This is called a "dray" and it is how Samuel Smith's beers
have been delivered for more than 200 years. This particular dray is just
over 100 years old. They have two other drays: one is 150 years old
and the other is just short of 100 years old. The casks in this picture
are just for show, but when fully loaded, the 2-ton dray will hold 2-tons
of beer! These days they are used primarily for new pub openings and for
festivals. They are pulled by teams of four Gray Shire horses.
This is one of the "Grays." There are about 20 horses, but only
one team is kept in the stables on the brewery grounds. The others
are kept at a stud farm nearby, on York Road. Grays are enormous horses.
Our host said that one of their horses had been listed in the Guinness
Book of World Records as being the tallest and the heaviest horse. This
particular one is named "Royal" and although not the tallest,
it is 17 hands tall! This view is from the courtyard behind the Angel and
White Horse which contains several tables at which you can enjoy the freshest
beer and view some of the most magnificent horses.
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