Here's a snappy little pony getting some tuning up done at an unrecorded location in Suffolk, England in the 1920s or 1930s. I thought there were several interesting things about this photograph and hope you agree.
First, I wondered about a farrier working on a slope so perhaps these two fellows were making a call to a stableyard to replace a lost or twisted shoe on this nice pony.
I also wondered about the strap around the pony's neck; it looks like the leadline is attached to it, rather than putting a halter over the bridle, or removing the bridle. Or maybe it is someone's belt!
Notice the tail. Great Britain passed legislation banning tail docking of military horses in the late 1800s, and a national law in 1949 called the Docking and Nicking of Horses Act; Germany banned docking in 1933. Sharon Cregier from the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada has written extensively about tail docking in horses.
What do you see in this photo?
Thanks to the Kindred Spirits UK Archive of David Kindred's old photos for making this image available.
