The Midlands Heavy Horse Association, which has its headquarters at the Bass Museum, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, is a thriving organisation with eighty-one enthusiastic and dedicated members. The membership covers a wide area of the Midlands and in order to keep members informed about forthcoming events and what each member is up to there is an association newsletter called, appropriately, 'The Whisperer'.

The members are very keen to encourage new enthusiasts, particularly youngsters. To this end there is an annual Young Handlers Competition, which is held at the Bass Museum Stables and usually attracts a good number of entries. As well as attending the Association's own events, members also take part in 'In-hand Competitions' in the area and, whenever possible, enjoy working days such as the one held at Shugborough Hall, Staffordshire.

Shugborough is the home of the world famous photographer, Lord Patrick Lichfield, and it was with his permission that the event took place.

Barry Coffin demonstrating the seed drill

The Working Day provided the opportunity for members to practise their driving and handling skills and to experience something of the life of an agricultural horseman before the days of the tractor. The work provided a great deal of exercise for the horses (and their handlers!) but both seemed to get a lot of enjoyment from it. Barry Coffin, Head Horseman at the Bass Museum, and his groom, Daniel Smith, took along two of the famous Bass Shires, six-year-old Wellington (17.3 hh) and four-year-old Imperial (18 hh). Imperial was Champion Gelding at the National Shire Horse Show at Peterborough in 1999. Later in the day these two were put to a 1940s Massey Harris seed drill, part of a large collection of horse drawn agricultural equipment owned by Mr Shirley Pegg from Flavel Farm, Austry, Warwickshire.

Simon Powell with Ben & Sultan

Cliff Green, the Association's Secretary, worked Tom Sales' six-year-old gelding William, and Simon and Yvonne Powell from Donisthorpe in Leicestershire took along their Shires, Sultan and Ben.

Sultan is a nine-year-old black gelding (17.3 hh) who Simon and Yvonne bought in 1993 as an unbroken, untouched three-year-old stallion. After a good deal of patient work he now goes well, either singly or as a pair. Ben is a ten-year-old 18 hh black gelding whom Simon and Yvonne adopted from the International League for the Protection of Horses in 1998. He is now restored to good health, as can be seen in the photographs, and has been schooled for driving, ploughing and any other jobs that need doing.

'Jake' on one of his first outings

The couple had also adopted an abandoned gypsy cob from the ILPH. 'Jake' was collected in August 1999 and is currently long-reining quite happily. He stands at 14.2 hh but he is not yet quite three years old. Yvonne said, "It has taken many hours of careful handling and feeding to restore him to fitness."

She took him along to the Working Day as a sort of socialising outing and, although he is generally quite laid back, he was wary of some of the big boys! The sight and sound of the vehicles and farm machinery did not seem to bother him, but he didn't reckon much to the pigs!

It was a great thrill to see Rory Spencer working his Suffolk Punch mare, five-year-old Holly. Suffolks are on the critical list of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, with less than 300 horses worldwide and only 70 registered mares in the United Kingdom.

Rory Spencer harrowing with Holly

The plight of the breed is desperate and it is a rare thing to see Suffolks at shows in the Midlands - and even rarer to see one working. Holly travelled a long way from her home at Holbrook, Derbyshire, to Heybridge in Essex to be put to stud. Rory is hoping for a good filly foal to help keep the breed alive. Holly was trained to harness and shafts by Kath Pegg of Flavel Farm, Warwickshire. Rory Spencer is a member of the Suffolk Horse Society and was recently appointed to the Committee of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, Derbyshire Support Group.

The event provided both enthusiasts and horses with a great day out in wonderful surroundings and His Lordship's estate acquired a well-cultivated and re-seeded field!

© Brian Robinson
May 2000

Visit the book review section in April 2000 edition of the magazine for this superb photographic record of Shire horses from nearly a century ago

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