Horses of the Coal Mines
These horses did not like sunlight and fresh air; they lived underground in the dark, called colliery pits.
Born in darkness, they worked and died. A horse could pull eight heavily loaded coal carriages.
Despite these harsh conditions, these horses maintained their dignity and were aware of their rights, such as refusing to move if they sensed an overload. They also had a remarkable sense of time, knowing when their workday should end and finding their way back to the stables in the dark.
The labor of horses in the mines continued until 1972, when technology ended a dark era.
On December 3, 1972, Ruby, the last colliery horse, emerged accompanied by a large crowd of workers. Ruby, the horse, was decorated with