| Back | The Dancers | The Horse |
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We have been dancing for 30 years now and can still boast a fit side albeit somewhat smaller than 30 years ago
but we travel to many parts of the country and hopefully bring enjoyment to many people
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Yateley Morris Men enjoy performing the morris dance throughout the summer. In addition to performing
a wide range of stick and handkerchief dances from villages all around the Cotswolds, we also hope to
be joined by our very own 'Hooden Horse'. This cuddly beast is a true morris animal in all senses of
the word and enjoys the dancing so much that it follows us around and tries to join in. We are still
wondering how it gets abroad to Germany and Belgium. Many may wonder at the sex of The Horse, fortunately we now understand that a number of female members of the audience can say for sure that he is a stallion! If any ladies present would like to try their hand at confirming this, I'm sure the horse would be delighted, please don't mention gelding in front of The Horse as he often gets grumpy about this subject (well, wouldn't you !).
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Historically our horse has great antecedents. The first record of a Hooden Horse is of Archbishop
Theodore of Canterbury who, in 690, put a ban on 'any who on the kalends of January clothe themselves
in the skins and heads of animals'. That was a long time ago and The Horse has been known to attend
church services and does happily 'bow the knee'. Kent and the far North West seem to have had the most
Hooden Horses nationally and there is still a strong tradition in the Kent area. The Horse often gets better invites than the dancers and has frequently disrupted the already disturbed 'Fools and Animals Weekend' held in November. As you will see however, The Horse is sometimes a shy, quiet and retiring character, so do please encourage him.
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