Out & About Summer 2021

T he slow trudge of the beautiful horses, majestically pulling their boats from the tow path along the Kennet and Avon Canal, was a staple sight for centuries. Now, West Berkshire is lucky enough to have one of just three horse boat companies in the country still operating along its waterways. Having been in the family for decades, the Kennet Horse Boat Company is today run by husband and wife team, Steve and Charlotte Butler. The canal and the horse boats are in Steve’s blood and he had no hesitation in taking over the reins from his parents. “I grew up around the Kennet & Avon Canal,” he explains. “My mum and dad were part of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust in the early years and in the 1970s they did a lot of fundraising for its restoration. “They used to look after a lock between Newbury and Kintbury. We would all go up in our boats and stay there for the weekend and come back on a Sunday afternoon.

“The opportunity then came up for my parents to buy the Kennet Horse Boat Company in 1980, which they did do and they went on to run it for 23 years.” Steve and Charlotte moved back to the area to take over the business for the start of the 2004 season. “I was always keen to run the horse boat and I always felt it was really part of the Kennet & Avon Canal,” adds Steve, 50. “It’s unique and it was always so special to me. “I used to work weekends on it when I was younger and learned to crew it and it became quite an important part of my life. It is an unusual job and you’d be surprised at all the aspects involved in it.” Charlotte, 47, adds: “We just felt that if we didn’t give it a go, it would be gone from the family.” While his father mainly ran the business out of Newbury Wharf, since taking over Steve and Charlotte have moved it to Kintbury. This is one of a few ‘slight’ changes the couple made to the business that they

continue to run with the same love and passion that Mr and Mrs Butler Senior did. They also now offer a day boat hire, but more about that later. Clearly the stars of any horse boat company are the horses themselves; at the Kennet Horse Boat Company they are Monty and Drummer and Steve admits that during the summer months he “sees them more than I see my family”. Monty, the couple’s veteran steed, is a 15-year-old Welsh Cob/Shire cross, which they have had since he was three. Drummer is a seven-year-old Clydesdale/Cob cross. “They are really part of the family,” Steve adds. “They are such an important, focal part of the business. “It is something that I am proud of, that we can still make a living from working To find out more about the company or to book a trip visit www.kennet-horse-boat.co.uk

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O&A SUMMER 2021