The Pit Pony’s Journey: From Pits to Paradise
Ym mis Ebrill 2023, bu Amgueddfa Pontypridd yn cydweithio gyda thair Ysgol Gynradd leol; Ysgol Gynradd Coedpenmaen, Ysgol Gynradd Coed-y-Lan ac Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Evan James i ddysgu am fywydau a gwaddol merlod y pwll ym Mhyllau Glo De Cymru. Dysgodd y plant am yr amodau yr oedd merlod y pwll yn gweithio ac yn byw ynddynt, y dynion a fyddai wedi gofalu amdanynt a'r rôl bwysig a chwaraewyd ganddynt yn natblygiad diwydiannol ein cenedl. I gloi'r prosiect, croesawom Flossy and Boo Theatre Company, y bardd Mike Church a'r canwr-gyfansoddwyr lleol Matthew Frederick a Jessiie Jenkins, i hwyluso diwrnod gweithdy celfyddydol mynegiannol, lle gallai'r plant gyfuno eu holl wybodaeth flaenorol a chael hwyl yn creu darnau drama, cerddi a chân grŵp ar y cyd, i gyd er anrhydedd y merlod pwll.
Gwnaed y prosiect hwn yn bosibl diolch i'r gefnogaeth a'r cyllid a dderbyniwyd gan Gronfa’r Celfyddydau, ac rydym wrth ein bodd eu bod wedi hoffi ein prosiect gymaint, fel eu bod wedi dewis i’w gynnwys ar eu gwefan fel enghraifft i amgueddfeydd eraill. Da iawn i bawb fu'n cymryd rhan!
The Pit Pony’s Journey: From Pits to Paradise
In April 2023, Pontypridd Museum collaborated with three local Primary Schools; Coedpenmaen Primary, Coed-y-Lan Primary and Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Evan James to learn about the lives and legacy of the pit ponies in the South Wales Collieries. The children learnt about the conditions the pit ponies worked and lived in, the men who would have looked after them and the important role they played in our nation’s industrial development. To conclude the project, we welcomed Flossy and Boo Theatre Company, poet Mike Church and local singer-songwriters Matthew Frederick and Jessiie Jenkins, to facilitate an expressive arts workshop day, where the children could pool all of their prior knowledge and have fun creating drama pieces, poems and a collective group song, all in honour of the pit ponies.
This project was made possible thanks to the support and funding received from the Arts Fund, and we are delighted that they loved our project so much, that they chose to feature us on their website as an example to other museums. A huge well done to all involved!
‘This is pointless all my friends are dying
I hate this why can’t I live like a normal horse?
I miss the colours of the world above
I miss the crack of dawn and the setting of the sun
I’m so tired and I miss my family so much
I feel like a useless horse who doesn’t know what to do
Every day I’m exhausted pulling trams of coal
This isn’t fair
Life is just so unfair
I miss the feel of soft grass on my hooves
It’s so tough down here I just want a day off
I’ve forgotten why I even exist
We all suffer as we pull endless wagons of coal
If only a gleam of sunlight would light up my dusty face
The miners all around me are fading away
It’s so dark we’ve forgotten the sun
We just want to go out and have some fun.’
‘I felt bad for the horses having to work underground
I had a carrot in my pocket once
I offered it to a horse that was lying down
Then realised the horse had died
But it was too late I’d already put it in the horse’s mouth
I loved my horse and it loved me too
I wish the horses had more of a holiday
Sometimes I felt they needed it more than us
I think I was actually allergic to horses
There was a day I almost choked on horse fur
Sometimes they seemed to be everywhere in the pit
I would spend a whole day shovelling horse poo
They used to work so hard
I bet all they wanted to do was run around and eat grass
I wish the horses could have had a better life
We had a horse called Charlie that booted a rat down the pit
There’s more I could tell you but I can’t remember
I just wanted the horses to have a happier future
Just like the miners.’
‘I see nothing
I am blind to the world
I’m tough, I’m hard
And I’m so sick of being dug up
Stop with your shovels and pickaxes just leave me alone
Why do you want to burn me so badly?
I’m tired of being used
You tell me I’m worth something every day
But then I get slowly burnt away
Please leave me in peace
Is there anyone out there…..hello?
There are so many alternatives to coal
Burn charcoal or flint or ashes
Why don’t you just go nuclear?
Stop digging in the dark
I deserve so much more than this
It takes thousands of years for me to grow and develop
Only to be exploded and burnt away
When will this pain ever end?’
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