A Summer Spectacular

The Summer Spectacular at the popular Open Air Museum near Singleton, drew a large and enthusiastic crowd who were treated to a varied programme which included an impressive variety of Heavy Horse breeds.  The programme was designed to be a mixture of the informative and fun – displays of horses in a working capacity were interspersed with pure entertainments such as the ridden and cones driving classes.

Jane matches her Comtis horses perfectly!

Special attractions this year included Jane Wordsworth’s newly imported Comtois draught horses from France.   Being as she describes it, rather “vertically challenged” in this short legged breed, she seems to have found her ideal working partners.   Jane travelled to the Jura region of France to try the horses out, both ridden and driven, despite it being in the depths of winter with two feet of snow and ice.   Impressed with how the horses responded to all that was asked of them, she was back a month later to collect Major, a 6 year old gelding, and Liza who Jane was assured would be an “exciting” match for Major!   Exciting is a word that springs to mind when recalling their performances in the ring, which combined with their eye-catching appearance of deep chestnut coats and long flowing flaxen, almost white, manes and tails, made them real crowd pleasers.   Jane gamely took them in every aspect of the event possible and maybe they will need a little more accuracy to go with their verve and enthusiasm, but given a little more time and practise they could soon be sweeping all before them in the cones driving in particular.   Such classes for heavy horses are becoming increasingly popular and the more practised the competitors become, the stiffer the competition.   Most of them approached the start at a gallop and only slowed a little for the obstacles.