My life with Heavy Horses - Part 2 " When one becomes two, and two become five"
"When one becomes two, and two becomes five"
L-R: Wheathead Alkelda (Kelly), Tarn Bay Rembrant (Billy), Barval Giles Regent (Royston), Bromford Supreme (Guinness) and Bromford Lady May (Lady May - never just May, always "Lady" May!)
So casting back to our first heavy horse show, Romsey show in 2012, i remember being told by one of the old horsemen "You'll never have just one, they get into your blood". Of course, at that time, we didn't just have Lady May, i also had my "light" horses, Rio, Red and Jack, so the thought of another heavy horse was well and truly out of the question. In fact, i never though we would have another heavy horse....!
Tragicially in January 2015 we got that call that no horse owner wants, and we very sadly and unexpectedly lost our 7yr old skewbald cob, Red, to colic. The plan was never to "replace", in fact i hate that word, but the world works in mysterious ways....
Roll forward to August 2015 and whilst scrolling mindlessly through facebook, a post popped up from Ash End Farm of the foals from that year. And what happened next, happened without reason and logic - replying to a picture of a black colt foal "is he for sale?"
"Is he for sale?" The words that saw one become two!
I'm going to write a blog about each of my Shires, so they will have there own post, as they deserve it, and there story is why and how we do what we do.
Guinness, loved Lady May and Lady May adopted Guinness as her own, and it was even more lovely to buy a foal from Ash End Farm, as this was where Lady May was bred too, so it felt right!
In February 2016 Guinness, was moved to winter out with the Percheron colts at Harbridge Farm, due to a stressful winter and needing to relocate the horses. This was a particularly difficult time, and in actual fact 2016 was about to tumble from one disaster to another.
In the summer of 2016 Guinness would attend many shows, and have his own heavy horse crash course, but he was never phased and such a delight to show.
In October 2016, i was hit by the biggest blow, the extremely unexpected loss of my beloved piebald traditional cob, Rio at the age of 17yrs. I was devasted!
For years i had shown Rio in coloured classes, and we had many friends who knew him, so his sudden loss was shared and it was again, whilst mindlessly scrolling facebook, that i was struck by a photo of a Shire foal.
I'll never understand why, but this photo, would pop up a lot, and there was something that i really cannot explain that drew me to him. Was he a gift from Rio?
I remember writing a message to his breeders, Angela and Steve, which i think started with something like "I don't know why I'm writing this, as I've just lost my cobby ...."
Needless to say, and without rushing, we drove to the beautiful Lake District to meet "Billy" and in the first moment i met him, i knew he was coming home. Having has the worst year, he was the saving grace, but as we had no immediate funds, Billy wouldn't head South until March 2017, giving us time to heal and indeed save!
Billy made the long drive South, but, with a stop at the National Shire Horse show in Staffordshire - which incidentally was a convenient half way point in the journey. Of course whilst there, with his sister Tarn Bay Matilda, we threw him in the deep end and took him in the newcomers class!
Just putting this into context - Billy who had just come from his happy northern home, where he was with his mummy and friends, was now faced with a major show and two southern strangers trying to plait him with the dreaded "mane roll monsters" and then show him - he had NO idea!
But we did it and we all survived, he even got ribbons which was a bonus!!!
Billy quickly settled with the herd and became friends with everyone!
Tarn Bay Rembrant - quite possibly wondering what on earth just happened! But surviving his first ever show.
And so, one became three, and soon three became four with our next addition was Royston.
In February 2017 Mike started a new job, Assistant horseman, at Chawton House Library, Nr Alton, Winchester. Of course when he started he never expected to be made redundant 6 months later. In his time at Chawton, Mike had the opportunity to not only ride, but work the four heavy horses - Royston, Speedy, Isaac and Summer - on chain harrows and logging, as they were used to look after the grounds, as well as promote and raise money for the charity. Sadly and rather controversially the charity ran out of money and the horses were forced to be rehomed into private homes.
Royston, who Mike was particularly fond of and who had helped me get back in the saddle again, after the loss of Rio, became a kind of redundancy package.
Mike and Royston at the Southern Counties Heavy Horse Association Spring Working in April 2017, promoting Chawton House Library, before the closure of the stables in August the same year.
Royston came home in August 2017 and fitted in straight away, living with us at our lovely rented yard at Blashford Manor Farm, nr Ringwood, where we had recently moved and felt would be our forever home, with 10 stables and 10 acres.
We now owned 4 Shire horses and Jack, our beloved New Forest Pony, and with us was a Shetland pony called Daisy too, who was owned by a friend.
And then, in September 2017, on the morning of Romsey Show, where we were heading with Royston, as i had planned to do my first ridden class, we arrived to find that we had lost Jack. Three of my beloved light horses gone, in three years, all far too young and all unexpectedly.
This was the end of my light horse chapter, but i'm forever pleased Jack got the opportunity to come to Blashford, somewhere i wished i had found many years sooner!
We strangely still went to Romsey show on that day, encouraged by the heavy horse family we had become a part of, many of whom, just wishing to support us on this otherwise sad day.
Arriving late, we only had the opportunity to do the harness class and the grand parade. Ill be forever thankful to those who supported us on that day.
Royston carrying our set of decorated harness - of course this was also a time when harness classes were full and hotly contested. We were proud to do our best and continue to learn.
And with four Shire horses you would have assumed that would be the end of the story but, in April 2018 we were joined by Kelly.
Kelly had a sad story, and she was in need of a home, and as we had the spare stables we agreed. Kelly actually had a wonderful life with the late great Queen of Shire's Glenys Dodd, who's Burlington Park Shires were well known. Kelly was said to be one of her favourites and won her many of ribbons, numerous championships and bred a foal - Burlington Park Romeo. But Glenys was unwell and sadly passed away, meaning her stud and horses all needed homes. It was through Angela and Steve, who we got Billy from, that we got Kelly. The winter had been hard on the horses, and having bred a foal and then had a tough winter, Kelly wasn't in the greatest of condition, but she had the kindest eye and soul.
I think the hope was that she would somehow give us a leg up into the showing world, but actually, Kelly was done with showing, and whilst we managed to get her to a few, her last show with us was at the South Wales Shire Horse Society in July 2019 - she had placed 3rd and qualified for the then Heavy Horse Grassroot championship, but the day wasn't easy as she made her feelings known about being shown, plaited and loaded - the later taking quite some time! And so the decision was made to retire her from showing and let her become a just a regular member of the family. And she's a lovely addition to the family - bonding quickly with Royston who are now "husband and wife" and best friends with Lady May.
Below: A few weeks after arriving with us and the difference was already noticeable
And so, my life with heavy horses - it started with a Clydesdale, who through riding her led me to meeting a lovely lady called Ann, she owned a Shire called Dandy and had a 15 month old Coloured Cob, called Rio, who was supposed to be a project and stayed.
From Ann we also got Lady May, and she was the true start of our journey.
We still have Lady May, Guinness, Billy, Royston and Kelly and they now live in the most wonderful place in Brockenhurst. We do a little of everything, but showing will always be the biggest passion.
Safe to say 12 yrs on we are probably still considered newcomers by some, but we love showing, learning and promoting and there's no escaping them now, all i can be assured of is that number six is NOT happening!!!