15 Feb Thwaites Shire Horses

Thwaites Shire Horses

Daniel Thwaites link with shire horses dates back to 1807, when the brewery first opened as the horses were used to deliver beer. Each horse used to deliver between four and six tons of beer a day, within a one mile radius of the Blackburn brewery.

Nowadays they don’t deliver beer but are still part of the Thwaites family, attending public events to represent hotels and inns in the House of Daniel Thwaites, which include Kettering Park Hotel & Spa.

The horses travel around 10,000 miles a year (mainly by wagon but they need new shoes every six weeks).

They are known as gentle giants as when fully grown they stand at over 18 hands and tip the scales at one ton – but they are incredibly friendly.

They are fed five times a day and their daily diet includes the spent grain from the beer that is brewed – and of course a pint of beer each.

Each horse has its own character – and they are characters. Over the years they have been known to play the odd joke on the horsemen – one mysteriously learned the knack of switching its stall lights on and off, and another solved the problem of unfastening door bolts!

Daniel Thwaites has four horses – Wainwright who is the longest serving at 12 years, Gunner and Ribble who joined in the last two years, and the most recent addition, Drummer, who joined in the summer of 2018.

They are looked after by three horsemen who work 365 days of the year who make sure the horses look immaculate at every public appearance.

We can’t wait to see them at the Food Festival and we hope to see you there too!