Sparky, the last pit pony. Working with pit ponies was one of the most enjoyable experiences I had as a miner. So I was sorry to read that Sparky, the last deep pit pony in Britain, died aged 36. Sparky, lived at the National Coal Mining Museum in Yorkshire for the 18 years. Reports say he was pining after his four-legged pal Carl died last October. "His behaviour changed," "He took Carl's death quite hard." He worked at Ellington Colliery for about 13 years. Horses worked underground in the pits from the 1700's; by 1913, 70,000 were working in the mines. In 1947 this number had dropped to 21,000 and by 1984 there were only 55 ponies in N.C.B. pits. Sparky is reported as being the last pit pony, and I recall another pony named Flax being brought out of Ellington Colliery in 1994. Ponies worked hard all their lives, so I suppose Sparky was lucky to have lived its last years in pleasant surroundings. Some ponies saved men they worked with from injuries; they had a sixth sense that alerted them to dangers such as falls of roof. Another era ends.