The first record of horses being used to haul trawl nets on the Belgian coast dates from 1502. The monks in the local monastery fished for shrimps, which among other things they would spread on their vegetable patches as manure. They also used shrimps and other fish to pay for goods and services in place of cash.

In the days when horses were in regular use in agriculture, most of the farmers within reach of the coast would do a bit of shrimp fishing to earn some extra cash. Often mules were used as they were cheaper to buy than horses. Even the milkman’s horse was pressed into fishing duty once the delivery round was completed.

In Belgium today, just three families continue to use horses for hauling nets. They have become minor celebrities, and are frequently featured as examples of Belgian tradition. A large picture of them greets arrivals at the Brussels airport, the first image of Belgium that visitors see. School parties regularly come from all over the country to see the horses at work. Strictly speaking, the horses should not be there at all now. They live in a very built-up area, and there is a law in Belgium that horses should not be kept within 100 meters of a house, but the authorities turn a blind eye in the case of the fishing horses. They want them to continue for the publicity they bring to the town.

Twenty-five years ago, King Boudewijn of Belgium recognized the work of the horse fishermen, and representatives of the men were invited to an audience with the King, and to present him with fresh shrimps. This became an annual tradition which continues with King Albert II today, though in practice they only get an audience with the King himself every fifth year; the other years they see a representative. The numbers of fishermen has now so much reduced that they all go each year, with their wives and families. (If the weather is so bad the day before that the horses are unable to fish, the men go and buy fresh shrimps caught by the conventional boat fishermen in nearby Nieupoort, and present those to the King–but don’t tell anyone!).

The season for shrimps is May/June and September/October, sometimes running into November if the weather allows and the shrimps remain. It is only possible to reach the shrimps for two hours before low tide and one hour after, as they do not move inshore with the tide. The working season is extended by the tourist board, who pay the fishermen to go out during the summer months for the benefit of the tourists, even though the shrimps they catch may be barely enough to fill a sandwich.

The article is owned by [http://www.heavyhorseworld.co.uk/] and can be read here[http://www.drafthorsejournal.com/features/shrimpfishing/shrimpfishing.htm].

You can also read more about the statue honnoring the shrimpfisher by horse.