Friday, June 29, 2012

H is for HORSES

Horses played a big part in the life of our ancestors.  I thought I would share a few of my grandmothers memories and photos about horses.

1928
Almond Dale horses
My grandmother wrote;  "I only had 6 years of schooling, as we lived over 3 miles from the school.  At first we had to walk.  They kept me home till I was 8 and John was 6.  Then Dad bought a pony for us and we got boils in summer from horse sweat, as we rode bareback.  So then he bought a flap, big enough for 2, but quite flat, with stirrups and we didn't get so many busters.  Old Trix was very quiet, but would shy at anything different – even a piece of paper on the road.  One day Miss Darker – our teacher – came around the dunny – as they were always known then, and Trix lashed out and broke a button on her cardi.  Dad reckoned Trix must have been asleep and got a fright.  After that we had to put her in a small yard at Uncle Ned Pilgrim’s – a bit further on.  One day one of the neighbors went by on his tractor and Trix jumped out and went home.  She always went home if we fell off.  While at High School, I always went home for week ends and often got a ride back with the minister on Sunday.  If not, I rode Trix in Monday morning – 10 miles.  Tied the reins up and let her go.  Once she didn't arrive home so Dad went looking for her.  She had pulled in to a farmers stable.  It was a paddock away from his house and he only worked there some times.  There was a dam, green feed and some chaff in the mangers.  This old Trix was cunning and would come up with the horses Saturday and Sunday but not week days.  When we had holidays, it would put her out.  I had to go and catch her as my brother could not.  I think he was cunning too.  He had a horse later – Kit.  Dad would drive Kit and Tammy in the buggy and the fruit van (before he got a motor vehicle) and they were a flighty pair.   In the van, we all sat on a board across the width of it and no back.  It used to take us over an hour to trot into Nhill – 10 miles – with a load and under the hour to go home.  The horses were always in a hurry to get home.  I love horses and working dogs, but not lap dogs. 
About the boils, Mum used to sit us up on a jerry half full of HOT water to bring them to a head and then prick them. 

1924
Pilgrim children going to school on Trix
1927
My Grand Aunt on Kit with Joker the dog
I remember one time we went through the scrub to visit mum’s sister at Gymbowen 14 miles.  The buggy wheels kept hitting the bushes and frightening Tommy.  He’d jump ahead and Trix didn’t mind loose traces, so he did most of the pulling, and on the way back he was puffed out and dad had to use the whip on him – only time ever.  I did feel sorry for Tommy.  


1933
Geyer & Pilgrim family members
Trix was Kit’s mother.  Later we had a white one – Danny and a chesnut – Bennie.  Danny was beaut by himself, but with a mob, he would jig all the time.  We often got up a party of about 20 and would ride up to 40 miles in the day.  One day there was a fence across the road, so the farmer could feed his sheep on the road.  No one knew and came out in a hurry.  Three horses went down, but they and riders were not hurt.  I was glad I wasn’t on Kit that day or I might have been in the lead. 

You weren’t allowed to kill roos in those days, but no one said you couldn’t chase them and it was great fun.  Occassionally we smelt a fox but rarely".



1932
My Grandmother


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12 comments:

  1. Wonderful old photographs Sharon :)

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    1. Thank you. I especially like the way the old stables were built. My grandmother lived to age 96 so she certainly saw a lot of changes in her lifetime.

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  2. Riding those horses to school sounds dismal, boils, fences, jumpy horses.

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    1. My kids find it hard to believe. We live about 10 miles out of town and it is a 15 minute trip but in those days it was an hour!

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  3. I loved your post Sharon. Horses were a part of my "H" post too, but my love for horses, rather than my ancestors.
    I am always looking for stories of my family and horses but they are few and far between.
    I loved your photos too, especially the four children on Trix.
    Merron

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    1. Thanks Merron. I am very lucky that my grandmother wrote down some of her memories and took so many photos.

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  4. Wow, horses sure were a part of your history, and your memeories (good and bad). The photos are beautiful.

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    1. Thank you. Maybe I'll include the photos of working horses in another post :)

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  5. It's wonderful to have the words of our ancestors and I enjoyed how you've put this post together. Once again, great photos.

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    1. Thanks Fi. This was an easy post as I didn't do the writing. It was all gran's words and photos. I think gran used her photos albums to prompt her memories as quite often I have been able to find photos that relate to her writing.

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  6. A great post Sharon! I love stories like this, my Uncle Bill and my Dad were great story tellers but we never quite knew what was true and what wasn't :-)

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  7. Ha Ha Ha. I have no doubt that my grandmothers stories are all true but there are a number of unrepeatable tall tales on the other side of the family!

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