Foxton Locks offers an excellent learning environment that extends beyond the classroom and helps schools deliver learning opportunities to inspire in a creative and authentic way.
Willing Horse
The Willing Horse
From the earliest times, man has relied on the horse to carry him and his goods over long distances.Our current road infrastructure has evolved from old pack horse routes, our towns and cites expanded from buildings erected to support the horse and his goods on the journey up and down the land and our canals and waterways were built during the industrial period to enable him to carry even greater loads.
Find out more by selecting one of the images:
The history of our relationship with the horse has long faded from living memory and we cannot imagine a world built around our 4 legged friend. Much can be gained by investigating that relationship and understanding how it helped to establish the British Isles as we know it today.
The horseshoe has been around since the Roman period, they reccognised the need to extend the life of a working horse by protecting the feet. Examples have been found dating back to the medieval period from sites around Leicestershire including one from the battle of Bosworth. Repair work to the Fosse Way and Watling Street found horseshoes from the 17th Century that had a deep groove to hold the nails, also known as a 'fullared' shoe. Usually older horseshoes are much smaller than today's equivalent.
Packhorses have been working with us for centuries. Man has used the strength of his horse to carry great loads and has designed a range of equipment to help him do this, also called 'tack'. As the loads increased we needed better surfaces and so the first packroads were created. The horses also need servicing over long distances so coachhouses and Inns were established along these routes creating centres of trade that became the first towns.
Industrial revolution in the 18th century saw the need to transport much greater loads around the country. To do this, a canal network was developed that allowed the horse to pull even heavier cargo such as coal, steel and bricks in loaded boats. The 'tack' developed to help the horses do this and included knitted hats to keep off the flies.
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War Horses were used throughout history and great wars right up to WW2. Used to transport cavalry and arms to the front line they often saw action at its very worst.
During WW1 they were transported into France on the canals and used to transport heavy loads and hospital barges.
Discover our Curriculum Enrichment Workshops:
Museum lead workshop sessions for your school party
The Willing Horse key Stage 1 & 2 Curriculum links; Science, Literacy, Maths, Art and Music
To find out more about the Willing Horse and explore what workshops we can provide please contact Foxton Canal Museum: learning@foxtoncanalmuseum.org
