Heavy horses have always been a favourite at Hope Show and this year the classes for these beautiful breeds are likely to be more popular than ever.
Shire horses are the most numerous and largest of the heavy horses found in this country and it is impossible not to be inspired by their power and presence. Kathryn Sesions is the Secretary of the Heavy Horse section at Hope Show and she admits she is in awe of these wonderful animals.
She says, “Standing at an average of 182cm (approximately 18hh), the Shire is a very imposing equine and is the definition of ‘horse power’. They are characterised by their beauty, kind and willing temperament and white silky feather on their legs.”
The Shire horse has survived a tumultuous 20th century during which numbers plummeted to a dangerously low level but have since made a recovery, according to Kathryn:
“In the 1800s, the Shire horse became the main powerhouse in agriculture and commerce, particularly the docks and railways. The breed continued to prosper up to the late 1930s when the tractor appeared on farms.
“The Second World War brought about a change in industry, agriculture and transport which had a devastating effect on the Shire horse breed. In 1958, the Shire stud book only contained five registered colts and eleven fillies.
“Shortly afterwards, committed owners of the Shire horse formed several regional breed societies to promote the breed. This has enabled the survival of Shire and now although it remains on the amber ‘at risk’ list of native breeds, numbers have increased markedly.
“At this year’s show the best heavy horses from the region can be seen in a range of classes from yearlings to veteran horses. There will also be a young handler’s class to encourage the next generation of owners and breeders.
“There will be plenty of foals to watch as they battle to become the winner of the Derbyshire Society Accumulator as well as the impressive classes for heavy horses in harness and the Turnout Pairs Class.
“Our judge this year is Jonathan Worthington from Cheshire and he will have the difficult job of choosing between all the entries. Once he has picked his winners from each class, they will all enter the Championship in the Main Ring at 2.45pm and the winner will win a prestigious trophy and a £50 voucher kindly donated by Ruggles.”
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