Old-fashioned Names for Old-fashioned Horses
© Janet Lane & Angela Tiede. Image: Adolphus Holden and the pony Nancy, taken in 1890. Australian Performing Arts Collection website.
Amazing equine characters from our early history, these names should live on in our hearts and minds. The stories of Tommy and Topsy are detailed in the attached story, made available as a pdf to print if desired. Gelding Tommy and mares Bess and Topsy from Todd River Downs carry the name forward to today.
Pony Nancy who is in the feature image for this post and circus pony Commodore (featured here) had a lifestyle in common, check out this post if wanting to see a bit more about Nancy.
We received an email (December 2023) letting us know about Topsy’s retirement: Topsy retired to the farm of Carl Perry at Repton NSW. Topsy enjoyed the views of the Belinger River from Perry’s Hill in her retirement. Carl Perry was a known breeder of Shetland Ponies.
Hooray for trick pony Topsy! And hooray for the internet that facilitated this exchange of information about her, thank you again Tanya Perry.
Here’s a brief list of names from the past, please check out this post for horse names from WW1.
Dolly Horse and Sulky. Frederick Richardson of Waverley. Next to Waverley police station with his sons Allan and Cecil. Horse named “Dolly”, Bronte Road. Archives.
Hector Horse drawn steam fire engine with horses Hamish and General in front of Perth Fire Station. c. 1905.” State Library of Western Australia photo.
Hero (see Hector).
Piggy Described as dark grey with a white patch on his forehead belonged to surveyor Edwin Welch. Piggy is famous for getting through a tough mission with aplomb when Welch accompanied the Howitt expedition that looked for Burke and Wills. It was Piggy’s fitness, courage and jaunty character that led him to be in the vanguard of the search. He had been named not for his temperament, but for his excellent survival sense.
Shamrock Shamrock, the horse, harnessed to Gympie’s fire cart in 1914. Horsedrawn fire cart outside Gympie’s fire brigade building. State Lib. Qld.
Sultan “South Australian Fire Brigade horses, Sultan and Paska. c.1912.” State Library of South Australia.
