Sultan The Pit Pony

It's Mrs BB day off, so as she headed for the hair stylist to be pampered, I headed to Park Penalta, Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed CF82 7GN to do an aerial photograph of Sultan. 

This prancing pony is a 200 metre long raised-earth artwork by Mick Petts that was completed over a period of 3 years. The earthwork is a homage to the pit pony, the last of which was retired in 1999. These animals were used to haul containers of coal in underground coal mines, and the locals later dubbed Mick Petts work ‘Sultan’ after a particularly famous local pit pony
The sculpture is a reminder of an industrial past that changed Britain, and the world, forever. Coal was the fuel of the Industrial Revolution that put Britain at the forefront for over 100 years in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Coal provided the necessary power source for steam engines which became one of Britain’s most significant contributions to human history.

Ponies, horses and mules were commonly used in underground coal mines in North America and Europe, from the mid-18th until the mid-20th century. Previously, children and women were employed to lug or drag coal out of the mines. As the mines became deeper and distances became greater, they were replaced with “pit ponies”.

The aerial photo was taken at a height of about 300 feet above the sculpture.