Training Pit Ponies At Oxclose. Ryhope

A Memory of Ryhope.

Training Pit Ponies at Ryhope
Oxclose was a row of 5 terraced houses owned by the Colliery and located at the top of the lane which passed the eastern side of the Cricket field. At the Western end of 5 terraced houses there was a large hay barn and to the North and West of the terrace, a long L shaped set of stables all of which bounded a very large court yard.
My Grandfather (Harry Hicks) lived in No1, The Robson’s in No2, The Likel’s in No3, The Greaves in No4 and The Eagling’s in No5.. The houses were VERY basic, no bathroom (we bathed in a tin bath in front of the Kitchen fire) and there was no flush toilet. Water was obtained from a tap in the house yard and the toilet was a midden ie a dry toilet with a big wooden seat with a hole in it. It was emptied by the midden men once a week and I can tell you as a young boy I was terrified of falling into it.

Harry Eagling was the trainer for all the ponies which were to go down the mine at Ryhope. Ponies were either housed in the stables or out to grass in the field at the west end of the stables. There was a large white post in the centre of the courtyard where the ponies began their training. Firstly they were tethered to it on a long reign and made to go round and round one way and then the other. When the ponies were familiar with this routine they were then harnessed to a large wooden wagon which looked like a wild west wagon but without the canvas top and it had small 12 inch diameter wheels made of steel with a 6 inch wide steel tread. The ponies would be driven up, down and round the courtyard until they were thought to be suitably trained enough for pulling mine tubs down the pit.. I remember as a boy riding this wagon with “Ard Eagling“,(the trainer) it was great fun.