From the 10th to the 12th November, Your Horse Live welcomed it’s very first Heavy Horse Village on centre stage right at one of the entrances to the showground.
Over 20,000 visitors attended the show across the three days who stopped and chatted to the owners of the horses and volunteers. The village welcomed 2 year old shire filly Batley Dianna Gray, 3 year old Percheron filly Kolga du Cretil, 4 year old Suffolk Punch mare Holbeche Scarlett and 8 year old Clydesdale Gelding Dourra Harvey.
The amateur owners of the visiting horses and breed society volunteers inspired other amateurs through daily demonstrations varying from plaiting a heavy horse to feather care and the theory of basic harness. The village also welcomed Hook Norton Brewery’s Balmoral and Brigadier 4 year old shire geldings who took to the main entrance each morning at the shows main entrance to meet and greet visitors.
As part of the remembrance weekend, two horses were plaited in their poppy sets and took part in a very busy 2 minute silence described by Shire Horse Society Council Member, Denise Badger as “very moving and emotional, the horses stood there quiet and patient representing the fallen soldiers and war horses perfectly.” Visitors to the Heavy Horse Village could also gain hands on experience of plaiting the 4 different breeds thanks to the Midlands Heavy Horse Association for their loan of their practice horse, Moppy.
In addition to the demonstrations held in the village, the heavy horses paraded in the main arena with commentary around core breed information and presentation for the show ring. Percheron Society Trustee, Josie Shereston, added “it was great to see the high volume of other horse owners curious as to the heavy horse heritage and versatility of the breed for modern uses such as riding, driving and ploughing.” Volunteer & Suffolk Horse Society Member Helen Roberts added “the combining of all four heavy horse breeds into the village gave such an amazing atmosphere and enabled visitors to compare and contrast the similarities and differences of each breed. It really showcased how well members from all four breed societies worked together to represent the rarity of the Shire, Suffolk, Percheron and Clydesdale.” Shire Horse Society Member and Organiser of the Heavy Horse Village, Lucy Gath added “it was great to be around other like-minded heavy horse amateurs across the weekend who worked tirelessly to celebrate the heavy horse with the visitors. Thank you to Your Horse Live for hosting such a fabulous event and to our hard working volunteers and horse owners for their hard work and efforts. We are looking forward to seeing if this can become another event for 2024.”
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