British Pathe

Title and track exist for a film called "Here's to the Horse!" It seems to be an alternative title for Thoroughbred as the picture behind the text is the same and the music sounds the same.

Reel 1. A Tida Film. Produced by Pathe (with the co-operation of the National Horse Association.) C/Us...

Title and track exist for a film called "Here's to the Horse!" It seems to be an alternative title for Thoroughbred as the picture behind the text is the same and the music sounds the same.

Reel 1. A Tida Film. Produced by Pathe (with the co-operation of the National Horse Association.) C/Us of the heads of pairs of horses. All wear bridles. The last two to be shown are working horses pulling a plough, the other two pairs probably pull carts. C/U of plough and of horses hooves. Various shots of the horse at work in the fields. Various shots of horses pulling carts in London - good shots of the horses trotting through London traffic. M/S of milkman delivering milk from a horse drawn cart. Brewers' drays seen in L/S. Low angle shot of the man who will drive one of these carts - he wears a bowler hat. C/U of the fluffy shire horses' hooves. M/S of brewers' dray passing the camera. L/S of various horse drawn commercial vehicles including the Anglo-American Laundry of Tooting. M/S of blacksmith at work shoeing a pony. C/U of the horses' harnesses hanging in the stables. A name is chalked above each harness. Those visible read: "Violet, Rosey, Dorothy and Daisy." C/U of the rears of two horses as they stand in their stables. C/U of a man in overalls at work on a piece of saddlery. C/U of horse in harness. M/S of horse being groomed in the stable. C/U of the brush being used on the horse's flank. The "Van Horse Parade" - various shots of the horses in competition in all their finery. Judges jot things down in their notebook as the horses and their carts are displayed. Shot of a crowd of people looking on. Adverts on the side of these vans include one for Aspro. The show is held in Regent's Park. Policemen help to direct the drivers. The parade is held on a Bank Holiday "and since the prizes are so small there can be no other motive other than pride in their charges." M/S of two men in strange antiquated garb - presumably competitors. C/U of two policeman holding the reigns of a miniature pony pulling a small buggy. A judge pets the pony. Horses are led past a raised podium where the Lord Mayor of London presents the prizes. L/S of the procession passing the camera. Montage showing Pearly Kings and Queens and children - the Costers Parade. L/S of their horse drawn vehicles being led past the judges.

"...though the number of Costers decreases, they are still a picturesque feature of London life. Shots of the "Coaching Marathon" - large horse drawn coaches pass the camera. Narrator states: 'It may seem strange for such a highly industrialised country as Britain to retain such historic transport relics as the coach, yet every year brings more enthusiasm for the Coaching Marathon in which several teams of four in hand start from Windsor Castle and proceed through the Great Park." Shots of the competitors riding along a long drive and past a herd of deer. L/S of large number of shire horses lined up ready to compete in ploughing matches. C/U of the hand plough cutting through the earth. L/S of the horses and their masters passing the camera. C/U of an elderly judge in a black hat. Two large horses pulling a plough approach the camera. A judge crouches down to see how straight the furrows are. M/S of two horses looking over a gate. M/S of dappled horse standing at a food trough. Yearlings and two year olds stand in a field - narrator talks of the history of the shire horse.

Shire horses are led towards the camera by men holding ropes. Various shots of shire horses being presented to the camera including C/Us of legs and hooves and of horses head. Interior of a mine. A lift reaches the top of the shaft and a pit pony is led out. L/S of a group of pit ponies being led along in the grounds of a mine. South Wales coalfield. L/S of ponies running around a wall and into a field for exercise. C/U of a proud miner holding a pit pony. Ponies are led towards the pit. M/S of a woman approaching stables with a bucket of food. L/S of her going into one of the stables. C/U of a wooden wall covered with horses shoes. A horse is let out of a stable and it runs out and starts rolling on the ground. "These lucky nags hang up their shoes for they've finished with work." Various shots of the horses running, being groomed and eating from a bucket. Montage of a hunt meeting. children pet the beagles, huntsmen drink the stirrup cup, the hunt leaves the town of Annick (?) in Northumberland. Low angle shot of the hunt as it rides by. Various shots of the horses being ridden across the fields. Shots of the "children's hunt." Small children on horseback trot along with the beagles. See reel 2.