Guinness Horses
The late eighteenth century saw the completion of the Grand Canal in Dublin, joining the River Liffey and the River Shannon. The Shannon is the major river of Ireland, flowing through eleven counties. This meant that Guinness stout could be made available outside of Dublin for the first time. Horses were used to draw barges containing wooden casks of stout along the river, as well as bringing raw materials into the brewery.
A Stable Environment
St James’s Gate brewery had its own team of horses, with stables at the centre of the site. The Guinness horses were large breeds of draught horse and each horse in the brewery was given its own name. Among them were William, Roy, Cecil and Bruce. Occasionally horses were named in pairs, the brewery had its own Pride & Prejudice. Thunder & Lightning and Rhyme & Reason.
A Man and his Horse
A team of draymen were employed by the brewery to care for the horses and to man the drays. They earned 19 shillings (€1.41) a week in the early nineteenth century, rising to 21 shillings (€1.55) a week after a year of employment. A special set of guidelines were drawn up to ensure that the horses received the highest quality of care. Inspections took place 12 times a year and prizes were awarded to the draymen with the best cared for horses. .
A Matter of Pride
The horses were groomed daily, with particular attention paid to their feet, ears and hooves. They were fed three high quality meals a day with an evening treat on Saturdays. Guinness horses were regularly entered in parades and competitions. A record existed for each of the horses, documenting their length of service and if they were award-winners.
The Last Guinness Horses
Guinness sold its fleet of horses in 1932, opting instead to hire horses from a third party, Messrs Richardson. The last horse was used for the brewery in 1960 bringing an end to the horse era of Guinness.