Irish tinker horses...

Back to Stanground Wash again, on a dry but very windy day. Today I completed my survey of the railway embankment, and walked around the wash grassland - at least where I could, as some of it is still quite deeply flooded. The survey was made more interesting by the presence of two very large, mature bulls along with the cows and suckling calves- though it turned out that both were quite docile and completely uninterested in me. The same could not be said of some young bulls in the next field, who were fascinated by me, and were also quite unafraid. They followed me around for a while, till they got bored, and although one did try head-butting me, no harm was done. The wash grassland is very species poor, but it was good to find a plant of tubular water-dropwort Oenanthe fistulosa, and a whole ditch of fine-leaved water-dropwort Oenanthe aquatica - both decidedly uncommon species.

On my way back to the car I found my way blocked by a herd of horses, who had discovered that the kissing gates provided excellent scratching posts. For as long as I can remember, the banks of the Nene to the east of Peterborough have been grazed by these stocky piebald horses, which live in large family groups. I've always thought of them as traveller's horses and today did a little research into their background.

The Irish Travellers, as the gypsies are properly called these days, needed a thrifty horse to accommodate their nomadic way of life. As a result, they developed a unique animal, strong and sturdy enough to pull a caravan or Vardo all day through the rolling Irish countryside, yet calm and docile enough for the children to play with and ride once a campsite was reached.

Since the Irish Travellers kept no written records to speak of, historians differ on when this remarkable horse first appeared, with estimates ranging as far back as 600 BC. Throughout most of their history, Travellers were primarily tinsmiths and metalworkers. Until recently, Travellers themselves were often called Tinkers, derived from the Irish word for tinsmith. Tinker is now considered a derogatory term when referring to the Travellers, however the name has remained in use for their horses, although they are sometimes called Irish Cobs, Gypsy Cobs or similar variations. Regardless of the name, what remains constant is the distinctive type of horse developed by the Travellers as a result of centuries of careful selection.


The Travellers required a horse that was absolutely safe under all circumstances, since it was responsible for pulling the caravan carrying the family and all its worldly possessions. The Traveller children, who often rode bareback at the end of the day, considered the Tinker a friend and playmate. In addition to an unflappable temperament, the Tinker had to be an easy keeper, able to thrive on whatever grass was available by the side of the road or at the campsite. As a result of so many centuries of selectively breeding for these traits as well as conformation and colour, today's Irish Tinker is highly heralded for its kind, quiet intelligence, hardiness and durability.

It is generally agreed that the Irish Tinker is a result of crossing the blood of the Irish Draught, Clydesdale, Shire, Friesian, Fells Pony and Dale Pony. The result is a horse that combines the substance of its draft-type ancestors with the height of an average saddle horse.

This group were certainly calm and unflappable, and the mother and foal were indulging in mutual grooming, cementing their already close bond. It was hard to decided whether to blip this family group or a horse with a fine curly blonde moustache, but he was too busy grazing for me to get a good portrait.