Pit Ponies. A few years later when at Bates pit, I worked with the pit ponies. There was some lovely animals, They ranged in height from small Shetland ponies, to others which were 15 hands high. Most miners were very fond of the ponies and many took bread for them to eat. Often they would put their own sandwiches in one of their jacket pockets and the ponies bread in the other pocket. While miners worked they hung their jackets up on the side of the roadway. The ponies got used to receiving bread and often couldn't wait till bait time (snap time), so they went sniffing around the jackets. On many an occasion they succeeded in eating 'their' bread by chewing through the wrapping paper, no doubt quite pleased at their achievement. The owner of the jacket was less pleased when on arriving in the roadway (often towards the end of his long hard shift) and looking forward to having something to eat, he discovered, not only that the pony had helped itself, but that it had eaten his jam or spam sandwiches and left the dry bread. Who said that animals were dumb? In the summer when the pit was on holiday for two weeks the ponies would be brought to the surface for their holidays. It was great to see them enjoying themselves in the fields, jumping and running and throwing their heads about and having a good time in the fresh air and in the sunlight.