Horses - in London!
Soon after we moved to London, I thought I was dreaming on the morning I awoke to the sound of horses right outside our bedroom window. I couldn’t believe my eyes: dozens of horses, some pulling large grey wagons, trotting down our street just after dawn. That memory has stayed with me all these months, a mystery I couldn’t figure out.
Monday morning, déjà vu! I awoke once again to the sound of horses trotting on pavement. I ran to the window, waking Bill up with one word: “Horses!” He ran for the camera, and we were able to capture the mirage on film. There really are horses in Maida Vale! Well, it turns out they actually live up the road in St. John’s Wood, all 111 of them. They are the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, and as they break in new horses, they apparently take them out for training exercises. It’s like having over 100 horses suddenly trot down Fair Oaks Avenue in Sunnyvale. And not only trot, but they actually stopped for several minutes to load a problematic horse into their bus/trailer, holding up traffic for blocks. Well, I guess when you are the King’s Royal Horses (by the way, what King? Shouldn’t they be the Queen’s?), you can do whatever you want!
This is from our front window
A picture from our roof terrace
A close-up of the cart they pull
And the van they load the misbehaving horses into
Thanks to Bill for leaning out the window and scrambling up on our roof terrace to get some photos before they trotted off….
Monday morning, déjà vu! I awoke once again to the sound of horses trotting on pavement. I ran to the window, waking Bill up with one word: “Horses!” He ran for the camera, and we were able to capture the mirage on film. There really are horses in Maida Vale! Well, it turns out they actually live up the road in St. John’s Wood, all 111 of them. They are the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, and as they break in new horses, they apparently take them out for training exercises. It’s like having over 100 horses suddenly trot down Fair Oaks Avenue in Sunnyvale. And not only trot, but they actually stopped for several minutes to load a problematic horse into their bus/trailer, holding up traffic for blocks. Well, I guess when you are the King’s Royal Horses (by the way, what King? Shouldn’t they be the Queen’s?), you can do whatever you want!
This is from our front window
A picture from our roof terrace
A close-up of the cart they pull
And the van they load the misbehaving horses into
Thanks to Bill for leaning out the window and scrambling up on our roof terrace to get some photos before they trotted off….
posted by Bill | 9:23 PM
2 Comments:
I just found your blog, and you have brought back a lot of memories for me! I grew up in St. John's Wood in the 60's-early 80's. I lived at Allitsen Road. Occasionally, I would be woken up to the sound of horses trotting on the street below. The sound would go on for quite a while, until the last horse had passed by. The procession of horses would hold up the traffic. (Drivers seemed to be very patient, though!)
If you'd like, let me know your old address in St. John's Wood and I'll take a photo of it for you. Send me your email address and I'll email it to you.
Bill Baeck
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