Ron Creasey: The Last of the Horselads

East Yorkshireman Ron Creasey was one of the last farm horsemen to find work at a hiring fair in 1946 - he was just seventeen. During his years as a horselad, he lived in the traditional conditions, remained single and was paid just once, at the end of each year. The Caley family for whom he worked expected high standards of farming and horsemanship and a great deal of hard work. Ron loved the life, eventually rising to become waggoner. On the heavy clay of Holderness, horses were used for longer than in many other areas but it was only a matter of time before changing farming methods encroached upon Ron's world as well. Though horses became less and less important to the everyday workings of the modern farm, he continued to be involved with heavy horses throughout his life and retained a clear memory of his influential early days as a horselad. During 2006 and 2007, not long before Ron Creasey's death, William Castle recorded a long series of conversations with the horseman. This information provided a rich stream of knowledge and heartwarming anecdotes - all relating to horses and farming - that helped the author to create an insightful perspective that might otherwise have been lost. Much of the book is a transcription of Ron Creasey's own words - contextualized by William Castle - who draws on his own experience of working with horses at Geoff Morton's farm in East Riding. William Castle writes for Heavy Horse World magazine. See more