My Life with Heavy Horses - Part one "It Started with a Clydesdale"
My Life with Heavy Horses and where it all started
Part one: It started with a Clydesdale!
Before I start, I think its only fair you know a bit about me and my heavy horse life, where it started and how I got to where I am now...
I suppose you could say my heavy horse passion started in 1999 when I was fortunate to meet Bonnie - a beautiful big roan and white Clydesdale - who came in to the local riding school where I was riding and later worked. I purchased Bonnie in 2000, and she was special as she was my first horse.
I remember going to the Portsmouth Heavy Horse parade, and being in ore of all the gorgeous heavy horses and would seek the horsemen to ask for tips on turnout and feather care.
I would show Bonnie at the local shows, where we were lucky to find classes for heavy horses, the best you would get would be a "heavy and hairy" class, if you were lucky. Thankfully being roan and white, she fell into coloured classes and as a ridden horse would be a real head turner and would do extremely well. Of course now ridden heavy horse classes are a big part of heavy horse showing, but back then, it was unheard of!
In 2002 there was a club set up called the Heavy Horse Riding Club of GB, by a lady called Sue, who clearly had a vision, but was probably just a little ahead of time. I ended up being a local rep for the club and we tried to get ridden demo's at events. I was really lucky to be given an opportunity to hold a ridden display at the Southern Counties Heavy Horse Association's All England ploughing match and show in the October of 2002. I met with people, who are still associated with the SCHHA today and we performed a drill ride. By doing this display we also had the opportunity to show in the mare class - our first ever heavy horse class, and Bonnie came 6th!
We never plaited for the SCHHA - which weirdly I now know is correct for a Clydesdale mare - but we did plait her once at a fun show that was held at the livery yard we were at. Mum made her some flights based on a photo we saw in the book "The Working Horse Manual" which mum had brought me from the Weald and Downland museum - this book is still my go to and bible!
Sadly we lost Bonnie in 2006 - tragically far too early, she was only 14yrs old!
Bonnie - The only time she was plaited as a heavy horse - with her homemade traditional Clydesdale flights in Burgundy and Cream to compliment her beautiful colouring.
Between 2006 and 2012 I enjoyed life with my "light" horses - where we owned two coloured cob, Rio and Red, Lincoln the Clydesdale x Irish Draught, who was an ex military police horse and Jack our New Forest pony. Showing continued to be a passion and all my horses were shown successfully, in hand, ridden and even ridden side-saddle!
In 2012 shortly after we sadly lost Lincoln at the grand age of 31yrs, we were offered the opportunity of having a Shire mare. "Bromford Lady May" was 18 months old and came to us in not the best of condition. In fact her early months had been quite a sad time. Having been bred by fantastic Shire breeders - Mr Rawlins at Ash End Farm - Lady May had had a kidney removed as a two week old foal, with the vets costs covered by donations through the children's farm. As a result of the donations, and knowing that Lady May would not make life as a broodmare, she was, i understand, free to a good home. Sadly it would seem that good home was no good, as she was picked up at the sales by a couple i knew, they didn't even know she was a Shire until they received her passport, as she was in a right sorry state. They adored Lady May, but ill health meant they couldn't look after her as they wished, so she came to us.
It was lovely to know that once picked up from the sales, contact was made with the breeders and they were assured she was now in good hands, a welcome relief I'm sure!
So here started my Shire horse journey and being passionate about showing... well you guessed it, this is where it really started!
The problem was, i had no idea where to start - where do you learn how to show a heavy horse? Where do you learn to plait? What do i need? The list goes on......
Thankfully we had a local brewery who i knew had Shire horses, and i approached them to help, which they did, and i was introduced to the family who owned the Shires. We were taught how to plait, how to present, how to show and basically had a crash course in Shires! I was taught how to make a wool mane roll, and my first set of flights, where made by a gentleman at the Great Dorset Steam Fair and cost me £10!
Of course i didn't do things by half, so rather than be sensible and wait until the next year, we decided to make our first show the Romsey Show, giving us around 6 weeks!!
I'll never forget arriving at Romsey show - newcomers in a world where new people didn't commonly come forward - we were a curiosity and i'm certain most thought we wouldn't stick around.
As someone who had shown in light horses, a world which is super competitive and often unfriendly, it was noticeably refreshing how calm, welcoming and friendly everyone was. In fact one of the first comments made was "she won't be your last heavy horse, they become addictive!" - i was convinced she would be, but alas she wasn't!
Romsey show 2012 was a baptism of fire and crash course, we didn't get placed, but strangely i didn't care, i was proud of what we had achieved and that was it i was hooked!
