of heavy horse, but only as a part owner. Carriage building & repairs, farrier work & forging were all part of the occupation & added to my knowledge base. A great time in my life.
cheers,
Lennard.