In the days when the stables were used by the Post Office horses who pulled the mail coach from London to Hartland several men would have been employed to look after the horses, help the coach passengers to get on and off the coaches and move their luggage.
The Head Horseman was in charge of all the workers and lived in this house so that he could always see what was going on in the Yard.
He would make sure that everything was done properly and on time. He would be in charge of swapping the tired coach horses for rested ones, making sure the horses were well cared for , the harness was cleaned, the yard was always tidy, the men were doing their jobs and he would keep an eye on everything at night when everyone else had gone home.