Our Boat-Trip to Hampton Court Palace (23.6.2019)
We arrived by boat at the pier opposite Hampton Court Palace – a place we live near but had never properly visited! We soon fell in-love with this great historical place! There was much of extraordinary historical importance to see, but one of the most special of moments is when we discovered a team of two English Shire Horses gently pulling two carriages full of visitors around the ornate garden of ancient yew trees (many planted during the lifetime of King Henry VIII). Heavy Horses are rarer today in the world, than the Giant Pandas in China. I was told that there are only around four thousand left, with just 600 breeding mares, although there are a nuber of projects attempting to revive the numbers of this magnificent horse bred originally to carry heavily armed (and armoured) English knights into battle. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, thee wonderful creatures assisted humanity in virtually every aspect of life, from ploughing fields, moving heavy loads, clearing trees or even carrying people in emergencies! The Heavy Horses you see here, are working horses engaged in many aspects of agriculture when not pulling tourists around the many Royal Gardens throughout London! These horses are proud, strong, gentle and need to work! We must support their preservation as they appear to exude a sense of unconditional love for the humans they serve!
We love you all!
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