A family business that began as a rest/exchange stop for the horses that used to pull the canal barges. The horses were huge animals, mostly Shires, but occasionally a Clydesdale and they needed to be as the loads were heavy and had to be moved in all weathers. It was once a thriving business but as the canal boats gave way to the road and railway, so the work for the horses dwindled. By the time Miss Winthrope took over there was practically no business. She loved riding and working with horses and in any case needed to make a living, so she opened a riding school for "well brought up" young ladies.