Did you know…
…that a posting inn on a main route might need to have up to 2000 horses available for hire at any given time? That is a massive herd of equines. That sounds like the herd of the Sioux Nation or maybe—maybe—a very large ranch in the American West. It is a good thing many, or even most, of those would be out for hire at any given time.
I learned that tidbit from Jude Knight, who always knows these things. When I began to research it I read that New York City in 1900 had upwards of 100,000 horses and a major manure problem. Goodness. I wonder how the air pollution situation was around all those horses.
There’s no question the numbers are much higher than I imagined. I will tell you now I don’t plan to go into that sort of detail in the Ashmead Heirs. The Willow and the Rose will have horses, but I’ll leave the numbers vague.
See also:
https://historicalhussies.blogspot.com/2015/03/regency-posting-inns-and-post-coaches.html
http://www.ourcivilisation.com/smartboard/shop/bynpwllr/coaches2.htm
