From Horses to Motors: The Fate of London’s Stables and Farriers (1880s–1930s)

August 31, 2025

Many people are worried about AI (Artificial Intelligence) taking people's jobs. It is a concern, and it's true there will be those who lose jobs. In many ways, a similar thing happened over a 100 years ago, just about the time of World War I, which was a key factor in the lost of jobs by farriers, stable hands and vets.

Between 1880 and 1890 London was operating with 2,000+ horse buses and 300,000 horses citywide. But by 1904 the Royal Mews added a motor garage alongside the stables, a symbolic shift from horses to motors. By the turn of the century, 1911–1912 saw the last horse buses withdrawn in London.

At the outbreak of World War I, in August 1914, thousands of horses were requisitioned for war. By 1915 horse buses and trams had virtually disappeared. Motorised taxis now outnumber horse cabs in London.

Post-WW1 Urban stables in mews closed and many converted into garages. Farriers and stable-hands lost city-based work. By the time the 1930s came around, motor trades dominated and coach builders vanished. Motor sales dealerships grew and mechanics multiplied.

Before World War I, London depended on working horses and the farriers who shoed them. By the end of the war, motorised vehicles had displaced horses from the city’s streets. This rapid transformation closed many stables, forced farriers out of urban work, and reshaped entire trades. Some adapted by serving racing or police horses, while others moved into the growing motor industry.

Times changed, and people changed with the times. I suspect the same will happen with the AI revolution.