Bonny and Bilbo are back at Stoke Bruerne

Published: Monday, 09 August 2021

THE two boat horses Bonny and Bilbo are back at Stoke Bruerne for a well earned rest.

Bonny 29, first came to Stoke Bruerne in 2000 when she pulled the narrowboat Maria on a charity pull from Manchester to to London.

BonnyBilboFirst visited

Bilbo, 27, first visited Stoke Bruerne in 2008 for a canal festival with the narrowboat Elland where he gave harnessing and towing demonstrations.

Then in 2013 Bilbo pulled narrowboat Kildare (the butty of steamboat President) to a canal festival at Stoke.

Emily Thorpe, Manager of the Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne enthused:

Brilliant job

“We are delighted to host Bonny and Bilbo for a few weeks. They are doing a brilliant job chomping their way through the long grass and saving us from having to cut it with mechanical means. They are proving very popular with all our visitors”.

Sue Day, of The Horseboating Society, who cares for Bonny and Bilbo explained:

“My horses love company and are enjoying all the attention they are getting, as well as the opportunity to graze on some grass. I am very grateful to the knowledgeable volunteers from Stoke Bruerne Canal Partnership who are taking good care of Bonny and Bilbo during their stay”.