The workhorse, who lived to 35, passed away at Beamish Open Air Museum, near Stanley, where he had lived for the past 23 years.

During that time he has had a booklet published in his honour and was even introduced to royalty.

He worked at Blackburn Drift, Marley Hill Colliery, near Sunniside, Gateshead, working the narrow seams 150 feet underground until it closed 30 years ago, when he was aged five.

He then moved to Sacriston Colliery, near Durham. He worked there until it ceased production in 1985. Pip was kept on for another year to help with salvage work before being given to Beamish.

Jacki Winstanley, spokeswoman at Beamish, said staff were mourning his passing.

He said: "We think he may have been the last surviving working pit pony in Britain.

"He was certainly the only surviving working pit pony from the northern coalfields.

"He had a long and happy retirement at Beamish and he trained his successor, Flash, to wear his harness to show visitors the type he wore down the mine.

At the peak in 1913, there were 70,000 ponies underground in Britain. By 1984 the numbers had dwindled to 55, many of them at Ellington in Northumberland.

In 2002 during a visit to Beamish, the Princess Royal, herself an accomplished horsewoman, spent more than her allotted time with the then 28-year-old Pip and his handler, Martin Gallagher.

Two years later, to celebrate his 30th birthday, the museum produced a family activity booklet, called Pip the Pit Pony Explores, where a charismatic caricature of Pip takes families on a light-hearted tour of the award-winning Town Street.

Article: HERE

 

A young miner sitting in a mine, feeding a pit pony Photo: GETTY IMAGES

SIR – The Welsh Assembly has recently reneged on its promise to ensure that the iniquitous use of pit ponies in coal mines is ended.

It was agreed, in 2008, to bring into effect the necessary regulations to ensure that pit ponies are prevented from working in mines. It had been decided that the preferred method of achieving this was by dealing with that part of coal mine legislation that permitted the use of ponies. The Chief Medical Officer of Wales has now made it known that the lack of time and resources mean it will not happen.

We now have the situation where the donkeys on Blackpool sands have, quite rightly, been given protection, while pit ponies remain under the threat of far worse abuse.

Tom Wenham
Thornborough, Buckinghamshire

HERE