144 years old, give or take the odd year. The story goes that the Mumbles lads had journeyed up the Swansea Valley, where they had seen the Mari Lwyd and wanted some of the action for themselves. they dug up Sharper, an old horse who used to pull the vegetable cart and had been buried in a lime-pit at Barland Quarry. They cleaned up Sharper's skull, and the vicar of All Saint's Church (who came from Derby), the curate and the choirboys composed the Mumbles Horse's Head song. It want like this:

My clothing it was once
And my limbs they were so fine
My many and tail was long
And my coat it used to shine
But now I'm getting an old horse
And my courage is getting small
I'm forced to eat the sour grobs
That grow beneath the wall.

Poor old horse, let him die (here the horse bows low)
Poor old horse, let him die.

He eateth all my hay and corn
Devoureth all my straw
He is not fit to ride upon
Nor yet my carriage draw
Likewise these actiful limbs of mine
That have travelled many a mile
Over hedges, ditches, bramble bushes
Gates and narrow stiles

My bones unto the huntsman
So freely I would give
My flesh unto the hounds
Well I really do believe
Then it's whip him, spur him, cut him,
To the huntsman let him go
It's whip him, spur him, cut him,
To the huntsman let him go

So now they've eaten all my flesh
My bones are white and dry
They put my head upon a stick
To go out at Christmastime
So now my song is ended
But I still am very gay
To wish you all your happiness
On this coming Christmas Day

On this coming Christmas Day
On this coming Christmas Day

Could the vicar have carried the verses from Derby to Mumbles? Before her death many years ago, Mrs Marjorie Bowden, the mother of Len Bowden, keeper of the horse, recalled that only men went out and sang with the horse - but the children boiled a ram's head and carried it round behind the horse, singing:

As I was going to Derby, 'twas on a Derby day,
I met the finest ram, sir, that ever was fed upon hay.

Singing high way, follow-me-oh,
Follow-me-ollo-me eye-do.

This ram had two great horns, sir, as far as your eye could see,
And inside of his horns, sir, the parson used to preach.

This ram had two great eyes, sir, as big as you ever have seen,
And the boys had them for footballs to kick around you see.

And all the boys in Derby was looking for his skin,
To make a handy waistcoat, for that was just the thing.

So now my song is ended, I cannot sing no more,
But if we come another new year, we hope you'll give us more.

But that doesn't explain the boom in older Gower Horse's Head songs, from Horton to Rhosili to Llangennith. George Tucker, from Horton, had a different one:

Once I was a young horse and in my stable gay,
I had the best of everything, both barley oats and hay...

Mr Tucker sang "grass" instead of "grobs".

I have been out with the Mumbles Horse and sung in the "choir". Len refuses to let anyone wear it - "If anyone smashes it, it's going to be me.